Surah As-Saffat 37:67
ﲛ ﲜ ﲝ ﲞ ﲟ ﲠ ﲡ
Then indeed, they will have after it a mixture of scalding water.
Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:67
Tafsir
Ruh al-Ma'ani
Verse range: 37:67
67. Then, indeed, they have upon it—that is, upon the tree from which they filled their bellies—a mixture of *Hamim* (boiling water).
That is, a drink mixed with intensely hot water. This drink is al-ghassaq, which is what drips from the wounds and skins of the people of Hell. It is also said: This is the sadid (purulent discharge), whereas al-ghassaq is a spring in Hell into which the venom of snakes and scorpions flows, or the tears of the disbelievers therein. They drink this because of the overpowering thirst caused by what they ate from the tree; when they drink it, their intestines are severed.
It has been read as lushuban (with a damma on the shin), which is a noun for that with which something is mixed. In the first reading, it is an infinitive used as a name. The word thumma (then) is said to indicate a temporal delay; this is because, after they fill their bellies from that tree, they become thirsty, and their being given to drink is delayed for a period so that their thirst intensifies, thereby increasing their torment.
It has been objected that this is contradicted by the conjunction of the drinking with the fa' (the particle of immediate consequence) in His saying: "Then filling their bellies from it. And there will be for them upon it [a drink] of Hamim." Thus, there should be no gap in time. The response is that it is permissible that the drinking of the mixture of Hamim is delayed for a period after they fill their bellies, unlike the drinking of Hamim alone. Likewise, it is possible that the situation varies; at times, the drinking is delayed absolutely, and at other times it is not. Some have said: The filling of the bellies is an extended process, so regarding its beginning, it is conjoined with thumma, and regarding its completion, it is conjoined with the fa'.
It is also permitted that thumma signifies a gradation in rank, for their drink is far more abhorrent than their food. The filling of the bellies is conjoined with the fa' because it follows what preceded it, and it is not as appropriate to consider a disparity in rank there as it is in the case of the drink mixed with Hamim following the consumption of the food.