Zaqqum

A contemporary depiction of the tree of Zaqqum, a cursed tree which springs out from the bottom of Hell.

In Islamic tradition, the Zaqqum is a cursed tree that is rooted in the center of Hell. It is described as producing fruits torturously fed to the condemned.

Quotes

• وَمَا جَعَلْنَا ٱلرُّءْيَا ٱلَّتِىٓ أَرَيْنَـٰكَ إِلَّا فِتْنَةًۭ لِّلنَّاسِ وَٱلشَّجَرَةَ ٱلْمَلْعُونَةَ فِى ٱلْقُرْءَانِ
  • Quran 17:60
  • Translation:
    • And We have made what We brought you to see as well as the cursed tree ˹mentioned˺ in the Quran only as a test for the people.
      • The Clear Quran by Dr. Mustafa Khattab

• ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ أَيُّهَا ٱلضَّآلُّونَ ٱلْمُكَذِّبُونَ لَـَٔاكِلُونَ مِن شَجَرٍۢ مِّن زَقُّومٍۢ فَمَالِـُٔونَ مِنْهَا ٱلْبُطُونَ فَشَـٰرِبُونَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلْحَمِيمِ فَشَـٰرِبُونَ شُرْبَ ٱلْهِيمِ
  • Quran 56:51–55
  • Translation:
    • Then you, O misguided deniers, will certainly eat from ˹the fruit of˺ the trees of Zaqqûm, filling up ˹your˺ bellies with it. Then on top of that you will drink boiling water—and you will drink ˹it˺ like thirsty camels do.
      • The Clear Quran by Dr. Mustafa Khattab

• أَذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌۭ نُّزُلًا أَمْ شَجَرَةُ ٱلزَّقُّومِ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَـٰهَا فِتْنَةًۭ لِّلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِنَّهَا شَجَرَةٌۭ تَخْرُجُ فِىٓ أَصْلِ ٱلْجَحِيمِ طَلْعُهَا كَأَنَّهُۥ رُءُوسُ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينِ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَـَٔاكِلُونَ مِنْهَا فَمَالِـُٔونَ مِنْهَا ٱلْبُطُونَ ثُمَّ إِنَّ لَهُمْ عَلَيْهَا لَشَوْبًۭا مِّنْ حَمِيمٍۢ ثُمَّ إِنَّ مَرْجِعَهُمْ لَإِلَى ٱلْجَحِيمِ
  • Quran 37:62–68
  • Translation:
    • Is this ˹bliss˺ a better accommodation or the tree of Zaqqûm? We have surely made it a test for the wrongdoers. Indeed, it is a tree that grows in the depths of Hell, bearing fruit like devils' heads. The evildoers will certainly ˹be left to˺ eat from it, filling up their bellies with it. Then on top of that they will be given a blend of boiling drink. Then they will ultimately return to ˹their place in˺ Hell.
      • The Clear Quran by Dr. Mustafa Khattab

• إِنَّ شَجَرَتَ ٱلزَّقُّومِ طَعَامُ ٱلْأَثِيمِ كَٱلْمُهْلِ يَغْلِى فِى ٱلْبُطُونِ كَغَلْىِ ٱلْحَمِيمِ خُذُوهُ فَٱعْتِلُوهُ إِلَىٰ سَوَآءِ ٱلْجَحِيمِ ثُمَّ صُبُّوا۟ فَوْقَ رَأْسِهِۦ مِنْ عَذَابِ ٱلْحَمِيمِ ذُقْ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْكَرِيمُ إِنَّ هَـٰذَا مَا كُنتُم بِهِۦ تَمْتَرُونَ
  • Quran 44:43–50
  • Translation:
    • Surely ˹the fruit of˺ the tree of Zaqqûm will be the food of the evildoer. Like molten metal, it will boil in the bellies like the boiling of hot water. ˹It will be said,˺ "Seize them and drag them into the depths of the Hellfire. Then pour over their heads the torment of boiling water." ˹The wicked will be told,˺ "Taste this. You mighty, noble one! This is truly what you ˹all˺ used to doubt."
      • The Clear Quran by Dr. Mustafa Khattab

Quotes about the Zaqqum

• What is the meaning of the word zaqqum? The word does not appear to be Arabic, despite attempts in the Arabic sources to force the gloss "bitter" upon this bizarre word. Indeed, the medieval grammarians considered the word foreign. They were right, and modern specialists have proposed a myriad of philological derivations. Some consider Zaqqum part of the Persian apocalyptic literature where the Arda Viraz Namag plays a prominent role. Proposals to this end include Aramaic ziqta meaning "goad;" Akkadian ziqtu meaning "spike;" or Middle Persian zaxm meaning "wound." These derivations may hold some potential clues about the term, although collectively they are distinct in origin and diverging in meaning. Others consider it a loanword from Greek sykon meaning "figs," connected to the "accursed tree in the recitations" (Q 17:60), the tree of knowledge (Genesis 2:9), and the intervening Christian teachings about the "tree of death."
  • Emran El-Badawi: Female Divinity in the Qur'an: In Conversation with the Bible and the Ancient Near East, ch. 2, "The Ancient Tree", pp. 30–31. Palgrave Macmillan (2024). ISBN 3-03-161799-1.

• In the Koran, trees are most frequently cited as gifts of a beneficent Creator, with the notable exception of the tree of Hell, zaqqm.
  • L. J. Musselman: "Trees in the Koran and the Bible". In Unasylva: an international journal of forestry and forest industries, no. 213, vol. 54: "Perceptions of forests" (2003/2). ISSN 0041-6436.

See also

• Jahannam