The first verse gives the first des c r i p tion of the food in Hell and it is the tree of Zaqquum. It is said:

“Verily the tree of Zaqquum will be the food of the sinful and like molten brass it will boil in their innards.”

The linguists have dealt the meaning of the word “Zaqquum” in detail and this word has been used thrice in the Qura’n.(1) Some have said that it is derived from the Arabic word “Zaqam” and other have it was not an Arabic word but was adopted in it from a language in Africa.

In Mafuradat Raghib says every distasteful food in hell is called Zaqquum. According to some commentators when the word was revealed in the verse the pagans of Quraysh said “We have never seen the plant of Zaqquum in our fields.” A person of Africa met them and they asked, “Do you know that Zaqquum is?” He said that this word in the dictionaries of his language means butter and dates. We do not know whether he said this as a joke or the word really had those meanings but in Qura’n it denotes a tree or plant. When Abu Jahl heard this he said insultingly to his maid, “Zaqqeena” bring Zaqquum for us” and he meant butter and dates. He used to tell his friends to eat Zaqquum. “Mohammad scares us with it and believes that trees will grow out from fire while fires burn the trees.”(2)

This became the cause of the linguists declare it to be the meaning and took this explanation to be the truth as has been described by Jowhari in Lisan-ol-Arab, “ Zaqquum” is the name of a food that contains butter and dates.

The other verses describe the features of the disliked food called Zaqquum. It is said:

“Is that the better entertainment or the tree of Zaqquum? It is a tree that springs out of the bottom of the Hell fire. They will eat and fill their bellies with it.”(3)

The first thing we note is the objection of Abu Jahl who disdainfully asks whether any tree has ever grown out of a fire. Fire burns all trees he said. But these proud and unjust mischief makers were oblivious of the fact that the rules that govern that world are different from the rules that govern this one. When a plant or tree rises from the depths of Hell it will contain the colors of Hell and it will be nurtured in its atmosphere.

It will not be like the plants in this world. And we find such strange things in our world too like the plants and insects that live in the northern ice. This tells us that atmosphere for the plants do not necessarily have to be like surroundings of other plants. Is the life of the dwellers not something strange within it? What is the difference between mankind and plants (as far as being alive is concerned)?

The fruits of this tree have been compared to the heads of the devils when the people addressed had never seen their heads of the devils. This may be because every unpleasant and distasteful thing is attributed to devils just as every thing beautiful is attributed to the angels despite the fact that normal people do not see them. The women of Egypt described apostle Yusuf as in verse 31 of the Surah:

“He is none other than a noble angel.” We described a vicious looking person as an “Ogre” though we have never seen for they are imaginary beings.

These des c r i p tions about the angels and the devils are a part of our lives some are beautiful and others not so.

So Zaqquum is not only a foul smelling and distasteful food but is also very evil looking unlike many beautiful plants in this world that are poisonous.

Some commentators have said that Satan means an ugly snake and the fruits of Zaqquum have been compared to it but this explanation seems farfetched because this sort of des c r i p tion of Satan has rarely been seen.

In the third part of these verses a food called “Ghisleen”. The verse says: “He has no friend here this day and he has no food excepting the foul pus from the wounds, which none will eat except the sinners.”

The word “Ghisleen” which has been used only once in the Qura’n has been derived from “Ghasl” which means to wash. In Mafuradat Raghib says Ghisleen is a water which falls into Hell when the disbelievers bathe but according to the commentators and linguists it is pus that seeps from the wounds of the dwellers of Hell and it is so called because it is fluid like water which a man uses to bathe. Raghib may have meant the same but other have understood it only in this sense. As we have said earlier it is a foul smelling and distasteful plant which is the food for the sinners in Hell but the first meaning is more prevalent.

The fourth verse introduces a new name called “Zareeh” as a food for the sinners in Hell. The Qura’n speaks about the sinners and then says:

“When they enter the blazing fire they are made to drink from a fiercely boiling spring and they shall have no food except the bitter thorny ones which will neither fatten nor satisfy.”

There are many interpretations for the word Zareeh which have similar meanings. Some have said that it is green foul smelling plant that comes out from the ocean bed. (4) Some have said that it is a thorn that sticks to the earth; when it gets wet the Quraysh call it “Shareeq” but “Zareeh when it is dry. It is so venomous that no animal goes near it. (5)

Some have declared it to have been derived from Zaraa which weakness and infamy. It is a very insulting food and the sinners will beseech God to be excused from it. (6)

There is a hadith from the Holy Messenger:

“ Zareeh is something that grown in the fire of Hell; it resembles a thorn and is very bitter being more foul smelling then a rotting carcass. It is more inflicting than fire and that is why God has called it Zareeh.

The words “they shall have no food except the bitter thorny ones which will neither fatten nor satisfy.” Clearly denote that it can neither improve the body nor satisfy the hunger. (7) It is food that gets stuck in the throat and is a punishment as described in verse 13 of Surah Muzammil;

“And a food that chokes and a painful torment.”

It should not be surprising that this painful torment waits for the sinners. They are those who filled their bellies with various kinds of delicious food by usurping the rights of others and oppressing them when there were people around them who could not have square meal a day. They were dying every year in different countries in terrible hunger but these people through their excess food in trash bins. They should be given a food that will be painful for them.

We would once again reiterate what we have said many times that it is nearly impossible for us to describe the torments of the other world being jailed in this one. What we see about it is just a dim silhouette.

We would now like to present a frequent objection that says that from verse 6 of Surah Ghaashiya that the food for the sinners in Hell is only Zareeh but the verse mentioned above name two other kinds Zaqquum and Ghisleen and the latter is mentioned in verse 36 of Surah as the only food for the sinners in Hell.

