In the original context, what is the "looming tower"?

Sources

• ✓ 77:34 · Al-Mursalaat

  77:34 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

  Woe unto the repudiators on that day!

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 77:34

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 77:34

  Allah addresses the disbelievers who deny the Resurrection, the recompense, Paradise, and Hellfire, saying that on the Day of Judgment they will be commanded: "Depart to what you used to deny. Depart to a shade with three branches." This refers to the intense, blazing flames of Hellfire, which rise and emit smoke that forms three distinct tongues or sections because of its severity and strength. The "shade" mentioned is actually the smoke that contrasts with the fire; it provides no real shade or protection and does not help shield them from the heat of the flames. Regarding the phrase "It throws sparks like towers," it means that sparks scatter from the fire like tall structures. Ibn Mas'ud said these are like fortresses, while Ibn Abbas, Qatadah, Mujahid, Malik (citing Zayd ibn Aslam), and others interpret this as tree trunks. The phrase "like yellow camels" refers either to black camels as per Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, and Ad-Dahhak (a view favored by Ibn Jarir), or, according to Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and Sa'id ibn Jubayr, to ship ropes. Ibn Abbas also said it might mean pieces of brass. Al-Bukhari reported from Ibn Abbas that the "towers" or "kusr" are wooden logs three cubits or longer, stacked and used for winter fuel. The "yellow camels" represent the thick ropes used on ships, gathered so that they appear like men's waists. Following this depiction, Allah says, "Woe, that Day, to the deniers." Then Allah says, "This is the Day they will not speak," meaning they will be unable to utter a word. They will not be permitted to offer any excuses or apologies, as the truth has been established against them, and the punishment decided for their wrongdoing is final. The expression "Woe, that Day, to the deniers" recurs throughout these descriptions to emphasize the severity and terror of the events on that day. Next, Allah says, "This is the Day of Judgement. We have gathered you and the former peoples." This is a declaration from the Creator to His servants, stating that He has brought together all people, former and present, by His power on one plain, where the caller's voice reaches them and their eyesight encompasses them. Then Allah warns, "If you have a plot (to escape), then plot against Me." This is a severe threat, indicating that if they think they can evade His grasp and judgment, they are deceived. They have no power to do so, as Allah says elsewhere, "O assembly of jinn and mankind, if you can pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass. You will not pass except by authority." Also, "And you cannot harm Him at all." A hadith reinforces this: "My servants, you will not attain to benefit Me so that you benefit Me, nor will you attain to harm Me so that you harm Me." Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Abu Abd Allah (Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq) that on the Day of Resurrection, all people will be gathered on one plain, visible to all, where the caller's voice reaches them. Allah says, "This is the Day of Judgement; We have gathered you and the former peoples. If you have a scheme, then scheme against Me. Today no tyrant or rebellious devil will escape from Me." Abdullah ibn Amr added that on that day, a neck emerges from the fire, calling out to people, sent towards three kinds of people intimately known to it—those who associate partners with Allah, every tyrant, and every rebellious devil. It coils around them and throws them into the fire forty years before the actual reckoning. Thus, the ayah warns of the inevitable gathering and judgment, the powerlessness of the deniers, and the terrifying, inescapable punishment awaiting those who denied the truth.