Surah Al-Humazah: Meaning, Translation and Transliteration

Surah Al-Humazah is a warning to two kinds of people who often turn out to be the same person: the one who mocks and belittles others, and the one who gathers wealth and keeps counting it, thinking it will make him last forever.

This article gives the full surah in Arabic, a transliteration and the English translation, then explains it verse by verse.

The full surah

وَيۡلٞ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٖ لُّمَزَةٍ ٱلَّذِي جَمَعَ مَالٗا وَعَدَّدَهُۥ يَحۡسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُۥٓ أَخۡلَدَهُۥ كـَلَّاۖ لَيُنۢبَذَنَّ فِي ٱلۡحُطَمَةِ وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡحُطَمَةُ نَارُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلۡمُوقَدَةُ ٱلَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى ٱلۡأَفۡـِٔدَةِ إِنَّهَا عَلَيۡهِم مُّؤۡصَدَةٞ فِي عَمَدٖ مُّمَدَّدَةِۭ

Transliteration

1. Waylul-li-kulli humazatil-lumazah
2. Alladhī jamaʿa mālaw-wa ʿaddadah
3. Yaḥsabu anna mālahū akhladah
4. Kallā, la-yumbadhanna fil-ḥuṭamah
5. Wa mā adrāka mal-ḥuṭamah
6. Nārullāhil-mūqadah
7. Allatī taṭṭaliʿu ʿalal-afʾidah
8. Innahā ʿalayhim muʾṣadah
9. Fī ʿamadim-mumaddadah

English translation (Saheeh International)

Woe to every scorner and mocker who collects wealth and [continuously] counts it. He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal. No! He will surely be thrown into the Crusher. And what can make you know what is the Crusher? It is the fire of Allāh, [eternally] fueled, which mounts directed at the hearts. Indeed, it [i.e., Hellfire] will be closed down upon them in extended columns. (104:1-9)

If you learned to read the Quran in the IndoPak script, here is the same surah as it appears in a South Asian mushaf:

وَيۡلٌ لِّـكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُّمَزَةِ ۙ اۨلَّذِىۡ جَمَعَ مَالًا وَّعَدَّدَهٗ ۙ يَحۡسَبُ اَنَّ مَالَهٗۤ اَخۡلَدَهٗ ۚ كَلَّا لَيُنۡۢبَذَنَّ فِى الۡحُطَمَةِ ۖ وَمَاۤ اَدۡرٰٮكَ مَا الۡحُطَمَةُ ؕ نَارُ اللّٰهِ الۡمُوۡقَدَةُ ۙ الَّتِىۡ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الۡاَفۡـــِٕدَةِ ؕ اِنَّهَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ مُّؤۡصَدَةٌ ۙ فِىۡ عَمَدٍ مُّمَدَّدَةٍ

You can read and listen to Surah Al-Humazah with its translation, or read it with the Urdu translation.

About the surah

Al-Humazah is the 104th surah of the Quran, with 9 verses, in the 30th juz. It is Meccan. Its name is from the first verse: humazah, the one who slanders and finds fault. The commentators named several leaders of Quraysh who used to mock the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions, such as al-Akhnas ibn Shariq and Umayyah ibn Khalaf, as the occasion, but the warning is to "every" such person.

Verses 1-3: The mocker who counts his money

وَيۡلٞ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٖ لُّمَزَةٍ ٱلَّذِي جَمَعَ مَالٗا وَعَدَّدَهُۥ يَحۡسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُۥٓ أَخۡلَدَهُۥ

Woe to every scorner and mocker who collects wealth and [continuously] counts it. He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal. (104:1-3)

Wayl is woe, destruction. Then two words that sound alike, humazah and lumazah:

• Humazah: one who belittles people, often behind their backs, with words, or with gestures, a wink or a look.
• Lumazah: one who finds fault and taunts people to their faces.

Some commentators reversed the two, and others said both mean the same and are paired for force. The form of both words (fuʿalah) means someone who does it habitually: not a single slip, but a way of life.

