Dr Bassam Saeh presents Surah al-Humaza as one of the most linguistically rich surahs in the Quran. Though it contains only thirty-three words, he identifies sixty new linguistic features, seven unique words not found in any other surah—backbiter (هُمَزَة), slanderer (لُمَزَة), counted it (عَدَّدَهُ), made him live forever (أَخْلَدَهُ), he will surely be thrown (لَيُنۢبَذَنَّ), the Crusher (ٱلْحُطَمَة), and kindled (ٱلْمُوقَدَة)—and at least seven expressions found only in this surah.
He begins with the word woe (وَيْلٌ), which was used in pre-Islamic poetry but often linked to “mother” or “father.” The Quran changes its use, attaching it to to (لِ), and often using it metaphorically to mean threat, curse, or destruction. In this surah, the phrase woe to every (وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ) becomes a general moral warning, not limited to a specific incident.
The verse woe to every backbiter and slanderer (وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُّمَزَةٍ) combines three new elements: the indefinite word woe (وَيْلٌ), the rare forms backbiter (هُمَزَة) and slanderer (لُّمَزَة), and a grammatical pattern that shifts from a particular situation to a universal rule. These two words allow many interpretations: some said the backbiter harms with speech and the slanderer with gestures, while others reversed them.
In the next verse, the one who collected wealth and counted it (ٱلَّذِى جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ), Dr Saeh notes that the use of the one who (ٱلَّذِى) after an indefinite noun puzzled grammarians. The verb counted it (عَدَّدَهُ) has many meanings: repeatedly counting, hoarding, boasting over it, or saving it for others.
The verse he thinks his wealth will make him live forever (يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُ أَخْلَدَهُ) uses a past tense verb made him live forever (أَخْلَدَهُ) to express a false future hope. The sentence also opens without the usual grammatical connector, creating a new kind of construction.
The phrase no, he will surely be thrown (كَلَّا لَيُنۢبَذَنَّ) is entirely unique. It pairs a strong negation no (كَلَّا) with a passive verb of certainty he will surely be thrown (لَيُنۢبَذَنَّ), something not found in Arabic poetry or prose. It carries both certainty and warning in one short expression.
The verse the Crusher. And what will make you know what the Crusher is? (ٱلْحُطَمَةُ وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْحُطَمَةُ) follows a Quranic pattern found in other surahs like Saqar (سَقَر), the Striker (ٱلْقَارِعَة), and the Star (ٱلطَّارِق), where a threat is mentioned and then magnified through a rhetorical question. The Crusher is described as a fire that crushes everything, possibly referencing both destruction and consumption.
The final verses—the fire of Allah, kindled (نَارُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْمُوقَدَةُ), rising over the hearts (ٱلَّتِى تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى ٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةِ), it is closed upon them (إِنَّهَا عَلَيْهِم مُّؤْصَدَةٌ), and in extended columns (فِى عَمَدٍۢ مُّمَدَّدَةٍۢ)—present a powerful and unique composition. The phrase rising over the hearts (تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى ٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةِ) could mean the fire burns both inside and out, or that it knows what is in the hearts. Closed upon them (عَلَيْهِم مُّؤْصَدَةٌ) uses a word typically applied to doors, giving the fire a metaphorical presence. In extended columns (فِى عَمَدٍۢ مُّمَدَّدَةٍۢ) might mean chains, pillars, or a state of confinement, depending on the reading.
Dr Saeh shows that nearly every word in the surah is open to layered meanings. Woe can mean destruction or a specific place in Hell. He will surely be thrown can mean humiliation, rejection, or abandonment. The Crusher could be an attribute of Hell or its name. Kindled fire is described as active and intelligent, rising to the hearts and enclosing its victims with no escape.
He concludes with six phrases from the surah that became part of wider Arabic usage:
Woe to every (وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ) – used to warn or condemn.
Backbiter and slanderer (هُمَزَةٍ لُّمَزَةٍ) – used to describe someone who gossips or mocks.
Collected wealth and counted it (جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ) – used for someone greedy and arrogant.
And what will make you know what the Crusher is? (وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْحُطَمَةُ) – used to describe something terrible or incomprehensible.
The fire of Allah, kindled (نَارُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْمُوقَدَةُ) – used to describe intense heat, emotion, or cruelty.
Rising over the hearts (تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى ٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةِ) – used for something that reveals secrets or reaches deeply into a person.
