Sūrah Ad-Dukhān The Smoke: Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī The Source Commentary

Surah Overview

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahالدخانMakkī 59 versesFifth Ḥawāmīm the smoke sign

Key DisagreementIs the "smoke" (44:10) a past event or a future eschatological sign?Eschatology vs. historyAl-Ṭabarī: past event the drought of Mecca when the Quraysh saw smoke-like haze from hunger; traced via Ibn Masʿūd chains

Competing OpinionsIbn ʿAbbās vs. Ibn Masʿūd on the smoke identityCompanion disagreementIbn ʿAbbās: future sign before the Hour; Ibn Masʿūd: past drought event a rare disagreement between two major Companion interpreters

MethodologyWeighing two Companion positions on eschatological vs. historical interpretationTarjīḥ between CompanionsAl-Ṭabarī lays out both positions with full chains before stating a clear preference for Ibn Masʿūd

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

The "smoke" verse (44:10) presents a rare case where two major Companions Ibn Masʿūd and Ibn ʿAbbās directly disagree. Ibn Masʿūd, through chains verified by al-Ṭabarī as sound, states the smoke already happened: the Quraysh during their famine-drought saw the sky as smoky haze from weakness and hunger. Ibn ʿAbbās states the smoke is an eschatological sign yet to come before the Day of Judgment. Al-Ṭabarī's tarjīḥ strongly favors Ibn Masʿūd: the grammatical past-tense framing, the verified sound chains, and contextual continuity support the past-event interpretation.

The Pharaoh narrative (44:17–33) is analyzed as a structural parallel an already-completed punishment of a people who rejected their messenger. Al-Ṭabarī uses this to show the surah's rhetorical logic: smoke/punishment already happened to past peoples, the Quraysh were already experiencing a similar warning-punishment (the drought), and continued rejection would lead to definitive punishment.

فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُّبِينٍ Fa-rtaqib yawma taʾtī l-samāʾu bi-dukhānin mubīn "Then watch for the Day when the sky will bring a visible smoke." (44:10) Al-Ṭabarī presents the chain from Masrūq from Ibn Masʿūd: "Five signs have passed: the smoke, the moon-splitting, the defeat of Rome, the grasping, and the landing." The smoke is listed as already past.

إِنَّ شَجَرَتَ الزَّقُّومِ طَعَامُ الْأَثِيمِ Inna shajarata l-zaqqūmi ṭaʿāmu l-athīm "Indeed, the tree of zaqqūm is the food of the sinful." (44:43–44) Al-Ṭabarī traces the debate on the nature of the zaqqūm tree: is it a real physical tree in Hell? He collects chains from Ibn ʿAbbās and Mujāhid affirming physical reality not metaphor.

Tarjīḥ on smoke: Al-Ṭabarī's clear preference for Ibn Masʿūd over Ibn ʿAbbās is one of his rare explicit choices between two major Companions.
Chain verification: The Ibn Masʿūd chain is traced and assessed as more sound al-Ṭabarī uses isnād quality as a deciding factor in the disagreement.
Contextual argument: Beyond chain quality, al-Ṭabarī uses the surah's overall rhetorical context to support the historical reading.
Zaqqūm reality: Al-Ṭabarī consistently treats eschatological descriptions as physical realities a theological commitment throughout his tafsīr.
Companion disagreement method: This surah exemplifies his method: full chains for both positions, chain quality assessment, contextual argument, clear stated preference.

Surah Overview

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

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