Surah 104 · Meccan · 9 Verses
الهمزة
SURAH AL-HUMAZAH
The Traducer
Surah Al-Humazah condemns habitual slander, mockery and wealth-hoarding joined to the fantasy that possessions make a person permanent. It warns of a crushing fire that reaches hearts and encloses its people. The chapter connects harm done through speech with inward attachment to wealth and final accountability. More about this surah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَيْلٌۭ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍۢ لُّمَزَةٍ
Woe to every scorner and mocker
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يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُۥٓ أَخْلَدَهُۥ
He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal.
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وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْحُطَمَةُ
And what can make you know what is the Crusher?
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نَارُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْمُوقَدَةُ
It is the fire of Allāh, [eternally] fueled,
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إِنَّهَا عَلَيْهِم مُّؤْصَدَةٌۭ
Indeed, it [i.e., Hellfire] will be closed down upon them
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About This Surah
The opening targets a pattern, not a single accidental word: repeated defamation and scorn. The same person gathers and counts wealth, imagining that accumulation grants permanence.
The warning names al-Hutamah, “the Crusher,” and asks what can make the reader understand it. It is described as God’s kindled fire rising over hearts. Speech that wounds others and wealth-love that deforms the self are thus brought together.
The fire is closed in with extended columns, an image of inescapability. The surah does not permit readers to identify particular living people as certainly destined for this outcome.
Its practical demand is serious speech ethics: refusing gossip, ridicule and reputational harm, while also resisting the false security of counted assets.
Core Themes
- Speech can become systematic harm
- Wealth cannot make anyone permanent
- Outer ridicule and inner corruption are connected
- Final judgment cannot be escaped through assets
Structure
Verses 1-3: slander, mockery and counted wealth — 1-3
Verses 1-3 focus on slander, mockery and counted wealth.
Verses 4-9: the crushing fire and exposed hearts — 4-9
Verses 4-9 focus on the crushing fire and exposed hearts.
Key Passages
The slanderer and counter — 1-3
Verses 1-3 address the slanderer and counter.
The Crusher reaches hearts — 4-7
Verses 4-7 address the crusher reaches hearts.
Enclosed consequence — 8-9
Verses 8-9 address enclosed consequence.
Interpretation Limits
- Do not label a disliked person as certainly condemned.
- Do not turn the heart imagery into medical anatomy.
- Do not use the surah to justify retaliatory slander.