Surah al-Humaza, is a perfect example of how the Quran brought new language patterns, introduced unique structures, and opened up meanings that went beyond anything found in poetry or speech before it.
Woe to every backbiter and slanderer (وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ)
This is the eleventh surah in reverse order. The total number of words in the surah does not go beyond thirty-three, yet we discover in it no less than sixty new linguistic positions added by the Quran to the Arabic language.
It is one of the richest surahs in the Quran in terms of new language uses across different aspects. It also contains at least seven words that are not repeated in any other surah: (humaza, lumaza, addadahu, akhladahu, layunbadanna, al hutama, al muqada), and no less than seven expressions found only here: (humaza lumaza, jama maalan wa addadahu, kalla layunbadanna, naar Allah tattaliu ala al afida, alayhim mu’sada, fi amad mumadda). This is in addition to its unique linguistic structures.
First: Words and expressions
Woe (ويل)
We have previously spoken about this word in the verse “So woe to those who pray” from Surah al Maun. Here we have more to add.
Let us hear what Ibn Khālawayh said about the originality of this word in the Quran:
Others said: Wail is definite because it is the name of a valley in Hell. And if someone asks, “Did the Arabs know this?” then say that the words of the Quran come in Arabic form, but sometimes borrowed in meaning.
Just as Allah called the idol “Ba’l” when it was taken as a lord, and He called the idol “punishment” and “filth,” as in the verse “and shun filth,” because those who worship the idol are afflicted with punishment, so it came to be called by what results from it. Since wail is destruction and ruin, and whoever enters the fire is destroyed, it came to mean the destination of destruction.
What Ibn Khālawayh suggests is that the Quran often moves words from their literal use to a figurative one. So, if wail in Arabic means destruction or punishment, the Quran gave it a new meaning based on some later interpretations and some unconfirmed hadiths, that it is the name of a valley in Hell where the people of the fire are punished, or even a mountain in Hell, or a mountain of fire. So it became, in that meaning, a place of punishment rather than punishment itself.
The truth is that the Quranic use of this word, whether literal or figurative, is often different from how the Arabs used it, as we see in the thirteen times it appears in pre-Islamic poetry. In ten of those cases it is attached to the word “mother,” and in one other case to “father,” as in the lines:
يا ويل أمكم من جمع سادتنا كتائباً كالربي والقطر ينسكب
O woe to your mothers for gathering our leaders
like the heavy rain cloud, the pouring stream
(by al Harith ibn ʿUbād, d. 74 before Hijrah)
هلا عطفت على أخيك إذ دعا
بالشكل ويل أبيك يا ابن أبي شمر
Why didn’t you show kindness to your brother when he called,
saying: Woe to your father, O son of Abu Shammar
(by ʿAmr ibn Kulthum, d. 39 before Hijrah)
ويلم حي دفعتم في نحورهم
بني كلاب غداة الرعب والرهب
O tribe, you pushed your enemies into their faces,
woe to the people of Kilab on the day of fear and terror
(by al Tufayl al Ghanawi, d. 13 before Hijrah)
But in two lines only it appears with the preposition “li,” as in:
له الويل إن أمسى ولا أم هاشم
قريب، ولا البسباسة ابنة يشكرا
Woe to him if he wakes without Umm Hashim,
without Qareeb and al Basbasa daughter of Yashkur
(by Imru al Qays, d. 80 before Hijrah)
ويل لشيبان إذا صبحتها
وأرسلت بيض الظبا شعاعها
Woe to Shayban when the morning comes,
and I send sharp swords shining
(by ʿAntarah, d. 22 before Hijrah)
As for the Quran, in its forty uses of this word, twenty-seven times it is connected with the preposition “li.” Notice the big difference between its use in the Quran and in poetry. For example:
“So woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn” (al Baqara: 79) “فَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ
“Woe to those who cheat” (al Mutaffifin: 1) وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ
In the remaining thirteen cases, the word is added to a pronoun (first person, second person, singular or plural), which we never see in poetry, such as:
“She said: Woe to me, can I give birth when I am old, and this is my husband?” (Hud: 72) قَالَتْ يَا وَيْلَتَى أَأَلِدُ وَأَنَا عَجُوزٌ وَهَذَا بَعْلِي شَيْخًا إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ عَجِيبٌ
“And they say: Woe to us, what is with this book?” (al Kahf: 49) وَيَقُولُونَ يَا وَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَذَا الْكِتَابِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصَاهَا
“And they both call to Allah for help: Woe to you, believe, the promise of Allah is true” (al Ahqaf: 17) وَهُمَا يَسْتَغِيثَانِ اللَّهَ وَيْلَكَ آمِنْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ
“Those given knowledge said: Woe to you, the reward of Allah is better” (al Qasas: 80) وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ وَيْلَكُمْ ثَوَابُ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لِمَنْ آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا
Strangely, there is not a single case in the Quran, nor in the hadith, where the word is added to “father” or “mother,” though that was the most common use in pre-Islamic poetry.
