44. Surah Ad-Dukhan
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِنَّ
شَجَرَةَ
الزَّقُّومِ
﴿٤٣﴾
44: 43. Verily the tree of Zaqqum
C4721. Now follows a word-picture of the horrors to which Evil must lead us. What human language and what figures of speech can adequately describe them?
C4722. The opposite of "delicious Fruits" is the terrible tree of Zaqqam, which is further described in 37:62-68, where see n. 4073.
طَعَامُ
الْأَثِيمِ
﴿٤٤﴾
44: 44. Will be the food of the Sinful --
كَالْمُهْلِ
يَغْلِي فِي
الْبُطُونِ
﴿٤٥﴾
44: 45. Like molten brass; it will boil in their insides,
كَغَلْيِ
الْحَمِيمِ
﴿٤٦﴾
44: 46. Like the boiling of scalding water.
خُذُوهُ
فَاعْتِلُوهُ
إِلَى سَوَاء
الْجَحِيمِ
﴿٤٧﴾
44: 47. (A voice will cry:)
"Seize ye him and drag him into the midst of the Blazing Fire!
ثُمَّ
صُبُّوا
فَوْقَ رَأْسِهِ
مِنْ عَذَابِ
الْحَمِيمِ
﴿٤٨﴾
44: 48. "Then pour over his head the Penalty of Boiling Water;
ذُقْ
إِنَّكَ
أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ
الْكَرِيمُ
﴿٤٩﴾
44: 49. "Taste thou (this)!
Truly wast thou Mighty, full of honor!
C4723. In this particular Surah the besetting sin we are considering is the arrogance born of place or power, wealth or honour, as understood in this world. The punishment of ignominy looks back to the kind of sin which is to be punished.
Asad’s Version:
44:43 Verily, [in the life to come] the tree of deadly fruit 24
(44:44) will be the food of the sinful: 25
(44:45) like molten lead will it boil in the belly,
(44:46) like the boiling of burning despair. 26
(44:47) [And the word will be spoken:] "Seize him, [O you forces of hell,] and drag him into the midst of the blazing fire:
(44:48) then pour over his head the anguish of burning despair!
(44:49) Taste it - thou who [on earth] hast considered thyself so mighty, so noble! 27 (44:50) This is the very thing which you [deniers of the truth] were wont to call in question!" 28
[[Asad’s notes -
24 See scrah 37, note 22.
25 The term al-athim (lit., "the sinful one") has here apparently a specific connotation, referring to a wilful denial of resurrection and of God's judgment: in other words, of all sense and meamng in man's existence.
26 For this tropical meaning of the term hamfm, see surah 6, note 62.
27 Lit., "for, behold, thou wert...", etc. - thus alluding to the sin of arrogance due to disbelief in a continuation of life after death and, hence, in man's ultimate responsibility to God. (Cf - "Verily, man becomes grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient" - and the corresponding note 4.)
28 I.e., the continuation of life after death. ]]