بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ ﴿۱﴾ الَّذِي جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ ﴿۲﴾ يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُ أَخْلَدَهُ ﴿۳﴾

﴾1﴿ Wailul-likulli hu mazatil-lumazah
﴾2﴿ Allazee jama'a maalanw wa 'addadah
﴾3﴿ Yahsabu anna maalahooo akhladah

﴾1﴿ Destruction is upon every backbiter and slanderer
﴾2﴿ The one who gathers wealth and counts it
﴾3﴿ He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal

Surah Al-Humazah

The Slanderer

Relevancy: This surah differs from the previous one in several aspects: The first difference is that in the previous surah, four qualities of the successful (those who are not in loss) were mentioned, whereas in this surah, four qualities of the losers are described. The second difference is that in the previous surah, there was a reproach related to loss, whereas in this surah, there is a warning of the Hereafter for those who are in loss.
Claim of this surah: The reproach in this surah is directed at vile characteristics, accompanied by a warning of the Hereafter. Additionally, in this surah, the name of Allah the Exalted is mentioned only once.
Summary of the surah: First, there is a reproach, mentioning four vile characteristics in verses 1, 2, and 3. Then, the warning of the Hereafter follows in six ways.
Note: This surah indicates that the enemy of the Qur’an is the worldly materialist, who possesses these four immoral traits.

interpretation

[1] The word (لِكُلِّ) indicates that this verse is general and applies to anyone who possesses these traits. (هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ): (هُمَزَةٍ) refers to someone who criticizes and finds faults behind people's backs, whether through gossip (ghibah) or slander (buhtan). (لُمَزَةٍ) refers to someone who insults and belittles others to their face. The intended meaning here is those who oppose the Qur’an and the people of Tawhid through these two methods.
[2] This is the third characteristic, which serves as a reason for the previous traits—meaning, due to love for wealth, a person engages in backbiting (همز) and mocking others (لمز). (وَعَدَّدَهُ): It means that due to attachment to wealth, a person constantly counts it, fearing that it may decrease. Alternatively, it is derived from (عُدَّة), meaning preparation—indicating that such a person hoards wealth, believing it will protect them from calamities and hardships.
[3] This is the fourth characteristic, and it has two interpretations: The apparent meaning: Due to love for wealth, such a person is so deeply engrossed in it that they act as if they will live in this world forever, completely neglecting the Hereafter. The second interpretation: It alludes to the fact that eternal blessings (i.e., Paradise) are only attained through faith and righteous deeds. However, such individuals mistakenly believe that they can attain Paradise merely through their wealth. This interpretation has been mentioned by Nasafi in Tafsir Madarik and Sharbini in Siraj al-Munir.