Al-Qur'an Surah Ibrahim Verse 17

Mufti Taqi Usmani

which he will arduously sip, and will not be able to swallow. Death will come upon him from every side, yet he will not die, and still a heavy chastisement will be ahead of him.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

which they will sip with difficulty, and can hardly swallow. Death will overwhelm them from every side, yet they will not ˹be able to˺ die. Awaiting them still is harsher torment.

Ruwwad Translation Center

which he will arduously sip but can hardly swallow it, and death will come to him from every direction, yet he will not die. And ahead of him will be a harsh punishment.

A. J. Arberry

the which he gulps, and can scarce swallow, and death comes upon him from every side, yet he cannot die; and still beyond him is a harsh chastisement.

Abdul Haleem

which he will try to gulp but scarcely be able to swallow; death will encroach on him from every side, but he will not die; more intense suffering will lie ahead of him.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Which he gulpeth, but wellnigh swalloweth not. And death cometh upon him from every side, while yet he is not dead, and behind him is a torment terrible.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In gulps will he sip it, but never will he be near swallowing it down his throat; death will come to him from every quarter, yet will he not die; and in front of him will be a chastisement unrelenting.

Abul Ala Maududi

which he will gulp but will scarcely swallow, and death will come upon him from every quarter, and yet he will not be able to die. A terrible chastisement lies ahead in pursuit of him.

Ahmed Ali

He will sip it, yet will not be able to gulp it down. Death will crowd in upon him from every side, but die he will not. A terrible torment trails him.

Ahmed Raza Khan

He will sip it with difficulty but be unable to swallow, and death will approach him from every side and he will not die; and a severe punishment is after him.

Ali Quli Qarai

gulping it down, but hardly swallowing it: death will assail him from every side, but he will not die, and there is [yet] a harsh punishment ahead of him.

Ali Ünal

Sipping it little by little, yet hardly able to swallow it, and death besets him from every side though he cannot die, and a still harsher punishment lies ahead of him.

Amatul Rahman Omar

He will try to sip it but shall not be able to swallow it easily, and death shall come to him from every quarter; yet he shall not die. Moreover he shall see before him further harsh doom.

English Literal

He swallows it little by little and (he) is not about to accept its taste/swallow it easily, and the death/lifelessness comes to him from every place/position, and he is not with dying, and from behind him (is) strong/rough torture.

Faridul Haque

He will sip it with difficulty but be unable to swallow, and death will approach him from every side and he will not die; and a severe punishment is after him.

Hamid S. Aziz

Which he sips but cannot swallow; and death comes upon him from every side, and yet he can not die; and before him is unrelenting woe!

Hilali & Khan

He will sip it unwillingly, and he will find a great difficulty to swallow it down his throat, and death will come to him from every side, yet he will not die and in front of him, will be a great torment.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Hell is before him and he is given to drink of boiling water;

Mohammad Habib Shakir

He will drink it little by little and will not be able to swallow it agreeably, and death will come to him from every quarter, but he shall not die; and there shall be vehement chastisement before him.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Which he sippeth but can hardly swallow, and death cometh unto him from every side while yet he cannot die, and before him is a harsh doom.

Muhammad Sarwar

As they sip the unpleasant water, death will approach them from all sides, but they will never die. In addition to this, they will experience the most intense torment.

Qaribullah & Darwish

which he gulps and can scarcely swallow. Death will come to him from every side, yet he cannot not die, and yet to come is a dreadful punishment.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

He will sip it unwillingly, and he will find great difficulty in swallowing it down his throat, and death will come to him from every side, yet he will not die, and in front of him, will be a great torment.

Wahiduddin Khan

he will sip and will not find it easy to swallow it. Death will approach him from every quarter, yet he will not die. More intense suffering will lie ahead of him.

Talal Itani

He will guzzle it, but he will not swallow it. Death will come at him from every direction, but he will not die. And beyond this is relentless suffering.

Tafsir jalalayn

which he sips, gulping it repeatedly, because of its acridity, but can scarcely swallow, [scarcely] ingest because it is so foul and disgusting; and death, that is, those causes of it that necessarily bring it about, in the way of [different] types of chastisement, comes to him from every side, yet he cannot die; and still beyond him, after that chastisement, there is a harsh chastisement, a severe one, following on [from the previous one].

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

يَتَجَرَّعُهُ

He will sip it unwillingly,

indicates that he will hate to drink this water, but he will be forced to sip it; he will refuse until the angel strikes him with an iron bar,

وَلَهُمْ مَّقَامِعُ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ

And for them are hooked rods of iron. (22;21)

Allah said next,

وَلَا يَكَادُ يُسِيغُهُ

and he will find great difficulty in swallowing it down his throat,

meaning, he will hate to swallow it because of its awful taste, color and unbearable heat or coldness,

وَيَأْتِيهِ الْمَوْتُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ

and death will come to him from every side,

his organs, limbs and entire body will suffer pain because of this drink.

