Memorize Surah al-Mulk Ramadan 2021 | Verse 7

Verse 7: When they are tossed into it, they will hear its roaring as it boils over,

Meaning, when the non-believers, those who consciously choose to deny Allah ﷻ and His message, are thrown into the fire of hell, they will hear its roaring as it boils over. They will be thrown and tossed into the fire, just as someone who is unwanted is thrown and tossed out of a gathering. This adds to their humiliation, disgrace, and debasement. Although they may have been full of pride and arrogance in this world, although they may have had wealth, luxury, power, and influence, on the Day of Judgment they will be humiliated and disgraced; tossed into the fire of hell.

Allah ﷻ then gives us a very interesting and scary description of hell. It is being described as a living creature with feelings, emotions, and sounds. The first description given of hell is that it will make this extremely scary and terrifying blazing roaring sound. Just like when a campfire or a bonfire roars when something falls into it, it makes a blazing sound. When the non-believers will be thrown into hell, just like wood is thrown into a blazing fire, they will hear the terrible sound of hell fire inhaling. The word used to describe this sound is “shaheeq”, which literally means the inhalation or the braying of a donkey. One of the worst sounds we hear in the life of this world is the braying of a donkey. It’s also the word used to describe the sound made in a person’s chest when they’re extremely angry. When a person is extremely upset and angry, when their emotions are raging and boiling, their heart starts to beat faster, their temperature rises, their cheeks become flushed and they feel like they’re about to explode. When a person tries to suppress all of this pressure built up from their rage and anger they start to breathe – inhale and exhale – heavily and quickly. That is what hellfire will be doing when the non-believers are tossed into it. Basically, Hell will make this atrocious, furious, and angry sound as it flares up and blazes forth.

This sound is being made as hell boils over. Mujāhid , the famous commentator of the Quran from the Tabi’een said, “It will boil them just as a small number of seeds are boiled in a lot of water.’” Ibn ʿAbbās said, “It will boil them on a boiler or a cauldron.” This is a description of the severity of hell. It’s being compared to how a person boils and rages with anger.

This is very descriptive imagery; it’s almost as if we can see and hear hell’s anger and fury.  Hell seems like it some sort of living creature, suppressing its anger, rage, and fury, drawing in its breath and boiling over. Its rage and fury is so intense that it almost implodes out of anger. Although, some may understand this to be symbolic or metaphorical, it seems more likely that this is a description of the reality of hell.

Every single thing that Allah ﷻ has created has some sort of life; a life that is suitable and appropriate for it. Although we classify things as animate or inanimate, living or non-living, every single creation of Allah ﷻ has some sort of life. Even the rocks, minerals, mountains, and sand. And every creation of Allah ﷻ recognizes its Lord and Creator and glorifies Him ﷻ. As Allah ﷻ says in Surah al-Isrā’, “The seven heavens, the earth, and all those in them glorify Him. There is not a single thing that does not glorify His praises—but you ˹simply˺ cannot comprehend their glorification. He is indeed Most Forbearing, All-Forgiving.”

تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ ٱلسَّبْعُ وَٱلْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ ۚ وَإِن مِّن شَىْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًۭا

These creations of Allah ﷻ are shocked, amazed, and angered when a human denies his Lord. And here in this verse we are being told about the anger and fury of hell.