Which Surah Names an Opponent of the Prophet, and Who Was He?
أي سورة تسمي خصما للنبي، ومن هو؟
Surah Al-Lahab denounces an opponent of the Prophet by name, and that person was Abu Lahab, a paternal uncle of the Prophet. (Corrected here from the original published wording, which called him a grand-uncle; Abu Lahab was a son of Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's grandfather.) "May the hands of Abu Lahab perish, and he himself perish!" (Surah Al-Masad 111:1).
سورة اللهب تذم خصما للنبي بالاسم، وهو أبو لهب، عم النبي. (صُحّح هنا عن النص المنشور سابقا الذي جعله عم جد النبي؛ فأبو لهب ابن عبد المطلب جد النبي.) تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ (سورة المسد: 1).
1. The Only Contemporary of the Prophet Condemned by Name | المعاصر الوحيد للنبي المذموم باسمه
Surah Al-Masad, also known as Surah Al-Lahab, is unique among the Quran's 114 surahs for directly naming and condemning a specific living opponent of the Prophet ﷺ by name. Other opponents of the Prophet ﷺ in his own time are described in the Quran, but none of them is named the way Abu Lahab is here. One of them is al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, described but not named in Al-Muddaththir 74:11-25, as explained in who is meant by leave Me with the one I created alone.
تُعد سورة المسد، المعروفة أيضا بسورة اللهب، فريدة بين سور القرآن الـ114 لتسميتها وإدانتها المباشرة لخصم معين حي للنبي باسمه. ويصف القرآن خصوما آخرين للنبي في زمانه، لكنه لا يسمي أحدا منهم كما سمى أبا لهب هنا.
2. Opposition From Within His Own Family | معارضة من داخل عائلته
Abu Lahab's opposition came from within the Prophet's own family: a relative who mocked and actively worked against his mission rather than merely disbelieving quietly. His wife is condemned alongside him later in the same short surah for her own role in this hostility, described as the carrier of firewood, which Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) explained as the thorns she spread on the Prophet's path; Mujahid, 'Ikrimah, al-Hasan, Qatada and others explained it as her spreading slander, as Ibn Kathir reports.
جاءت معارضة أبي لهب من داخل أسرة النبي نفسها: قريب سخر منه وعمل بنشاط ضد رسالته بدلا من مجرد الكفر بصمت. وتُدان زوجته إلى جانبه لاحقا في السورة القصيرة نفسها لدورها في هذا العداء، إذ وُصفت بحمالة الحطب، وفسره ابن عباس بالشوك الذي كانت تلقيه في طريق النبي، وفسره مجاهد وعكرمة والحسن وقتادة وغيرهم بالمشي بالنميمة، كما نقل ابن كثير.
3. A Short Surah With a Striking Prophecy | سورة قصيرة بنبوءة لافتة
Surah Al-Masad was revealed in Makkah at a time when Abu Lahab was alive and openly hostile, yet it foretold his ultimate ruin in terms that could easily have been disproven had he simply accepted Islam at any point before his death. He never did. Ibn Kathir reports the scholars' remark that this surah contains a clear miracle and plain proof of prophethood: it foretold the wretched end of Abu Lahab and his wife and that they would not believe, and neither of them ever did.
نزلت سورة المسد في مكة في وقت كان فيه أبو لهب حيا ومعاديا علنا، ومع ذلك تنبأت بهلاكه النهائي بعبارات كان من السهل دحضها لو أنه اعتنق الإسلام في أي وقت قبل وفاته. لكنه لم يفعل ذلك أبدا. ونقل ابن كثير عن العلماء أن في هذه السورة معجزة ظاهرة ودليلا واضحا على النبوة، إذ أخبرت عن أبي لهب وامرأته بالشقاء وعدم الإيمان، فلم يؤمن أحد منهما.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which surah names an opponent of the Prophet directly?
Surah Al-Masad, also called Surah Al-Lahab, which names Abu Lahab.
Who was Abu Lahab to the Prophet?
His uncle, who fiercely opposed his mission.
Besides Abu Lahab, is anyone else condemned in Surah Al-Masad?
Yes, Abu Lahab's wife is condemned as well, in Surah Al-Masad 111:4-5, for her role in the hostility against the Prophet ﷺ.