Al-Muzzammil: (13) And food that chokes...

"And food that chokes," which sticks in the throats and can hardly be swallowed, like al-Dari' (bitter, thorny plants) and al-Zaqqum. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that it is thorns of fire that lodge in their throats, neither coming out nor going down.

"And a painful punishment." Another type of punishment, painful, the extent of which cannot be estimated, and the nature of which is known only to Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, as indicated by the juxtaposition and the indefinite form (tanwir). How magnificent this verse is! Imam Ahmad in al-Zuhd, Ibn Abi Dawud in al-Shari'ah, Ibn 'Adi in al-Kamil, and al-Bayhaqi in al-Shu'ab have narrated, through the path of Humran ibn A'yan from Abu Harb ibn al-Aswad, that the Prophet—may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him—heard a man reciting: "Indeed, with Us are shackles..." and he fell unconscious. In another narration, he himself—peace and blessings be upon him—was reciting "Indeed, with Us are shackles," and when he reached "painful," he fell unconscious.

Khalid ibn Hassan said: Al-Hasan stayed with us while he was fasting, so I brought him food, and I presented to him this verse: "Indeed, with Us are shackles..." He said, "Take it away." When the second night came, I brought him food and presented it to him again, and he said, "Take it away." The same happened the third night. His son went to Thabit al-Bunani, Yazid al-Dabbi, and Yahya al-Bakka' and told them, so they came with him and did not cease until he drank a sip of sawiq (barley porridge).

This narration, if authentic, provides an excuse for the Sufis and those like them who lose consciousness upon hearing certain verses, and it silences the denial of 'Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—and those who agreed with her regarding them. Unless it is said that the denial only applies to those who do so intentionally, as he who does so is worthy of reproach, as is not hidden. Or it may be said that the "swoon" (sa'q) is from al-sa'q (with a quiescent 'ayn)—which sometimes has a short vowel—meaning to faint or become unconscious, not from al-sa'q (with a fatha) meaning a loud, thunderous sound; and this is what neither 'Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—nor anyone else denied.

The Imam (al-Razi) has a discourse on this verse similar to the discourse of the Sufis. He said: "Know that it is possible to interpret these four stages as spiritual punishments. As for 'shackles,' it refers to the soul remaining in the bonds of bodily attachments and physical pleasures. For in this world, having acquired the disposition of that love and desire, after the body is gone, the yearning intensifies, even though the tools of acquisition have ceased to exist. Thus, these become like shackles and chains preventing it from reaching the world of spirit and purity. Then, from these spiritual chains, spiritual fires are born; for its intense inclination toward bodily states and its inability to reach them necessitates a severe spiritual burning—like one whose desire for something is intense, yet he cannot find it, so he burns for it. That is Hell. Furthermore, it gulps down the choking of deprivation and the pain of separation; that is the meaning of His saying—Sublime is He—'and food that chokes.' Then, because of these conditions, it remains deprived of witnessing the light of Allah and joining the ranks of the holy; this is the meaning of His saying—Mighty and Majestic is He—'and a painful punishment.' The indefinite form of 'punishment' indicates that it is more severe and complete than what preceded it. And know that I do not say the meaning of the verse is only what I have mentioned, but I say that it yields both the physical four stages and the spiritual four stages. It is not impossible to interpret it as both, even if the phrasing is literal regarding the physical stages and metaphorical regarding the spiritual stages; yet it is a recognized and well-known metaphor." End quote.

This was criticized on the grounds that interpreting it as both necessitates combining the literal and the metaphorical, or implies a general metaphor without evidence, and there is nothing in the text that points to this in any way. And you should know that most of the "allusive" (ishari) chapter among the Sufis is of this kind.

And His saying—Exalted is He—...