وَلَا طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِنْ غِسْلِينٍ 36
Translations
Nor any food except from the discharge of wounds;
Transliteration
Wa lā ṭaʿāmun illā min ghislīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the punishment of the people of Hell, stating that their only food is ghislīn (filthy discharge from the wounds of the people of Hell). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain that ghislīn is a repugnant substance that flows from the bodies of the damned, emphasizing the severity and disgrace of hellish punishment. This ayah underscores how the punishment in Hell is not merely physical but also involves humiliation and degradation, as even basic sustenance becomes loathsome.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Haqqah is a Meccan surah that emphasizes the certainty of the Day of Judgment and describes the scenes of Judgment Day with vivid imagery. This particular ayah appears within a passage (verses 30-37) depicting the torment of those bound for Hell, serving to warn the disbelievers about the inevitable consequences of rejecting the message.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) described Hell and its punishments in various ahadith. In Sahih Muslim, there are descriptions of the torment of Hell's inhabitants, though no hadith directly references ghislīn specifically. Thematically related is the hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah describing the severity of hellish punishment as a warning to the believers.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder of the gravity of rejecting faith and the tangible, severe consequences of one's choices in the Hereafter. For believers, it reinforces the importance of gratitude for lawful sustenance in this life and adherence to divine guidance to avoid such unimaginable punishment.
Related Ayahs
وَلَوْ أَنَّ قُرْءَانًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ ٱلْجِبَالُ أَوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضُ أَوْ كُلِّمَ بِهِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ ۗ بَل لِّلَّهِ ٱلْأَمْرُ جَمِيعًا ۗ أَفَلَمْ يَا۟يْـَٔسِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن لَّوْ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ لَهَدَى ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا ۗ وَلَا يَزَالُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ تُصِيبُهُم بِمَا صَنَعُوا۟ قَارِعَةٌ أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِّن دَارِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ وَعْدُ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ ٱلْمِيعَادَ
And if there was any Qur’ān [i.e., recitation] by which the mountains would be removed or the earth would be broken apart or the dead would be made to speak, [it would be this Qur’ān], but to Allāh belongs the affair entirely. Then have those who believed not accepted that had Allāh willed, He would have guided the people, all of them? And those who disbelieve do not cease to be struck, for what they have done, by calamity - or it will descend near their home - until there comes the promise of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh does not fail in [His] promise.
وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ يَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
And to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ ٱلْقُرُونِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ نُوحٍ ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِرَبِّكَ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًۢا بَصِيرًا
And how many have We destroyed from the generations after Noah. And sufficient is your Lord, concerning the sins of His servants, as Aware and Seeing.
أَوْ يُوبِقْهُنَّ بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ وَيَعْفُ عَن كَثِيرٍ
Or He could destroy them for what they earned; but He pardons much.