Zaqqum

Zaqqum is the tree mentioned in the Quran that grows in the depths of Hell (Jahannam), serving as the dreadful food for its inhabitants. The Quran vividly describes it: "Is that a better accommodation or the tree of zaqqum? Indeed, We have made it a torment for the wrongdoers. Indeed, it is a tree issuing from the bottom of the Hellfire, its emerging fruit as if it was heads of devils" (37:62-65). The tree's fruits are described as bitter and repulsive, causing the damned to drink boiling water afterward, increasing their torment. When the people of Hell, desperate from hunger, approach the tree, its fruits are like the heads of devils,horrifying in appearance and taste. Consuming zaqqum causes their internal organs to boil like molten brass (44:43-46). This vivid imagery serves multiple purposes: warning of the severe consequences of rejecting divine guidance, illustrating the contrast between Paradise's delights and Hell's torments, and emphasizing divine justice. The concept of zaqqum demonstrates that those who rejected truth in this life will face corresponding suffering in the next. For believers, zaqqum reinforces the urgency of righteous living, sincere repentance, and seeking Allah's mercy. It reminds that choices in this world have eternal consequences, and that Allah's warnings are real and certain.