So, the Quran differs from pre-Islamic poetry in three ways and agrees with it in only one use: when followed by “li.” But even there, the frequency is very different (27 in the Quran, only 2 in poetry). This is summarised in the table in the original Arabic.
The hadith also avoids three of the forms found in poetry and the Quran, and sticks to the use with “li,” as in: “Woe to the heels from the fire” (reported in al Bukhari, Volume 1, page 33, hadith 60)
It also has one form not found in the Quran or poetry: the definite form with “al,” as in: “They call for al wail and ruin” (reported in al Tabarani, al Muʿjam al Kabir, Volume 7, page 310, hadith 7242)
Surah al Humaza is unique in that this word appears only in it and not in any other surah.
Third: Quranic Compositional Structures
If we return to our practical experience that helped us recognise the new Quranic structures and identify them in Surah al Kawthar, we will find it easy now to identify six such unique structures in Surah al Humaza.
Woe to every backbiter and slanderer (ويل لكل همزة لمزة)
In this complete verse, several new elements come together. We already discussed the uniqueness of the word wayl, the originality of the words humaza and lumaza, and the distinct phrase wayl likulli.
All these elements are gathered here in one verse, arranged in a special grammatical pattern that begins with an indefinite word—possibly treated as a proper name like wayl—followed by likulli, which transforms the verse from a specific historical situation involving the Prophet and one of the disbelievers (some said it was al Walid ibn al Mughirah, or Umayyah ibn Khalaf, or Jamil ibn ʿAmr al Jumahi, or al Akhnas ibn Shurayq, or Ubayy ibn ʿAmr) to a general moral law not bound by time or place.
This is strengthened by the word kulli and the remarkable combination of the new rare words humaza and lumaza, both on the unusual form faʿala. Together they form a Quranic structure found nowhere else, made unique by this surah.
The one who collected wealth and counted it (الذي جمع مالًا وعدده)
This is another special structure. We already saw some of its components: starting the verse with alladhi, describing an indefinite noun (humaza lumaza), the indefiniteness of maalan, the originality of the verb ʿaddadahu, and the unique expression jamaʿa maalan wa ʿaddadahu.
These distinctive elements are all brought together in one sentence, or rather in one verse, in a way that stands out even if placed among many ordinary human sentences.
He thinks his wealth will make him live forever (يحسب أن ماله أخلده)
This structure also begins with a grammatically unique construction. It opens with a circumstantial phrase without any common link to the one described before it. There is no connector like while he thinks or he thought or even he is thinking.
It also includes the original and unique word akhladahu, and uses the past tense for a meaning in the future: he thinks it will make him eternal.
No, he will surely be thrown (كلا لينبذن)
This short structure cannot be found anywhere else in the Arabic language. No similar expression appears in poetry, prose, or even hadith.
How could a strong word of denial or warning like kalla come directly next to a statement of certainty and oath like layunbadanna?
Even more surprising, it comes in the passive third person. If it is already rare to find something like kalla layafʿalanna, then kalla layunfaʿalanna is even rarer.
We might find a somewhat related phrase in the Quran in the active form:
So do not let them pull you away from the command (al Hajj: 67) فَلَا يُنزِعَنَّكَ فِي الْأَمْرِ
But even there, the form of prohibition used is la, not kalla.
This exact structure is found only here, in this surah, and not anywhere else in the Quran.
The Crusher. And what will make you know what the Crusher is? (الحطمة وما أدراك ما الحطمة)
This structure is famous in the Quran. It occurs several times. The pattern is to repeat the word in two consecutive verses, separated by the unique Quranic phrase wama adraka.
