Tafseer of The Pilgrimage · Al-Hajj · 22:19
These are two adversaries who have disputed over their Lord. But those who disbelieved will have cut out for them garments of fire. Poured upon their heads will be scalding water
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The exegetes differed over who is meant by the two disputants (al-khaṣmān) whom Allah mentioned. Some said: one party are the believers (ahl al-īmān), and the other are the idolaters of Quraysh who fought one another on the Day of Badr.
*Those who said this are mentioned:*
Yaʿqūb related to me; he said: Hushaym related to us; he said: Abū Hāshim informed us, on the authority of Abī Mujliz, on the authority of Qays ibn ʿUbāda, who said: "I heard Abū Dharr swear an oath that this verse (هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ) was sent down concerning those who dueled on the Day of Badr: Ḥamza, ʿAlī, and ʿUbayda ibn al-Ḥārith — and ʿUtba and Shayba, the sons of Rabīʿa, and al-Walīd ibn ʿUtba. He said: ʿAlī said: I am the first, or one of the first, who will sit down in dispute before Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, on the Day of Resurrection."
ʿAlī ibn Sahl related to us; he said: Mu'ammal related to us; he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abī Hāshim, on the authority of Abī Mujliz, on the authority of Qays ibn ʿAbāda, who said: "I heard Abū Dharr swear an oath by Allah: this verse was sent down concerning six men of Quraysh — Ḥamza ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, and ʿUbayda ibn al-Ḥārith — may Allah be pleased with them — and ʿUtba ibn Rabīʿa, Shayba ibn Rabīʿa, and al-Walīd ibn ʿUtba: (هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ) ... to the end of the verse (إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ) ... to the end of the verse."
Ibn Bashshār related to us; he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us; he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abī Hāshim, on the authority of Abī Mujliz, on the authority of Qays ibn ʿAbāda: "I heard Abū Dharr swear..." and then he mentioned it in the same terms.
Ibn Bashshār related to us; he said: Muḥammad ibn Muḥabbab related to us; he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr ibn al-Muʿtamir, on the authority of Hilāl ibn Yasāf, who said: "This verse was sent down concerning those who dueled on the Day of Badr: (هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ)."
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us; he said: Salama ibn al-Faḍl related to us; he said: Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq related to me, on the authority of some of his companions, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ ibn Yasār, who said: "These verses were sent down: (هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ) concerning those who dueled on the Day of Badr: Ḥamza, ʿAlī, ʿUbayda ibn al-Ḥārith, ʿUtba ibn Rabīʿa, Shayba ibn Rabīʿa, and al-Walīd ibn ʿUtba — up to His words: وَهُدُوا إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْحَمِيدِ ."
He said: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Abī Hāshim, on the authority of Abī Mujalliz, on the authority of Qays ibn ʿAbāda, who said: "By Allah, this verse (هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ) was sent down concerning those who advanced toward one another on the Day of Badr: Ḥamza, ʿAlī, ʿUbayda — may Allah's mercy be upon them — Shayba, ʿUtba, and al-Walīd ibn ʿUtba."
Others, of those who held that the one party are the believers (ahl al-īmān), said: the other party are the People of the Book (ahl al-kitāb).
*Those who said this are mentioned:*
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me; he said: my father related to me; he said: my uncle related to me; he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning (هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ): "They are the People of the Book; they said to the believers: We are nearer to Allah, and our Scripture is older than yours, and our prophet was before yours. The believers said: We have a better claim with Allah — we believed in Muḥammad ﷺ and in your prophet and in what Allah has sent down of Scripture; you know our Scripture and our prophet yet abandoned them and rejected it out of jealousy. And that was their dispute concerning their Lord."
Others said: the other party are the unbelievers, of whatever community they may be.
*Those who said this are mentioned:*
Al-Qāsim related to us; he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us; he said: Abū Tumayla related to us, on the authority of Abī Ḥamza, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of Mujāhid, ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ and Abī Qazaʿa, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn: "They are the unbelievers (kāfirūn) and the believers who disputed concerning their Lord."
He said — al-Ḥusayn related to us; Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: "The likeness of the unbeliever (kāfir) and the believer." Ibn Jurayj said: "Their dispute by which they disputed concerning their Lord is their dispute in the world — the people of every religion claiming that they have a better right to Allah than others."
Abū Kurayb related to us; he said: Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh related to us: "ʿĀṣim and al-Kalbī both said concerning (هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ): the people of polytheism (al-shirk) and of Islam when they disputed over who is more excellent; he made polytheism a community."
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me; he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us; he said: ʿĪsā related to us — and al-Ḥārith related to me; he said: al-Ḥasan related to us; he said: Warqāʾ related to us — all on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning (هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ): "The likeness of the believer and the unbeliever in their dispute concerning the Resurrection."
Others said: The two parties whom Allah mentions in this verse are Paradise (al-janna) and the Fire (al-nār).
