According to search-discovered classical Islamic scholarship, the Zaqqum is a terrifying tree that the Quran states grows from the bottom of Hell (Jahannam). It is explicitly mentioned as a punishment and a 'cursed tree' intended as a trial for the wrongdoers. The fruit of the Zaqqum is described with the horrifying imagery of being like the 'heads of devils,' and it is a food for the sinful that boils in their bellies like molten brass. Classical commentators such as Ibn Kathir, Al-Qurtubi, and Al-Tabari affirm the literal reality of this torment, explaining that it is a manifestation of God's justice upon those who rejected His signs. The very concept of a tree growing in fire served as a test of faith for the believers and a point of mockery for the disbelievers during the time of the Prophet Muhammad, thus fulfilling its purpose as a 'fitna' or trial.