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| Central Theme
This surah is the counterpart of Surah ‘Asr, the previous surah. Even a cursory look at both the surahs reveals a clear similarity in their themes. In the previous surah, the character of persons who will be salvaged in the Hereafter is depicted. They are those who exhort one other to the right path and remain steadfast on this attitude. In this surah, people of the opposite character are referred to: They are miserly by nature and greedily accumulate wealth. Instead of urging one another to fulfil the rights of Allah and their own fellow beings, if they see someone doing so, they make his life miserable by hurling taunts and jeers at him. They try their utmost to discourage and demoralize him so much that he may surrender to their reproaches and adopt their evil ways. This attitude conceals their own miserliness and saves them from being conscience-stricken when others call them to the right path. The Qur’an, at many instances has made references to this miserly character of people who greedily hoard money. To quote Surah Tawbah:
It should be clear that though in this surah the character of the stingy is actually depicted, yet the character of those having other moral weaknesses is no different. They also try to defend themselves by making fun of those having high moral character. The people of Lot (sws) too had adopted a similar attitude. When they observed that it was becoming difficult for them to counter the reformatory movement launched by the Prophet Lot (sws) and his companions, they, instead of mending their ways, started scoffing and leering at the Prophet Lot (sws) and his companions by saying: "These people pretend to be noble" (27:56). They even started exhorting their nation to banish "these nobles" from the country, lest they disgrace the whole nation. Meaning of the Surah Devastation to every slanderer, every person who makes evil gestures at others, and who amassed wealth and [remained busy] counting it, thinking that his wealth had rendered him immortal. (1-3) By no means! he shall be flung into that which crushes. And what do you imagine that which crushes is? A fire kindled by Allah; which will rise up to their hearts. Verily, they will be enshrouded in it, fastened to columns very high. (4-9) Explanation of the Surah (Devastation to every slanderer, every person who makes evil gestures at others.) (1) The word Hamz means "to make evil gestures at others", and Lamz means "to malign and slander someone". Humazah and Lumazah are intensive forms, as is Hutamah mentioned later in the surah. Humazah means "someone who makes evil gestures at others", while Lumazah means "one who finds faults in others". Making evil gestures and slandering others are the two aspects of the same character. The first relates to behavioural expressions, and the second one pertains to verbal expressions. Both are employed to degrade and ridicule others. At times, the first can prove the sharper of the two, and perhaps this is the reason for placing Humazah before Lumazah. In every civilised society, Hamz and Lamz are always considered to be mean habits. All divine religions forbid them. The Qur’an also clearly prohibits a person to do so:
The verse vividly portrays the life of stingy people. On the one hand, they do all what they can to silence those who call upon them to fulfil the rights of Allah and their own fellow beings, and on the other are busy amassing riches and greedily hoarding them. They remain deeply engrossed in computing and calculating their wealth. Speculating about the prospects of success in business is their only food for thought. Issues like the profit that can be obtained from various business undertakings, the money they can gain from their investments, the measures needed to compensate the loss in a particular economic enterprise and the grand total of their money next year possess their minds. If someone mentions before them that a person has spent his money on orphans and poor, they make fun of him by saying that he is only showing off his wealth and assert: "Look at us, we have spent thousands and no one has the slightest knowledge of it". (Thinking that his wealth has rendered him immortal.) (3) This verse highlights the inner character of the hypocrites. They reckon that their wealth will also buy for them eternal life. Their complete involvement with wealth shows that they seek all pleasures of life in wealth. If they knew that both their wealth and life were ephemeral, they would have expended them in a way which would be profitable for them in the Hereafter. In fact, they would have tried to outdo one another in this dash. In Surah Shu‘ara, this mentality is depicted in the following words:
The word kalla (By no means) is meant to negate the false notion of a miser stated in the previous verse: "thinking that his wealth has rendered him immortal". The Qur’an says that such a person and whatever he has gathered will be hurled into the raging fire of Hell which shall crush them to pieces. The word Hutamah is from the root HTM which means "to crush to pieces". Like Humazah and Lumazah, it is also an intensive form. (And what do you imagine that which crushes to pieces is?) (5) The question in this verse is meant to express the dreadfulness of Hell; a fire kindled by the Almighty should not be considered something ordinary. Hutamah (that which crushes to pieces) seems a very apt word to depict the total annihilation of wealth amassed in the form of bricks of gold and silver, jewellery, and valuable utensils. This is precisely how the rich of that period used to accumulate their wealth. All such people will see this fate of their wealth, which they reckoned would render them immortal. (A fire kindled by Allah, which will rise up to their hearts.) (6-7) This verse explains the word Hutamah stated in the previous one. The characteristic of this fire is that it will first of all seek those hearts that had remained so possessed by the love of wealth that the remembrance of Allah and the Final Day could find no space in them. We all know of certain devices which have been invented to track down specific targets. As soon as they sense their prey, they automatically follow and destroy it. The fire of Allah mentioned in this verse, it seems, will behave similarly and will grip all those hearts which were absorbed with the love of wealth and had remained indifferent to the needs of the poor. (Verily, they shall be enshrouded in it.) (8) The fire shall completely enwrap them so that no part of its heat is wasted. The phrase Aawsad al-Bab means "he closed the door". The fire will close over them as in a brick kiln, destroying them with all its force. (Fastened to columns very high.) (9) This verse depicts the helplessness of these criminals. Even within the fire they will be fastened to high columns with heavy chains. Here only columns are mentioned; Surah Haqqah mentions the chaining of such criminals as well:
(Translated from "Tadabbur-i-Qur’an"
by Shehzad Saleem)
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