وَلا طَعامٌ إِلّا مِن غِسلينٍ

Nor any food except pus.

EXEGESIS

The word ghislīn (pus) occurs only this once in the Quran. It shares a root word with ghusālah (dirty wash water, slops).^{‎[1]Hans Wehr, gh-s-l.}

Ghislīn has unanimously been understood by exegetes to mean the fluids that will flow from the bodies of the inmates of hell, such as their vile excrements and the oozing pus and blood from their festering wounds.^{‎[2]Zamakhshari, 4/606; Mizan, 19/401; Raghib, gh-s-l; Tabari, 29/41; Thalabi, 10/32.} Ibn Kathīr reckons this to be the worst food endured in the fire,^{‎[3]Ibn Kathir, 8/232.} and Qummī explains ghislīn as the sweat of the faithless.^{‎[4]Qummi, 2/384.} Besides ghislīn, the Quran also refers to the pus that the wretched are made to drink in hell as ghassāq (38:57, 78:25), which Rāghib also defines as what falls from the skin of the inmates of hell.^{‎[5]Raghib, gh-s-q.}

Besides drinking this oozing pus, the wretched will also drink a purulent fluid (14:16) and scalding water (37:67, 38:57, 78:25) like thirsty camels (56:55). And for food, they will be fed ḍarīʿ (88:6), a cactus-like thorny substance, and from the tree of zaqqūm, a tree that emerges from the depths of hell. Its spathes are as if they were devils’ heads (37:64-65), Like molten copper it will boil in the bellies (44:45), and yet they will eat it greedily, stuffing their bellies (37:66, 56:53).

Whereas this verse states, Nor any food except pus, verse 88:6 reads, They will have no food except cactus (ḍarīʿ). This difference has not escaped exegetes and they have explained it as either referring to the inmates in different levels of hellfire or, that the two foods may be related and the same, meaning the pus oozes out from the cactus. For more details, with references to the opinions of exegetes on this, see 88:6.

EXPOSITION

It is noteworthy that their chastisement matches their crimes. Because they severed ties with their Creator (verse 33), he has no friend here today (verse 35); and because they did not feed the needy or urge others to do so (verse 34), and ate the most delicious foods themselves whilst denying others, so today they have no food to eat except pus. The friend would have been a source of emotional comfort and food would have provided them physical comfort.

Likewise, as explained earlier under the Exposition of verses 5 and 7, the punishments that destroyed past nations reflected their lives and attitudes towards God and the truth. All this confirms and validates the understanding that it is man’s actions that return to him. Indeed Allah does not wrong people in the least; rather it is people who wrong themselves (10:44). See also 2:57, 3:117, 7:160, 9:70, 16:33, 16:118, 29:40, and 30:9, most of which, after describing various rebellious nations, end with the words, and they did not wrong Us, but they used to wrong [only] themselves.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. From Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, that the Prophet said: ‘If [only] a bucket from ghislīn was poured in the world, it would kill with its stench all the world’s inhabitants.’^{‎[6]Alusi, 15/57-8, and Suyuti, 6/263, both from al-Ḥākim who regards it as authentic (ṣaḥīḥ).}

[1] Hans Wehr, gh-s-l.
[2] Zamakhshari, 4/606; Mizan, 19/401; Raghib, gh-s-l; Tabari, 29/41; Thalabi, 10/32.
[3] Ibn Kathir, 8/232.
[4] Qummi, 2/384.
[5] Raghib, gh-s-q.
[6] Alusi, 15/57-8, and Suyuti, 6/263, both from al-Ḥākim who regards it as authentic (ṣaḥīḥ).