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
وَأَصْبَحَ ٱلَّذِينَ تَمَنَّوْا۟ مَكَانَهُۥ بِٱلْأَمْسِ يَقُولُونَ وَيْكَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ وَيَقْدِرُ ۖ لَوْلَآ أَن مَّنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا لَخَسَفَ بِنَا ۖ وَيْكَأَنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ
And those who had wished for his position the previous day began to say, "Oh, how Allāh extends provision to whom He wills of His servants and restricts it! If not that Allāh had conferred favor on us, He would have caused it to swallow us. Oh, how the disbelievers do not succeed!"
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَلِقَآئِهِۦٓ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يَئِسُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَتِى وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
And the ones who disbelieve in the signs of Allāh and the meeting with Him - those have despaired of My mercy, and they will have a painful punishment.
ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَأَلْقِيَاهُ فِى ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلشَّدِيدِ
Who made [as equal] with Allāh another deity; then throw him into the severe punishment."
ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَـٰهُم بِمَا كَفَرُوا۟ ۖ وَهَلْ نُجَـٰزِىٓ إِلَّا ٱلْكَفُورَ
[By] that We repaid them because they disbelieved. And do We [thus] repay except the ungrateful?