Intermediate
The Hereafter
Surah: Ad-Dukhan (43)
The Zaqqum Tree Is the Food of the Sinful — Like Molten Metal Boiling in Bellies
إِنَّ شَجَرَتَ ٱلزَّقُّومِ طَعَامُ ٱلۡأَثِيمِ
— الدخان الآية 43
Verse: "The Zaqqum tree is the food of the sinful — like molten metal boiling in bellies like boiling water." (44:43-46) — Quraysh said: how can a tree grow in fire? The point is Allah is capable of what humans cannot. "Like molten metal" (mahl) = hardened oil dregs — an image that makes the reader pause. The functional purpose: describing punishment in the Quran is not for simple emotional fright — but to shape conscience and remind that every worldly act has a price that must be paid. Lesson: the image of punishment like zaqqum educates the conscience — whoever truly reflects on it their behavior changes.
Source: Ibn Kathir (7/251); Al-Sadi
Test Yourself
What is the educational purpose of describing punishment with the image of the zaqqum tree?
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