We present two from among the various given for this question:

Zareeh, Zaqquum and Ghisleen mean the same, a dry, unpleasant, foul smelling plant that grows in hell. But this des c r i p tion of Ghisleen is different to that which has been prescribed by the dictionaries.

The meaning of Zareeh and Zaqquum are the same and all of them are the food for the sinners, but Ghisleen is their drink and the word “eat” or “Taaam” has been used often in Arabic.

Some have taken Zareeh and Zaqquum to mean the same

Each of the three kinds of food mentioned above is fixed for a particular group of sinners abiding at a certain level. This des c r i p tion is the best.

The fifth verse again speaks about the drinks of the dwellers of Hell. It is said:

“We have prepared a fire for the sinners whose flames will be like the roof and walls of a tent in which they will suffocate; if they beg for relief they will be given water like molten brass that will scald their mouths. What a dreadful drink! What an uncomfortable couch to recline on.”

The point to note is these punishments have been prescribed for those unjust people who were busy drinking various kinds of wines in this world from the hands of beautiful women but they will dwell in the flames of Hell and when they ask for water they will be given molten brass and the water created by the sighs of the orphans and the oppressed for the things there will be the manifestation of the deeds in this world.

Is the water that will scald the mouths drinkable? We are told that the creation of mankind in this world is very different from his existence in the other one and it will such that he will go through these punishments without dying. It may also be that if he learns about or see such kind of water then he will restrain himself from drinking it and thus burn more in thirst.

The word Muhil according to some linguists and commentators is the filth that accumulates in the utensil from Ghee that was used and it is always distasteful and smelly.

Tabrisi has described this molten lead in Majmaul Bayan. Some people have described it as molten metal and some have described it as dark colored water because the Hell itself is black and so are its inhabitants and trees.

Some have said that it means black colored water because Hell is dark so its water, trees and dwellers are all black. (8)

Some others have described it a coal tar or poisonous black material. (9)

Though these are different meaning but they all say the same thing about the painful existence of the sinners in Hell.

There are two other des c r i p tions in the 6th verse one is “Hameem” and the other is “Ghassaaq”. It is said:

“Nothing cool shall they do not taste nor any drink save a boiling fluid and a fluid dark, murky and intensely cold.”

Most commentators and linguists have taken the word “Hameem” which is derived from the word “Hamm” to mean boiling water. The word “Ghassaaq” has been derived from “Ghassaq” which sometimes is sued to denote darkness and sometimes a flow and here it means the pus flowing from the wounds of the sinners.

It is very evident that he who is near the fire or in it will be thirsty. In the summer heat when a person is thirsty nothing can quench his thirst but a cool drink. There will be no cool drink for the sinners in Hell for their drinks will be boiling and will increase their thirst.

Does it mean that they will avoid drinking it and suffer from increased thirst? Or will they have no other recourse but to drink it and will suffer increased thirst? The word “zuuq” means to taste or to sip but the second interpretation is better.

Some commentators have interpreted as the result of being close to Satan and are therefore warned about the spiritual and physical punishments but as we have said repeatedly we have no right to interpret it symbolically without valid prove against the literal meaning of the verse.

There is another des c r i p tion in the seventh group of verses and it is said:

“But they wanted a victory and decision then and there and frustration was the lot of every powerful and obstinate transgressor. Hell is before him and he is given a boiling and fetid water to drink. He will sip it in gulps but will never swallow it down his throat and death will come to him from all sides, yet he will not die for he will face a relentless chastisement.’’

The word “Sadeed” is derived from the word “Sadd” which means to turn one’s back to something or to turn one’s face away. It was later used to describe the pus oozing out from between the skins and the flesh because this may denote the decadence from health. In Mafuradat Raghib says “This word has been used to describe the drink (distasteful, smelly and unpleasant) of those in Hell.

The proof of this abhorrence is that they will not drink it willingly but will be forced to drink it in sips. Their situation will be very dreadful as if death encompasses them from all sides but they will not die because they have to suffer their punishment.

The strange fact is that this punishment has been related to the oppressors, the tyrants, and the rebellious in other verses (The y are sometimes called Taghiin, Jabbaar or Zalimeen). This is the ultimate fate of injustice and oppression and this punishment is the manifestation of their injustices in the hereafter. They sometimes incarcerated people in their dungeons for long periods with the worst food and water just to keep them alive and to torture them. The faces of their subjects became so distorted that even their mothers could not recognize them (It was like the prisons of Hajjaj bin Yusuf where men were tortured and we find such instances these days too about the tyrants. Don’t these people deserve this punishment?)

From the study of these verses we clearly understand that among the punishments of the sinners will be a punishment about their food and water, things that should provide comfort will be extremely painful for them.

The food has been described at times as “Zaqquum, Zareeh and Ghisleen and the water have been described as Hameem, Muhil and Sadeed or Ghassaaq.

These words tell us that the drink would not only hot but boiling, unpleasant, foul smelling, distasteful and when we look at the deeds meted out by these unjust people in this world on the innocent people then we will not be surprised by the severity of the punishment.

May God save us through His mercy, from such sins that lead to such a fate.

1. See verse 62 of Surah Saffat, 43 of Surah Dukhan and 52 of Surah Waaqiya.

2. See Tafsir Majmaul Bayan, Murujul Bayan and Ruhul Ma’ani

3. See Tafsir Qartabi vol.8 page 5529 for verse 22 of Surah Saffat.

4. Al-Aiyn of Khaleel ibn Ahmad

5. Tafsir Qartabi vol.10 page 7119

6. Tafsir Qartabi vol.10 page 716

7. See Tafsir Majmaul Bayan vol.9-10 page 479 for this verse.

8. Tafsir Majmaul Bayan vol.5 page 466 and Tafsir Qartabi vol.6 page 4011

9. Tafsir Qartabi vol.6 page 4011