*Those who said this are mentioned:*
Al-Qāsim related to us; he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us; he said: Abū Tumayla related to us, on the authority of Abī Ḥamza, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of ʿIkrima, concerning (هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ): "They are Paradise (janna) and the Fire (nār); they disputed. The Fire said: Allah created me for His punishment, and Paradise said: Allah created me for His mercy. Allah has told you of their tidings what you hear."
The most correct view in my opinion, and the one most in accord with the exegesis of the verse, is that of the one who said: by it are meant all the unbelievers of whatever class of unbelief, and all the believers. I say that this view is the most correct, because Allah, exalted be His praise, had before it mentioned two kinds of His creation: one of them the people of His obedience by prostrating to Him, the other the people of His disobedience upon whom the punishment (ʿadhāb) has fallen. He said: أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ — then: وَكَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَكَثِيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابُ — and then followed the description of both kinds and what Allah will do with them: (فَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قُطِّعَتْ لَهُمْ ثِيَابٌ مِنْ نَارٍ) and (إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ). It became clear thereby that what stands between them concerns both of them.
If someone asks: what then do you say about what has been transmitted from Abū Dharr that this was sent down concerning those who dueled on the Day of Badr? Then the answer is: that is — if Allah wills — as is transmitted from him. But a verse may be sent down on account of a particular cause and then apply generally to everything that resembles that cause. This verse is of that sort — for one party of those who dueled consisted of people of polytheism and of unbelief (kufr) in Allah, and the other of people of belief (īmān) in Allah and obedience to Him. So every unbeliever is, with respect to the ruling, in the class of the party of polytheism — namely, that he is an adversary of the believers — and likewise every believer is, with respect to the ruling, in the class of the party of belief.
The meaning of the sentence is then: these are two parties who disputed concerning the religion of their Lord; their dispute is the enmity of each party toward the other and the fighting (qitāl) they waged on account of its religion.
His words (فَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قُطِّعَتْ لَهُمْ ثِيَابٌ مِنْ نَارٍ) — Allah, exalted be His praise, says: for the one who disbelieved in Allah among them a garment will be cut out of copper, of fire.
As al-Qāsim related to us; he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us; he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: (فَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قُطِّعَتْ لَهُمْ ثِيَابٌ مِنْ نَارٍ) — "The unbeliever (kāfir) will have garments of fire cut out for him, and the believer Allah causes to enter Paradise with rivers flowing beneath it."
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us; he said: Yaʿqūb related to us, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Saʿīd, concerning (فَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قُطِّعَتْ لَهُمْ ثِيَابٌ مِنْ نَارٍ): "Garments of copper — there is nothing among vessels hotter and more burning than that."
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me; he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us; he said: ʿĪsā related to us — and al-Ḥārith related to me; he said: al-Ḥasan related to us; he said: Warqāʾ related to us — all on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: "The unbelievers (kuffār) will have garments of fire cut out for them, and the believer enters Paradise with rivers flowing beneath it."
His words (يُصَبُّ مِنْ فَوْقِ رُءُوسِهِمُ الْحَمِيمُ) — that is to say: boiling water will be poured over their heads.
As Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us; he said: Ibrāhīm ibn Isḥāq al-Ṭāliqānī related to us; he said: Ibn al-Mubārak related to us, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Zayd, on the authority of Abī al-Samḥ, on the authority of Ibn Juḥayra, on the authority of Abī Hurayra, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "The boiling water (al-ḥamīm) is poured over their heads; it penetrates the skull until it reaches the abdominal cavity and tears out what is in their belly until it reaches the feet — that is al-ṣahr; then all is restored as it was."
Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to me; he said: Yaʿmar ibn Bishr related to us; he said: Ibn al-Mubārak related to us; he said: Saʿīd ibn Zayd informed us, on the authority of Abī al-Samḥ, on the authority of Ibn Juḥayra, on the authority of Abī Hurayra, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ — in the same terms, except that he said: "so that it penetrates the skull until it reaches their belly and tears out what is in their belly."
Some claimed that (وَلَهُمْ مَقَامِعُ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ) is one of the cases of the postposed which is meant to be preposed (al-mu'akhkhar alladhī maʿnāhu al-taqdīm); the proper word order would be: for the unbelievers a garment of fire will be cut out, and they have iron maces — boiling water is poured over their heads. And he said: this is so because an angel strikes him with an iron mace until his head is shattered, after which the boiling water that has been heated to the utmost is poured into it, cutting through his belly. But the report of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ which we have mentioned indicates the contrary of what this man says — for he ﷺ reported that the boiling water, when it is poured over their heads, penetrates the skull until it reaches the abdominal cavity. Such too is the exegesis of the exegetes. If the maces had already pierced the heads before the pouring of the boiling water, the report from him ﷺ that "the boiling water penetrates the skull" would have no meaning. But the matter is otherwise than what this man said.
