Tafseer of The Pen · Al-Qalam · 68:13
Cruel, moreover, and an illegitimate pretender.
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.
His word: عُتُلٍّ ("a coarse man, ʿutull") (68:13). He says: and he is a ʿutull. The ʿutull is the crude, harsh one in his unbelief (kufr). Everything that is hard and strong, the Arabs call ʿutull; among that is the saying of Dhū al-Iṣbaʿ al-ʿAdwānī:
"And time advances, hard and young (vigorous)."
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) also spoke.
* Mention of who said that:
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 his word: عُتُلٍّ ("a coarse man"). The ʿutull is the violent, harsh hypocrite (munāfiq).
Isḥāq ibn Wahb al-Wāsiṭī related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀmir al-ʿAqadī related to us, he said: Zuhayr ibn Muḥammad related to us, on the authority of Zayd ibn Aslam, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ ibn Yasār, on the authority of Wahb al-Dhamārī, he said: the heaven and the earth weep over a man whose creation Allah has made complete, whose breast He has made spacious, and to whom He has given a portion of the world, and who then is unjust (ẓalūm) toward the people. That is the ʿutull zanīm (the coarse, attached bastard).
Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Ibn Idrīs related to us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Abū al-Zubayr, on the authority of ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr, he said: the ʿutull is the glutton, the heavy drinker, the strong and harsh one; he is placed in the scale and does not weigh as much as a barley grain; the angel shoves seventy thousand of such people into Hell (jahannam) with a single shove.
Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Ibn Yamān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Abū Razīn, concerning his word: عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("a coarse man, and moreover a bastard"). He said: the ʿutull is the harsh one.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Abū Razīn, concerning his word: عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("a coarse man, and moreover a bastard"). He said: the ʿutull is the sound, vigorous one.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Muʿāwiya ibn Ṣāliḥ related to me, on the authority of Kathīr ibn al-Ḥārith, on the authority of al-Qāsim, the freedman of Muʿāwiya, he said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about the ʿutull zanīm. He said: "That is the shameless, vile person."
Muʿāwiya said: and ʿIyāḍ ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Fihrī related to me, on the authority of Mūsā ibn ʿUqba, on the authority of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, something similar.
Yaʿqūb related to me, he said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Abū Rajāʾ, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning his word: عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("a coarse man, and moreover a bastard"). He said: shameless in character, vile in nature.
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning his word: عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("a coarse man, and moreover a bastard"). Al-Ḥasan and Qatāda said: he is the shameless, vile in nature.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning his word: عُتُلٍّ ("a coarse man"). He said: he is the shameless, vile in nature.
He said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Zayd ibn Aslam, he said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The heaven weeps over a servant whose body Allah has made sound, whose breast He has made spacious, and to whom He has given a portion of the world, and who then is unjust toward the people. That is the ʿutull zanīm (the coarse, attached bastard)."
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Abū Razīn, he said: the ʿutull is the sound, harsh one.
Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Bazūrī related to me, he said: Abū Zakariyyā — that is Yaḥyā ibn Muṣʿab — related to us, on the authority of ʿUmar ibn Nāfiʿ, he said: ʿIkrima was asked about عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("a coarse man, and moreover a bastard"). He said: that is the vile unbeliever (kāfir).
ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan al-Azdī related to me, he said: Yaḥyā — that is Ibn Yamān — related to us, on the authority of Abū al-Ashhab, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning his word: عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("a coarse man, and moreover a bastard"). He said: shameless, vile in nature.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Muʿādh ibn Hishām related to us, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of Qatāda, he said: the ʿutull, the zanīm: the shameless, vile in nature.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to us, 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, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning his word: عُتُلٍّ ("a coarse man"). He said: vehement in insolence.
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd related to us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say: عُتُلٍّ ("a coarse man"). He said: the ʿutull is the harsh one. بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("and moreover a bastard"). And the meaning of "baʿd" (moreover, after) in this place is the meaning of "maʿa" (together with), and the import of the word is: عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ — that is to say: together with being a ʿutull he is a zanīm.
And his word: زَنِيمٍ ("a bastard, zanīm"). The zanīm in the language of the Arabs is the one who is attached to a people but does not belong to them; among that is the saying of Ḥassān ibn Thābit:
"And you are an attached one (zanīm), fastened to the family of Hāshim, as behind the rider the loose drinking-cup is tied on."
