Surah 18:29
Show Full Scripture Context (18:29) — 1 Verse
وَقُلِ ٱلۡحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمۡۖ فَمَن شَآءَ فَلۡيُؤۡمِن وَمَن شَآءَ فَلۡيَكۡفُرۡۚ إِنَّآ أَعۡتَدۡنَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ نَارًا أَحَاطَ بِهِمۡ سُرَادِقُهَاۚ وَإِن يَسۡتَغِيثُواْ يُغَاثُواْ بِمَآءٖ كَٱلۡمُهۡلِ يَشۡوِي ٱلۡوُجُوهَۚ بِئۡسَ ٱلشَّرَابُ وَسَآءَتۡ مُرۡتَفَقًا
Say: ‘The truth is from your Lord. Whoever pleases, let him believe, and whoever pleases, let him disbelieve.’ Surely We have prepared a Fire for the evildoers – its walls will encompass them. If they call for help, they will be helped with water like molten metal (which) will scald their faces. Evil is the drink and evil the resting place!
Allah says to His Messenger Muhammad:
meaning, 'what I have brought to you from your Lord is the truth, in which there is no confusion or doubt.'
This is a type of threat and stern warning, after which Allah says,
meaning made ready,
meaning those who disbelieve in Allah, His Messenger and His Book,
Ibn Jurayj said that Ibn 'Abbas said, "A wall of fire."
Ibn 'Abbas said; "Al-Muhl is thick water which is similar to the dregs of oil." Mujahid said, "It is like blood and pus." 'Ikrimah said, "It is the thing that is heated to the ultimate temperature." Others said: "It is everything that is melted." Qatadah said, "Ibn Mas'ud melted some gold in a grove, and when it became liquid and foam rose to the top, he said, this is the thing that is most like Al-Muhl." Ad-Dahhak said: "The water of Hell is black, and it itself is black and its people are black." There is nothing contradictory in these comments, for Al-Muhl includes all of these unpleasant characteristics, it is black, evil-smelling, thick and hot, as Allah said,
{[it] will scald their faces.} meaning because of its heat. When the disbeliever wants to drink it and brings it close to his face, it will scald it so that the skin of his face falls off into it.
Sa'id bin Jubayr said, "When the people of Hell get hungry, they will ask for relief from it, and they will be given the tree of Zaqqum from which they will eat. The tree will tear off the skin of their faces, and if anyone who knew them were to pass by, he would recognize the skin of their faces in the tree. Then they will feel thirsty, so they will ask for drink, and they will be granted water like Al-Muhl, that is what has been heated to the ultimate temperature. When it is brought near their mouths, the flesh of their faces from which the skin has been torn off will be baked." After describing this drink in these horrifying qualities, Allah says:
meaning, how awful this drink is. Similarly, He says in another Ayah:
{and be given to drink boiling water so that it cuts up their bowels.} [47:15]
— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Page 146-147)