Examples include:
سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سَقَرُ (المدثر: 26–27)
وَالسَّمَاءِ وَالطَّارِقِ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُ (الطارق: 1–2)
مَا الْقَارِعَةُ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ (القارعة: 2–3)
He will be cast into Saqar. And what will make you know what Saqar is? (al Mudathir: 26–27)
By the sky and the star. And what will make you know what the star is? (al Tariq: 1–2)
The Striker. What will make you know what the Striker is? (al Qariʿa: 2–3)
It is closed upon them, in extended columns (إنها عليهم مؤصدة في عمد ممددة)
This expression contains many Quranic linguistic links and new words, which we have discussed already. Its structure adds even more uniqueness.
The phrase ʿalayhim comes before the word it refers to (muʾsada), and another phrase fi ʿamad comes after it, possibly related to muʾsada or to an unstated condition of those inside, like: closed upon them while they are inside columns. But the exact grammatical explanation is uncertain because of the many interpretations of the meaning and structure of these verses.
Fourth: Open-ended expressions
Woe (ويل)
We saw earlier the wide disagreement among scholars about the meaning and grammar of wayl. Is it a curse, a threat, or just a statement? Is it definite or indefinite? Is it a subject or a predicate? Is it literal or symbolic?
The more disagreement we find, the more open the word becomes to multiple meanings across different times and understandings.
Backbiter and slanderer (همزة لمزة)
Many meanings have been suggested for these words. Some said humaza is one who gossips openly, and lumaza one who insults from behind. Others reversed it. Some said the harm is by the tongue, others by the eyes. Some said both are the same.
All this variety shows how open these words are to interpretation, and how deep their effect is in meaning and sound.
The one who (الذي)
This word confused grammarians more than interpreters. The issue was that it follows an indefinite noun. Some said it describes kull, or humaza, or lumaza, or all of them together. Others said the sentence should be restarted, making alladhi the subject of a new sentence.
The wide range of grammatical possibilities gives the word an open-ended and timeless nature.
Counted it (عدده)
This word also took many interpretations: he counted it and did not give zakah, or he counted it again and again, or he stored it, or he took pride in it, or he saved it for his children.
The richness of its meanings comes from the new way it was used in the Quran. The form does not appear in pre-Islamic poetry.
He thinks (يحسب)
The openness here comes from its grammatical position. Some said it is the predicate of alladhi, others said it is a circumstantial clause, or an independent sentence.
No (كلا)
This word, as we have seen, is one of the most special in the Quran. It can mean “no,” “never,” “stop,” or even “truly,” depending on the context. This gives it flexibility and power.
He will be thrown (لينبذن)
This verb too has multiple meanings. Is the one being thrown the same person described in the verse? Is it someone else like him? Or is it the wealth itself?
The act of nabdh can mean throwing, humiliating, excluding, or abandoning. Some said the worst punishment is to be forgotten in Hell, with no one caring for you—not even your parents.
The Crusher (الحطمة)
Some scholars said it refers to a greedy eater, creating a mental picture of Hell devouring people like food. Others said it is a name for a layer of Hell. Al Farraʾ said it is just another name for Hell, like Jahannam or Saqar or Laza.
One of its most beautiful features is that its pattern matches humaza and lumaza, as if showing that the punishment mirrors the crime.
Rises over the hearts (تطلع على الأفئدة)
The word tattaliʿu was given several meanings. Some said it means reaches, meaning the fire goes all the way to the hearts. Others said it means rises above, burning the inside as well as the outside. Others said it means knows, showing that the fire has knowledge of how much each person deserves.
Closed upon them (عليهم مؤصدة)
We already saw how the pronoun shifted from singular to plural. It started with he, but now it is they. This shift makes the meaning wider and more inclusive.
The word muʾsada is normally used for doors, not fire. This gives the verse a powerful metaphor and deeper imagery.
In columns (في عمد)
This phrase is open grammatically. Does it describe the people or the fire? Is it a description of the condition or the place?
In extended columns (في عمد ممددة)
Here the interpretations grow more. The columns could be real pillars, walls, or chains. The word mummaddada could mean long, or heated and extended by the fire.
Together, these meanings and their interconnections give this expression a powerful effect and an open depth of meaning.
Fifth: Powerful concise expressions
These are short phrases from the Quran that became well-known and are often repeated like proverbs. Some are already common, while others can become part of our speech with more attention.