And another said:
"A bastard (zanīm) who does not know who his father is, son of an adulterous mother, of vile descent."
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation also spoke.
* Mention of who said that:
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: زَنِيمٍ ("a bastard"). He said: the zanīm is the adopted intruder (daʿī); and it is said: the zanīm is a man who had a growth (zanama) by which he was recognized; and it is said: he is al-Akhnas ibn Sharīq al-Thaqafī, ally of Banū Zuhra. And some people of Banū Zuhra claimed that the zanīm is al-Aswad ibn ʿAbd Yaghūth al-Zuhrī, but he is not.
Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Ibn Idrīs informed us, he said: Hishām related to us, on the authority of ʿIkrima, he said: he is the adopted intruder (daʿī).
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Sulaymān ibn Bilāl related to me, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ḥarmala, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, that he heard him say concerning this verse: عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("a coarse man, and moreover a bastard"). Saʿīd said: he is the one who is attached to a people but does not belong to them.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, he said: the zanīm is the one who is recognized by his wickedness, as the sheep is recognized by its growth (zanama); the attached one.
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. And others said: he is the one who has a growth (zanama) like the growth of the sheep.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, that he said concerning the zanīm: it was a characteristic, and that [person] was not recognized until it was said "zanīm." He said: and he had a growth (zanama) on his neck by which he was recognized.
And others said: he was an adopted intruder (daʿī).
Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī al-Ṣudāʾī related to me, he said: ʿAlī ibn ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind related to us, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning his word: بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("and moreover a bastard"). He said: it was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ: وَلا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلافٍ مَهِينٍ * هَمَّازٍ مَشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ ("And do not obey every contemptible habitual swearer, slanderer who goes about with calumny") (68:10-11). He said: and we did not recognize him until it was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ: بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("and moreover a bastard"). He said: then we recognized him: he had a growth (zanama) like the growth of the sheep.
Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Ibn Idrīs related to us, on the authority of the scholars of tafsīr, they said: he is the one who has a growth (zanama) like the growth of the sheep.
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd related to us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning his word "zanīm": he says: he had a growth (zanama) at the base of his ear; it is said: he is the vile one, attached in lineage.
And others said: he is the suspect (al-murīb).
* Mention of who said that:
Tamīm ibn al-Muntaṣir related to us, he said: Isḥāq related to us, on the authority of Sharīk, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning his word: عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("a coarse man, and moreover a bastard"). He said: zanīm is the suspect who is recognized by his wickedness.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of al-Ḥasan ibn Muslim, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, he said: the zanīm is the one who is recognized by his wickedness.
And others said: he is the unjust one (al-ẓalūm).
* Mention of who said that:
ʿAlī related to me, he said: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning his word: زَنِيمٍ ("a bastard"). He said: unjust (ẓalūm).
And others said: he is the one known for an ubna (passive sodomy).
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, he said: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, he said: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, that he said concerning the zanīm: the one known for an ubna (passive sodomy). Abū Isḥāq said: and I heard the people in the time of the governance of Ziyād say: the ʿutull is the adopted intruder (daʿī).
And others said: he is the crude, harsh boor (al-jilf al-jāfī).
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, he said: Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind related to us, he said: I heard Shahr ibn Ḥawshab say: he is the crude, harsh boor, the glutton who drinks the forbidden.
And others said: he is the mark of unbelief (kufr).
* Mention of who said that:
Abū Kurayb related to us, Ibn Yamān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Abū Razīn, he said: the zanīm is the mark of unbelief.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Abū Razīn, he said: the zanīm is the mark of the unbeliever.
Al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, that he used to say: the zanīm is recognized by this trait, as the sheep is recognized.
And others said: he is the one who is recognized by his vileness (luʾm).
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Khuṣayf, on the authority of ʿIkrima, he said: the zanīm is the one who is recognized by his vileness, as the sheep is recognized by its growth (zanama).
And others said: he is the dissolute sinner (al-fājir).
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Abū Razīn, concerning his word: عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ("a coarse man, and moreover a bastard"). He said: the zanīm is the dissolute sinner.
