Tafsir of Al-Ghashiyah 88:6

Surah Al-Ghashiyah (88): Verse 6

{لَيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ} (They will have no food)

There is a difference of opinion regarding what Ad-Dhari' (the thorny plant) is, based on several views:

1. Al-Hasan said: "I do not know what Ad-Dhari' is, and I have not heard anything about it from the Companions."
2. It is narrated from Al-Hasan again that he said: Ad-Dhari' means mudarri' (causing distress), similar to how aleem (painful) means mu'lim, samee' (audible) means musmi', and badee' (innovative) means mubdi'. The meaning is: food that forces them to humble themselves and be abased when consuming it due to its coarseness, bitterness, and heat.
3. It is that which has dried up from Ash-Shibraq (a type of thorny plant). Camels graze on it while it is fresh, but when it dries, they avoid it because it is a deadly poison. Abu Dhu'ayb said:

Nuhus refers to barren she-camels. This is the view of most commentators (Mufassirun) and the majority of linguists. 4. Al-Khalil said in his book: The skin covering the bone beneath the flesh is called Ad-Dhari'. Thus, it is as if Allah described it as being meager, so naturally, it neither nourishes nor satisfies hunger. 5. Abu Al-Jawza' said: Ad-Dhari' is As-Sala (a type of thorny plant). Close to this is what is narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr, that it is a thorny tree. Abu Al-Jawza' then asked: "How can one be nourished by eating thorns?" Furthermore, there is a narration stating that Ad-Dhari' is something in the Fire, resembling thorns, more bitter than patience, more foul-smelling than carrion, and hotter than fire.

Al-Qaffal stated: The purpose of mentioning this drink (referring to the previous verse's mention of Hameem) and this food is to clarify the ultimate state of their humiliation. This is because when these people remained in those chains and shackles for such a long period, thirsty and hungry, they were then thrown into the Fire. They saw water and some vegetation there, and they desired to alleviate their thirst and hunger. They found the water to be scalding (Hameem), which does not quench thirst but burns, and they found the vegetation to be something that neither satisfies nor suffices hunger. Thus, they despaired, and their hopes of removing their hunger and thirst were cut off, just as Allah says: {And if they cry for help, they will be helped with water like molten brass that scalds the faces} (Al-Kahf: 29). This indicates that this state will not cease or end. May Allah protect us from it.

The First Question: Allah says in Surah Al-Haqqah: {So today there is for him no close friend, nor any food except from the Ghisleen} (69:35-36). But here He says: {They will have no food except from Dhari'}. Dhari' is not Ghisleen.

The Answer: This can be addressed in two ways:

1. The Fire has levels (Darajat). Some of the people of Hell will have Zaqqum as their food, some will have Ghisleen, and some will have Dhari'. Some will have Hameem as their drink, and some will have Sadeed (foul pus). Each group has a portion assigned to them.
2. It is possible that Al-Ghisleen is a type of Ad-Dhari'. This is like saying, "I have no food except from sheep," and then saying, "I have no food except from milk." There is no contradiction because milk comes from the sheep.

The Second Question: How can vegetation exist in the Fire?

The Answer: This can also be addressed in two ways:

1. The intent is not that the Dhari' is a plant growing in the Fire that they eat. Rather, it is a metaphor (mathal), meaning they subsist on something that does not satisfy them, or they are tormented by hunger as one is tormented by the sustenance of Dhari'.
2. Why should it be impossible for vegetation to exist in the Fire? Since it is not deemed far-fetched that the human body, consisting of flesh and blood, can remain in the Fire eternally, similarly, the vegetation, the chains, the shackles, the scorpions, and the snakes of the Fire can exist.

{لَا يُسْمِنُ وَلَا يُغْنِي مِنْ جُوعٍ} (It neither nourishes nor satisfies hunger.)