Surah Al-Waqi'ah — Verse 55

Word Meanings:

• Shurb (شُرْب): Drinking.
• Al-Heem (الْهِيم): Camels afflicted with a disease called *huyam* (هيام), which causes intense, unquenchable thirst. Such camels drink water excessively but never feel satisfied, and they continue drinking until they perish.

Explanation of the Verse:

This verse continues the vivid description of the punishment awaiting the misguided deniers of the Hereafter. After they have filled their bellies with the bitter, foul fruit of the Zaqqum tree—a tree that grows from the depths of Hellfire—they are overcome by a burning thirst. Then they are given to drink water that has reached the utmost degree of boiling heat, a water that offers no relief whatsoever. Despite its unbearable temperature, they drink it in great quantities, just as diseased camels drink endlessly without ever quenching their thirst. These camels, afflicted with the illness of *huyam*, drink and drink, yet their thirst remains unrelieved, driving them to destruction. In the same way, the inhabitants of Hell will drink from this scalding fluid, yet their thirst will never be satisfied, and their suffering will only intensify.

This imagery strikes at the very heart of human understanding—a thirst so desperate that one would drink anything, even boiling water, yet find no comfort. It is a punishment that combines physical agony with psychological torment: the constant, futile pursuit of relief that never comes. The comparison to the *heem* camels is particularly powerful because it illustrates a state of utter desperation and hopelessness, where the very act of drinking—normally a source of life and refreshment—becomes a source of further anguish.

A Call to Reflection:

Dear reader, let this verse awaken your heart. Allah, in His infinite mercy, has warned us clearly so that we may turn back to Him before it is too late. The descriptions of Hell are not meant to frighten us into despair, but to guide us toward the path of salvation. Every moment we have in this world is an opportunity to seek forgiveness, to worship our Lord, and to strive for Paradise—a place where rivers flow with pure, delicious water, where thirst is forever quenched, and where peace and joy are eternal. Do not let the fleeting pleasures of this life deceive you. Choose the path of righteousness, and you will taste a bliss that never ends. The door of repentance is always open; Allah is ever ready to forgive those who turn to Him with sincerity. So hasten to His mercy, and save yourself from a fate that even the most hardened hearts would shudder to imagine.