The Prophet ﷺ explained backbiting: "Mentioning your brother in a way he would dislike." He was asked: "What if what I say is true?" He said: "If it is true, you have backbitten him. If it isn't true, you have slandered him" (Sahih Muslim 2589). On the Night Journey he saw people scratching their faces and chests with copper nails, and was told: "These are the ones who ate people's flesh and attacked their honour" (Sunan Abi Dawud 4878).

Why does the surah join the mocker with the hoarder? Because looking down on people often comes from thinking you are better than them, and wealth is the most common reason people think so. He collects money and counts it again and again, and "thinks that his wealth will make him immortal". The Prophet ﷺ said: "It is enough evil for a person to look down on his Muslim brother" (Sahih Muslim 2564).

Verses 4-9: The Crusher

كـَلَّاۖ لَيُنۢبَذَنَّ فِي ٱلۡحُطَمَةِ وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡحُطَمَةُ نَارُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلۡمُوقَدَةُ ٱلَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى ٱلۡأَفۡـِٔدَةِ إِنَّهَا عَلَيۡهِم مُّؤۡصَدَةٞ فِي عَمَدٖ مُّمَدَّدَةِۭ

No! He will surely be thrown into the Crusher. And what can make you know what is the Crusher? It is the fire of Allāh, [eternally] fueled, which mounts directed at the hearts. Indeed, it [i.e., Hellfire] will be closed down upon them in extended columns. (104:4-9)

Kallā: No! His wealth won't keep him. He will be flung, yunbadh, the verb for throwing away something worthless, into al-ḥuṭamah: "the Crusher", the fire that breaks everything thrown into it. He used to break people with his tongue; now he is broken.

It is nārullāh, "the fire of Allah", the only place in the Quran where Hell is called that, which shows how severe it is. It "mounts up to the hearts": it reaches inside, to the heart that was full of arrogance and contempt. It is closed over them, and they are held in it by long columns, with no way out.

Word by word

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
وَيۡلٞ	waylun	Woe
لِّكُلِّ	likulli	to every
هُمَزَةٖ	humazatin	slanderer
لُّمَزَةٍ	lumazatin	backbiter
ٱلَّذِي	alladhī	The one who
جَمَعَ	jamaʿa	collects
مَالٗا	mālan	wealth
وَعَدَّدَهُۥ	waʿaddadahu	and counts it
يَحۡسَبُ	yaḥsabu	Thinking
أَنَّ	anna	that
مَالَهُۥٓ	mālahu	his wealth
أَخۡلَدَهُۥ	akhladahu	will make him immortal
كـَلَّا	kallā	Nay
لَيُنۢبَذَنَّ	layunbadhanna	Surely he will be thrown
فِي	fī	in
ٱلۡحُطَمَةِ	l-ḥuṭamati	the Crusher
وَمَآ	wamā	And what
أَدۡرَىٰكَ	adrāka	will make you know
مَا	mā	what
ٱلۡحُطَمَةُ	l-ḥuṭamatu	the Crusher (is)
نَارُ	nāru	A Fire
ٱللَّهِ	l-lahi	Allah
ٱلۡمُوقَدَةُ	l-mūqadatu	kindled
ٱلَّتِي	allatī	Which
تَطَّلِعُ	taṭṭaliʿu	mounts up
عَلَى	ʿalā	to
ٱلۡأَفۡـِٔدَةِ	l-afidati	the hearts
إِنَّهَا	innahā	Indeed, it
عَلَيۡهِم	ʿalayhim	(will be) upon them
مُّؤۡصَدَةٞ	mu'ṣadatun	closed over
فِي	fī	In
عَمَدٖ	ʿamadin	columns
مُّمَدَّدَةِۭ	mumaddadatin	extended

Living by Surah Al-Humazah

• Guard your tongue. Before saying something about someone who isn't there, ask: would they dislike it?
• Guard your face too. A wink, a smirk or an eye-roll can be hamz.
• Don't count your money for comfort. Wealth doesn't make anyone last; spend it on what will.
• Never look down on anyone. It is "enough evil" on its own.
• If you've backbitten, put it right. Repent, stop, and speak well of that person where you spoke badly.

Open Surah Al-Humazah to read and listen to it with its translation.