The Zaqqum Tree Is the Food of the Sinful — Like Molten Metal Boiling in Bellies
tadabbur
Level: intermediate
akhirah
td-254
إِنَّ شَجَرَتَ ٱلزَّقُّومِ طَعَامُ ٱلۡأَثِيمِ
— الدخان 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
Question: What is the educational purpose of describing punishment with the image of the zaqqum tree?
Answer: Shaping the conscience and reminding that every act has a price — the revolting image establishes in the mind that punishment is real, not metaphorical.