Surah Al-Humazah
الهمزة
Surah Al-Humazah is a 9-verse Meccan surah warning those who mock and slander others and hoard their wealth, thinking it will make them last forever.
- Meaning
- The Traducer
- Surah
- 104 of 114
- Verses
- 9
- Revealed in
- Mecca
- Found in
- Juz 30
What Surah Al-Humazah is about
Surah Al-Humazah, "The Traducer", opens with a warning to every person who slanders and backbites (verse 1). The Arabic words humazah and lumazah describe someone who habitually mocks and finds fault with others, whether openly, behind their backs, with words or with gestures.
Verses 2 and 3 connect this behavior to wealth: the same person collects money and keeps counting it, thinking it will make them immortal. Verses 4 to 9 answer with a firm no. They will be thrown into al-Hutamah, the Crusher, which the surah explains as Allah's kindled fire that rises to the hearts and closes over them in extended columns. The punishment reaches the hearts, where both the contempt for others and the attachment to wealth began.
The surah draws a connection between how a person speaks about others and how they relate to money. Both mockery and hoarding come from a sense of superiority, and the surah answers that sense directly.
Main themes
Mocking and slandering others
The surah begins with people who make a habit of belittling others. It treats this as a serious wrong, not a harmless joke.
Verse 1Wealth that cannot save
Counting and hoarding money gives a false sense of permanence. Verse 3 names the illusion directly.
Verses 2–3The Crusher
The fire described here reaches the heart and closes in. It mirrors the arrogance that started in the heart.
Verses 4–9
Verses to know
وَيۡلࣱ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٖ لُّمَزَةٍ ﴿١﴾
Woe to every slanderer backbiter.
A direct warning about mockery and backbiting, sins of the tongue that many people treat lightly.
يَحۡسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُۥٓ أَخۡلَدَهُۥ ﴿٣﴾
Thinking that his wealth has made him immortal.
Names the hidden belief behind hoarding: that wealth will make a person last forever.
Surah Al-Humazah in Arabic and English
All 9 verses, with the Arabic, a transliteration to help you read it aloud, and the English translation by Talal Itani.
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
- 1
وَيۡلࣱ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٖ لُّمَزَةٍ
Waylun likulli humazatin lumazatin
Woe to every slanderer backbiter.
- 2
ٱلَّذِي جَمَعَ مَالٗا وَعَدَّدَهُۥ
Allathee jamaAAa malan waAAaddadahu
Who gathers wealth and counts it over.
- 3
يَحۡسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُۥٓ أَخۡلَدَهُۥ
Yahsabu anna malahu akhladahu
Thinking that his wealth has made him immortal.
- 4
كَلَّاۖ لَيُنۢبَذَنَّ فِي ٱلۡحُطَمَةِ
Kalla layunbathanna fee alhutamati
By no means. He will be thrown into the Crusher.
- 5
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡحُطَمَةُ
Wama adraka ma alhutamatu
And what will make you realize what the Crusher is?
- 6
نَارُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلۡمُوقَدَةُ
Naru Allahi almooqadatu
Allah’s kindled Fire.
- 7
ٱلَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى ٱلۡأَفۡـِٔدَةِ
Allatee tattaliAAu AAala alafidati
That laps to the hearts.
- 8
إِنَّهَا عَلَيۡهِم مُّؤۡصَدَةࣱ
lnnaha AAalayhim musadatun
It closes in on them.
- 9
فِي عَمَدٖ مُّمَدَّدَةِۭ
Fee AAamadin mumaddadatin
In extended columns.
Surah Al-Humazah PDF
The whole surah on printable pages: Arabic, transliteration and English side by side. Free to download, print and share.
Questions about Surah Al-Humazah
What does Humazah mean?
Humazah refers to a person who habitually slanders, mocks or finds fault with others. Verse 1 pairs it with lumazah, a closely related word, and many commentators distinguish one as mocking openly and the other as mocking behind people's backs.
How many verses are in Surah Al-Humazah?
Surah Al-Humazah has 9 verses. It is the 104th surah and a Meccan surah.
What is al-Hutamah in Surah Al-Humazah?
Al-Hutamah, translated as the Crusher, is a name for Hell. Verses 6 to 9 describe it as Allah's kindled fire that reaches the hearts.