ثُمَّ إِنَّ لَهُمْ عَلَيْهَا لَشَوْبًا مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ 67
Translations
Then indeed, they will have after it a mixture of scalding water.
Transliteration
Thumma inna lahum 'alayha lashawban min hamim
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes a punishment in the Hellfire where the inhabitants will have a mixture (shawb) of boiling water poured over their food (zaqqum). Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain that this shawb refers to a disgusting mixture or a pouring of scalding liquid, intensifying the torment by combining foul food with burning liquid. The ayah emphasizes the comprehensive and layered nature of Hell's punishment—not merely hunger, but hunger satisfied with the most abominable and painful sustenance.
Revelation Context
Surah As-Saffat is a Meccan surah that describes the Day of Judgment and the punishments of the disbelievers in the Hellfire. This ayah appears within a passage (37:62-68) describing the tree of Zaqqum and the suffering of those who rejected faith, serving as a vivid warning to the pagan Meccans about the consequences of disbelief.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) described Hell and its punishments in various hadiths. Sahih Muslim records that the Prophet warned about the intensity of Hell's torment. Additionally, various hadiths in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim detail the tree of Zaqqum as a specific punishment for those who were wealthy and arrogant in this life.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder of the seriousness of rejecting divine guidance and the reality of accountability in the afterlife. For believers, it should inspire gratitude for Allah's blessings and encourage righteous conduct, while warning against arrogance and the pursuit of worldly pleasures at the expense of spiritual devotion.