Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:52
سُورَةُ الوَاقِعَةِ · Meccan · Verse 52 of 96
لَءَاكِلُونَ مِن شَجَرٍۢ مِّن زَقُّومٍۢ
Translation
will eat from the bitter tree of Zaqqum,
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'Will surely eat from a tree of Zaqqum.' al-Saadi and Ibn Ashur note the bitter reversal: where the people of the right had every choice fruit, these have 'zaqqum', the vile, bitter tree of Hell, the anti-fruit. Ask yourself: the punishment is again drawn as the exact inversion of the reward, a 'tree' and its 'fruit', but repulsive instead of delightful. It presses the truth that everyone ends up eating from some tree; the only question is which one their life planted. The sweet fruit and the bitter both grow from seeds sown now. It is a stark image of consequence: what I cultivate in this life is precisely what I will be fed in the next. What tree am I growing with my daily choices, and would I want to eat its fruit forever?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Ashur, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:52 is discussed in 6 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 56:52 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.