Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:65

"طلعها": That is, its fruit. The origin of the word tal'a is the spathe of a date palm—the first thing to emerge before its flower stalks appear, being white, tender, and elongated like a banana. The fruit of this tree is named as such either because it resembles it in shape or in the manner of its emergence; the latter is perhaps more appropriate given the subsequent simile, rendering it a metaphorical expression (isti'arah tasrihiyyah). Alternatively, it is used to mean whatever emerges at all, in which case it is like the synecdoche (majaz mursal) of the word "nose" [for the whole face].

"كأنه رؤوس الشياطين": That is, in the utmost degree of repulsiveness and ugliness of appearance. The Arabs liken that which is ugly in image to the devil, saying "It is as if it were the face of a devil" or "the head of a devil," even though they have never seen one. This is because, in their nature, the devil is considered utterly repulsive, as they believe him to be pure evil with no admixture of good; thus, he is depicted in their imagination in the ugliest possible form. An example of this is the saying of Imru' al-Qais: "Will you kill me while my perfume is in my bedchamber, and [I have] sharp blue [spearheads] like the fangs of ghouls?" He likened them to the fangs of ghouls—a type of devil—despite never having seen them, because of how they were depicted in his imagination.

Conversely, they liken a beautiful form to an angel, because they believe the angel to be pure good with no evil; thus, he is depicted in their imagination in the most beautiful form. To this belongs the Almighty’s saying: "This is not a human being; this is none other than a noble angel" (Yusuf: 31). This refutes certain atheists who attacked this simile, arguing that it is a comparison to something unknown. The point is that it is not a condition that the object of comparison be known in the external world; it suffices that it is firmly rooted in the mind and imagination.

The interpretation of the simile in the verse as stated above is what is narrated from Ibn Abbas, Muhammad ibn Ka’b al-Qurazi, and others. Al-Jubba’i claimed that when the devils enter the Fire, their forms become greatly distorted and their limbs hideous, so the meaning is "as if it were the heads of the devils who are in the Fire." The response to this is that, even on his view, the object of the simile is not known in the external world at the time of the revelation.

It has also been said: "The heads of the devils" refers to a well-known tree in the region of Yemen with a hideous appearance, called al-ustan. Al-Nabigha meant this tree when he said: "It veers away from ustan, dark at its base, like maidservants walking early, carrying bundles." Al-Asma’i said: "It is also called al-sawm." He recited: "Assigned to the edges of the sawm, watching it from the west, with a lean waist."

Others said: "The devils" are a species of snakes that have crests. Al-Farra’ recited: "A large-buttocked woman who swears when I swear, like the devil of the hamat tree—crested," meaning it has a crest. Al-Mubarrad recited: "And among the vegetation—if God does not avert its evil—are devils, some attacking others."