Amr bin Maymun bin Mahran commented,

"Every bone, nerve and blood vessel."

Ad-Dahhak reported that Ibn Abbas commented on Allah's statement,

"All types of torment that Allah will punish him with on the Day of Resurrection in the fire of Jahannam will come to him carrying death, if he were to die. However, he will not die because Allah the Exalted said,

لَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُواْ وَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا

Neither will it affect them that they die nor shall its torment be lightened for them." (35;36)

Therefore, according to Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, every type of punishment will come to him (the obstinate, rebellious tyrant) carrying death with it, if he will ever die there. Yet, he will not die, he will instead receive eternal punishment and torment.

Hence Allah's statement here,

وَيَأْتِيهِ الْمَوْتُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ

وَمَا هُوَ بِمَيِّتٍ

and death will come to him from every side, yet he will not die,

Allah said,

وَمِن وَرَايِهِ عَذَابٌ غَلِيظٌ



and in front of him, will be a great torment.

even in this condition, he will still suffer another severe type of torment, more severe and painful from the one before it, harsher more bitter.

Allah described the tree of Zaqqum,

إِنَّهَا شَجَرَةٌ تَخْرُجُ فِى أَصْلِ الْجَحِيمِ

طَلْعُهَا كَأَنَّهُ رُءُوسُ الشَّيَـطِينِ

فَإِنَّهُمْ لاّكِلُونَ مِنْهَا فَمَالِيُونَ مِنْهَا الْبُطُونَ

ثُمَّ إِنَّ لَهُمْ عَلَيْهَا لَشَوْباً مِنْ حَمِيمٍ

ثُمَّ إِنَّ مَرْجِعَهُمْ لاِلَى الْجَحِيمِ

Verily, it is a tree that springs out of the bottom of Hellfire, the shoots of its fruits stalks are like the heads of Shayatin; Truly, they will eat thereof and fill their bellies therewith.

Then on top of that they will be given boiling water to drink so that it becomes a mixture. Then thereafter, verily, their return is to the flaming fire of Hell. (37;64-68)

Allah states that they will either be eating from the Zaqqum, drinking the Hamim, or being tormented in the Fire, again and again; we seek refuge with Allah from all of this.

Allah also said,

هَـذِهِ جَهَنَّمُ الَّتِى يُكَذِّبُ بِهَا الْمُجْرِمُونَ

يَطُوفُونَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ حَمِيمٍ ءَانٍ

This is the Hell which the criminals denied. They will go between it (Hell) and the fierce boiling water! (55;43-44)

إِنَّ شَجَرَةَ الزَّقُّومِ

طَعَامُ الاٌّثِيمِ

كَالْمُهْلِ يَغْلِى فِى الْبُطُونِ

كَغَلْىِ الْحَمِيمِ

خُذُوهُ فَاعْتِلُوهُ إِلَى سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ

ثُمَّ صُبُّواْ فَوْقَ رَأْسِهِ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْحَمِيمِ

ذُقْ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْكَرِيمُ

إِنَّ هَـذَا مَا كُنتُمْ بِهِ تَمْتَرُونَ

Verily, the tree of Zaqqum will be the food of the sinners. Like boiling oil, it will boil in the bellies, like the boiling of scalding water.

(It will be said) "Seize him and drag him into the midst of blazing Fire, then pour over his head the torment of boiling water. Taste you (this)!

Verily, you were the mighty, the generous!

Verily, this is that whereof you used to doubt!" (44;43-50)

وَأَصْحَـبُ الشِّمَالِ مَأ أَصْحَـبُ الشِّمَالِ

فِى سَمُومٍ وَحَمِيمٍ

وَظِلٍّ مِّن يَحْمُومٍ

لااَّ بَارِدٍ وَلَا كَرِيمٍ

And those on the Left Hand - how (unfortunate) will be those on the Left Hand In fierce hot wind and boiling water, and shadow of black smoke, neither cool nor pleasant. (56;41-44)

and,

هَـذَا وَإِنَّ لِلطَّـغِينَ لَشَرَّ مَـَابٍ

جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَوْنَهَا فَبِيْسَ الْمِهَادُ

هَـذَا فَلْيَذُوقُوهُ حَمِيمٌ وَغَسَّاقٌ

وَءَاخَرُ مِن شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَجٌ

This is so! And for the Taghun will be an evil final return. Hell! Where they will burn, and worst is that place to rest! This is so! Then let them taste it Hamim and Ghassaq. And other (torments) of similar kind all together! (38;55-58)

There are many other similar Ayat that indicate that the punishment they will receive is of different kinds, and that it is repeated in various types and forms that only Allah the Exalted knows, as just recompense,

وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِظَلَّـمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ

And your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves. (41;46