Sūrat al-Masad
سورۃ المسد
Sūrat al-Masad (al-Lahab), Makkī — revealed in Makkah. It has five (5) āyāt.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Bismillāhi l-Raḥmāni l-Raḥīm.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ
tabbat yadā abī lahabin wa-tabb.
"May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he." (al-Masad 111:1)
Tabb — ruination, destruction — gone to ruin. Yadān — two hands — the hands connected to it — both hands added. The word tabb in Arabic signifies effort, work and toil and it comes in that meaning — Abū Lahab — literally "the father of flame" — the name came because he was very fair-skinned and ruddy — since he had the reddish complexion of ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā, and because he was attributed to his being red-faced and his kunya (honorific name) also applied to fire — thus this name stuck — and Abū Lahab and the fire of Hell — because fire also comes in this meaning — his every attempt to persecute the Prophet ﷺ was futile and his very name was also matched with fire.
Translation: "Abū Lahab's every effort went to ruin and he himself also went to ruin."
مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ
mā aghnā ʿanhu māluhu wa-mā kasab.
"His wealth has not availed him, or what he earned." (al-Masad 111:2)
Mā aghnā — it availed nothing, it was of no benefit, it came to nothing. ʿAnhu — from him. Māluhu — his wealth — al-māl — wealth, property. Wa-mā kasaba — and what he earned — what he earned by his efforts.
Translation: "His wealth availed him nothing and neither did what he earned."
سَيَصْلَىٰ نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ
sa-yaṣlā nāran dhāta lahab.
"He will [soon] enter a Fire of blazing flame." (al-Masad 111:3)
Sa-yaṣlā — he will soon enter it — the fire — the fire in which one bakes and roasts. Ṣalawāt — are close to the meaning of the holy fire of the Prophet — ṣalā — he entered the fire — he will enter it — into the fire. Nārā — fire, into the Fire in Hell. Dhāta lahab — the one with leaping flames — nārā — fire — the Fire of Hell. Lahab — the woman of Abū Lahab — fire in Hell is called lahab.
Translation: "He will soon enter into the blazing fire of flame."
وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ
wa-mraʾatuhū ḥammālata l-ḥaṭab.
"And his wife, the carrier of firewood." (al-Masad 111:4)
Wa-mraʾatuhū — and his wife — Abū Lahab's wife — whose beautiful name was Umm Jamīl. Ḥammāla — the one who carries a burden, the bearer. Al-ḥaṭab — wood for kindling — the carrier of firewood — ḥammāla al-ḥaṭab — the one who carries wood, lays it down, stokes the fire — the one who puts wood on the fire, the inciter of speech — the instigator and stirrer who spread charcoal-like lava-stones into the fire.
Translation: "And his (Abū Lahab's) instigator-wife will also enter the Fire."
فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ
fī jīdihā ḥablun min masad.
"Around her neck will be a rope of palm fibre." (al-Masad 111:5)
Jīd — neck, beautiful neck. Ḥabl — rope — masad — the one that is strong and firm and made of wood — fī jīdihā — in her neck, in this — her every effort to harm and the rope of her wickedness will wind around her own neck.
Translation: "Around her neck will be the rope (of her own wickedness, the rope of her wrongdoing as her necklace)."
Abū Lahab, whose true name was ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā, was the uncle of Ḥażrat ﷺ — and his wife was against Islam from every side and ahead of everyone in opposition — and what was the result? Islam spread forward and advanced. And his wife — a certain time came and a lion approached among the people — some say she put a charm on the lion — and sometimes Ḥażrat ﷺ and his Companions came and he prayed: Allāhumma sallim ʿalayhi kilāban min kilābik — "O Allah, set upon him some dogs from Your dogs." The lion's guard soldiers surrounded him — from that time a lion came to his side from a fifth direction, and they hurried him away — the lion struck and wounded him — and the outcome was that Abū Lahab died — and after his death they found fire also bursting in him internally — and the disbelievers' mouths were stopped. Islam was advancing — the disbelievers' voices going down.