فَشَـٰرِبُونَ شُرْبَ ٱلْهِيمِ 55
Translations
And will drink as the drinking of thirsty camels.
Transliteration
Fa-sharābūn shurba al-hīm
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the punishment of the inhabitants of Hell, who will drink like thirsty camels drink water—excessively and desperately. The word 'al-hīm' (الهيم) refers to camels that are extremely thirsty and drink water greedily without moderation. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir explain this as depicting the insatiable thirst and torment of the hellbound, emphasizing both the physical agony and the futility of their attempts to quench their thirst, as they will be given foul and boiling liquids instead of water.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Waqi'ah, a Meccan surah that vividly depicts scenes of the Day of Judgment and the fates of different groups of people. The surah is organized around three categories: the foremost (al-sābiqūn), the righteous (aṣḥāb al-yamīn), and the deniers (aṣḥāb al-shimāl). This particular ayah describes the condition of those in Hell, providing a stark warning about the consequences of disbelief and disobedience.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) described the drink of the people of Hell in Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:52, stating they will drink from the tree of Zaqqūm. Additionally, in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, there are hadiths describing the thirst of the dwellers of Hell and how they will be given drinks of pus and filthy discharge, reinforcing the theme of unbearable torment.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder of the severe consequences awaiting those who reject Allah's guidance and warnings in this life. It should motivate believers to seek refuge in Allah's mercy through obedience and righteous deeds, recognizing that temporary pleasures of this world pale in comparison to eternal punishment.
Related Ayahs
فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ عَارِضًا مُّسْتَقْبِلَ أَوْدِيَتِهِمْ قَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا عَارِضٌ مُّمْطِرُنَا ۚ بَلْ هُوَ مَا ٱسْتَعْجَلْتُم بِهِۦ ۖ رِيحٌ فِيهَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
And when they saw it as a cloud approaching their valleys, they said, "This is a cloud bringing us rain!" Rather, it is that for which you were impatient: a wind, within it a painful punishment,
سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَـٰنِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُومًا فَتَرَى ٱلْقَوْمَ فِيهَا صَرْعَىٰ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ خَاوِيَةٍ
Which He [i.e., Allāh] imposed upon them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so you would see the people therein fallen as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees.
وَأُتْبِعُوا۟ فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعْنَةً وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ عَادًا كَفَرُوا۟ رَبَّهُمْ ۗ أَلَا بُعْدًا لِّعَادٍ قَوْمِ هُودٍ
And they were [therefore] followed in this world with a curse and [as well] on the Day of Resurrection. Unquestionably, ʿAad denied their Lord; then away with ʿAad, the people of Hūd.
قَالَ قَدْ وَقَعَ عَلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ رِجْسٌ وَغَضَبٌ ۖ أَتُجَـٰدِلُونَنِى فِىٓ أَسْمَآءٍ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّا نَزَّلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَـٰنٍ ۚ فَٱنتَظِرُوٓا۟ إِنِّى مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْمُنتَظِرِينَ
[Hūd] said, "Already have defilement and anger fallen upon you from your Lord. Do you dispute with me concerning [mere] names you have named them, you and your fathers, for which Allāh has not sent down any authority? Then wait; indeed, I am with you among those who wait."