Woe to every (ويل لكل)
This phrase, although new at the time of revelation, is now well known. We can use it in everyday speech to warn someone: Woe to anyone who dares to approach, or Woe to every father who leaves his children to the streets.
Backbiter and slanderer (همزة لمزة)
This phrase fits anyone who is known for gossip, backbiting, arrogance, or looking down on others.
Collected wealth and counted it (جمع مالًا وعدده)
This phrase can be used to criticise someone who loves money too much, or who once had wealth but lost it through pride and mismanagement.
And what will make you know what the Crusher is (وما أدراك ما الحطمة)
This can be used to show how terrible someone’s punishment or end will be. Or even to describe a destructive child who breaks everything.
The fire of Allah, kindled (نار الله الموقدة)
This can be used to exaggerate descriptions of heat, anger, greed, or cruelty. For example, to describe someone heartless or the unbearable heat of summer.
Rising over the hearts (تطلع على الأفئدة)
This phrase can be used for something that exposes hidden secrets, such as a person or authority who knows the thoughts or feelings of others.
Twelve: Closed upon them (١٢ – عليهم مؤصدة)
We saw how the style of this surah changes here. Until now, all the verses used the singular form, but now it shifts to the plural pronoun they (هم).
This change from a single, specific person to an unspecified group who are only connected by their presence in Hell—and who are not mentioned again in the surah—adds many layers of meaning. It allows us to imagine different kinds of people going through this punishment.
Also, the word closed (مؤصدة) is used here to describe the Fire (al Hutama), even though this word is usually used for doors, not fire. This gives the verse a strong metaphor and adds more imagination and powerful images.
Thirteen: In columns (١٣ – في عمد)
The grammatical side of this prepositional phrase is what makes it an open place for interpretation. What is this phrase describing?
Is it the predicate of an implied subject, like the people of Hell? That is, they are trapped or locked in columns?
Or is the subject the fire itself, which is shut inside the columns? Then the meaning would be: It is closed upon them in columns.
Or is this phrase a condition linked to the pronoun upon them—as in: It is closed upon them while they are inside columns?
Or is it a second predicate of inna, making the full meaning: Indeed it is closed and in long columns?
Fourteen: In extended columns
The multiple meanings of the phrase in columns now combine with multiple meanings for the words in (في) and extended (ممددة), along with the question of how to read them grammatically.
Some said the people of Hell—or the fire itself—is inside these columns.
Others said the word in means by, so the meaning is: It is closed upon them with strong fences made of columns so they cannot escape at all.
As for the word extended, it could simply mean long, or it could mean that the columns are stretched out from the intense heat of the fire.
These overlapping interpretations and word meanings create a strong emotional force and rich depth for this sentence.
Fifth: Powerful concise expressions
These are expressions in the Quran that became well known and famous. Some of them have become like proverbs or common phrases in Arabic. Others could also become that way if we draw attention to their meanings and their possible uses in enriching our vocabulary.
We find at least six of these expressions in Surah al Humaza:
Woe to every (ويل لكل)
Even though this expression was new to the Arabic tongue when the Quran was revealed, it is now familiar and often repeated. For example, we could say it to a group of troublemakers: Woe to everyone who even thinks of coming close. Or we might use it as a warning to parents: Woe to every father who leaves his children to the streets.
Backbiter and slanderer (همزة لمزة)
This unique Quranic phrase fits anyone who makes a habit of gossip or stirring up conflict between people, or anyone full of arrogance and pride, who belittles others for no good reason.
Collected wealth and counted it (جمع مالًا وعدده)
This could be used to express pity or mockery toward someone whose main goal in life is collecting money, while being selfish and having bad character. Or it might describe someone who used to have money and status but did not manage them well and ended up ruined and lost.
And what will make you know what the Crusher is (وما أدراك ما الحطمة)
This phrase could be used to describe the terrifying punishment waiting for someone because of their wrongdoing. Or it could even describe someone destructive, whether an adult or a child, who ruins everything they touch.
The fire of Allah, kindled (نار الله الموقدة)
We can use this expression to exaggerate and describe very intense heat. Or it could describe the rise of prices, or a person who is extremely harsh or cruel, or anything that goes far beyond normal limits.
Rising over the hearts (تطلع على الأفئدة)
This phrase can be used to exaggerate or show amazement at how deeply someone, or a group, or an authority can see into what people are thinking, or uncover hidden matters that most others do not see.
