Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:43
سُورَةُ الوَاقِعَةِ · Meccan · Verse 43 of 96
وَظِلٍّۢ مِّن يَحْمُومٍۢ
Translation
in the shadow of black smoke,
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'And the shade of black smoke.' Ibn Ashur and al-Biqa'i note the bitter irony of 'zillin min yahmum', a 'shade' made of black, choking smoke: the form of relief with none of its substance, a mockery of the shelter the word promises. Ask yourself: this is a haunting image, the counterfeit comfort, the thing that looks like refuge but delivers only more suffocation. I know its earthly versions well: the escape that deepens the trap, the 'relief' that leaves me worse, the comfort that is really just a prettier form of harm. This verse names the ultimate version of that counterfeit. It warns me to examine my own 'shades', the places I run for relief, and ask whether they actually cool me, or are just black smoke I've mistaken for shelter.
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Biqa'i, al-Saadi.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:43 is discussed in 7 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:43 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.