Quran Universe
104:1

وَيۡلٞ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٖ لُّمَزَةٍ

Waylun likulli humazatin lumazatin

Woe to every scorner and mocker

Word by word
  1. وَيۡلٞWoe
  2. لِّكُلِّto every
  3. هُمَزَةٖslanderer
  4. لُّمَزَةٍbackbiter
Al-Humazah · 104:1Makkah

Woe to the one who mocks and belittles people.

Slander by word and by gesture

Two kinds of mockery
humazahhand and eye
lumazahthe tongue
both
belittle peoplefind fault, disgrace
What mockery is
just banterharmless jokes
a woe-worthy sinbelittling Allah's servants

Every Arab knew this character and thought it ugly, Maududi says. Ibn Kathir explains one slanders by speech, the other by action: he finds fault with people and belittles them. Mujahid said humazah is with the hand and eye, lumazah with the tongue.

The eye-roll when a colleague speaks in a meeting. The screenshot shared with a laughing emoji. The impression of your aunt's accent at dinner. None of it feels like a big sin. The surah opens with woe for exactly this.

It is just a joke. Everyone does it.

An eye-roll or a joke at someone's expense is serious enough to open a surah with woe.

Try this

Today, when you feel the urge to mock someone, even silently, say something kind about them instead.

Related68:11
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُّمَزَةٍ - الَّذِي جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ - يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُ أَخْلَدَهُ - كَلَّا ۖ لَيُنبَذَنَّ فِي الْحُطَمَةِ - وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحُطَمَةُ - نَارُ اللَّهِ الْمُوقَدَةُ - الَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الْأَفْئِدَةِ - إِنَّهَا عَلَيْهِم مُّؤْصَدَةٌ - فِي عَمَدٍ مُّمَدَّدَةٍ

(1. Woe to every Humazah Lumazah.)(2. Who has gathered wealth and counted it.)(3. He thinks that his wealth will make him last forever!)(4. But no! Verily, he will be thrown into Al-Hutamah.)(5. And what will make you know what Al-Hutamah is?)(6. The fire of Allah, Al-Muqadah,)(7. Which leaps up over the hearts.)(8. Verily, it shall Mu'sadah upon them,)(9. In pillars stretched forth.)

Al-Hammaz refers to (slander) by speech, and Al-Lammaz refers to (slander) by action. This means that the person finds fault with people and belittles them. An explanation of this has already preceded in the discussion of Allah's statement,

هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ

(Hammaz, going about with slander)(68:11)

Ibn 'Abbas said, "Humazah Lumazah means one who reviles and disgraces (others)." Mujahid said, "Al-Humazah is with the hand and the eye, and Al-Lumazah is with the tongue." Then Allah says,

الَّذِي جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ

(Who has gathered wealth and counted it.)

meaning, he gathers it piling some of it on top of the rest and he counts it up. This is similar to Allah's saying,

وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ

(And collect (wealth) and hide it.)(70:18) This was said by As-Suddi and Ibn Jarir. Muhammad bin Ka'b said concerning Allah's statement,

جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ

(gathered wealth and counted it.) "His wealth occupies his time in the day, going from this to that. Then when the night comes he sleeps like a rotting corpse." Then Allah says,

يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُ أَخْلَدَهُ

(He thinks that his wealth will make him last forever!)

meaning, he thinks that gathering wealth will make him last forever in this abode (the worldly life).

كَلَّا

(But no!) meaning, the matter is not as he claims, nor as he reckons. Then Allah says,

لَيُنبَذَنَّ فِي الْحُطَمَةِ

(Verily, he will be thrown into Al-Hutamah.) meaning, the person who gathered wealth and counted it, will be thrown into Al-Hutamah, which is one of the descriptive names of the Hellfire. This is because it crushes whoever is in it. Thus, Allah says,

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحُطَمَةُ - نَارُ اللَّهِ الْمُوقَدَةُ - الَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الْأَفْئِدَةِ

(And what will make you know what Al-Hutamah is? The fire of Allah, Al-Muqadah, which leaps up over the hearts.)

Thabit Al-Bunani said, "It will burn them all the way to their hearts while they are still alive." Then he said, "Indeed the torment will reach them." Then he cried. Muhammad bin Ka'b said, "It (the Fire) will devour every part of his body until it reaches his heart and comes to the level of his throat, then it will return to his body."

Concerning Allah's statement,

إِنَّهَا عَلَيْهِم مُّؤْصَدَةٌ

(Verily, it shall Mu'sadah upon them.) meaning, covering, just as was mentioned in the Tafsir of Surat Al-Balad (see 90:20). Then Allah says,

فِي عَمَدٍ مُّمَدَّدَةٍ

(In pillars stretched forth.)

"Atiyah Al-'Awfi said, "Pillars of Iron." As-Suddi said, "Made of fire." Al-'Awfi reported from Ibn 'Abbas, "He will make them enter pillars stretched forth, meaning there will be columns over them, and they will have chains on their necks, and the gates (of Hell) will be shut upon them."

This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Humazah, and all praise and thanks are due to Allah.