Chapter 1 - General Questions From the Noble Quran

  

  

Who is “Abu Lahab” and why was a Surah dedicated to talk about him? “The power of Abu Lahab will perish, and he will perish…” Al-Masad 111:1. من يكون أبو لهب ولماذا نزلت فيه سورة؟ “تبت يدا أبي لهب وتب” المسد 111:1

96 views 0 February 19, 2023 Updated on March 1, 2026

Who is Abu Lahab and why was a Surah dedicated to talk about him?

من يكون أبو لهب ولماذا نزلت فيه سورة؟

Abu Lahab was the uncle of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and one of the fiercest opponents of Islam. Surah Al-Masad was revealed specifically to respond to his arrogance and rejection after he publicly insulted the Prophet on Mount Safa.
أبو لهب هو عم النبي محمد ﷺ وأحد أشد أعداء الإسلام خصومة. نزلت سورة المسد خصيصاً للرد على استكباره وجحوده بعد أن قام بسب النبي ﷺ علانية فوق جبل الصفا.

The story of Abu Lahab serves as a powerful reminder in the Holy Quran that kinship and noble lineage do not benefit a person if they reject the truth. Despite being a close relative of the Prophet (PBUH): his active hostility led to his eternal condemnation in divine scripture. The revelation of this Surah was a direct defense of the Prophet's dignity and a response to Abu Lahab's verbal assault.

تمثل قصة أبي لهب تذكيراً قوياً في القرآن الكريم بأن القرابة والنسب الشريف لا ينفعان الإنسان إذا استكبر عن الحق. فبالرغم من كونه عماً للنبي ﷺ: إلا أن عداءه الشديد أدى إلى تخليد ذمه في كتاب الله. لقد جاء نزول هذه السورة دفاعاً مباشراً عن مقام النبوة ورداً على التطاول اللفظي الذي صدر من أبي لهب.

The Cause of Revelation | سبب النزول

Ash-Shu'ara'a 26: 214: (And warn your tribe [O Muhammad] of near kindred.)
الشعراء 26: 214: (وَأَنذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْأَقْرَبِينَ)

When this Ayah was revealed, the Prophet (PBUH) stood on the Safa mount and called the people of Quraish. He asked: "If I were to tell you that the enemy is going to attack you in the morning or in the evening, would you not have believed me?" They said: "Indeed, we would believe you." He said: "In that case, I am a warner sent to you against a tremendous chastisement." Abu Lahab said in response: "May you perish, is this why you have summoned all of us here?" So Allah revealed Surah Al-Masad.
عندما نزلت هذه الآية: قام الرسول الكريم على الصفا ثم نادى أهل قريش فقالوا: "مالك". قال: "أرأيتكم إن أخبرتكم أن العدو مصبحكم أو ممسيكم ما كنتم تصدقوني؟" قالوا: "بلى". فقال لهم: "إني لكم نذير بين يدي عذاب شديد. قولوا لا إله إلا الله كلمة تملكون بها العرب وتدين لكم بها العجم." فنطق أبو لهب فقال: "ألهذا جمعتنا؟ تباً لك طول اليوم." فأنزل الله تعالى سورة المسد.

Al-Masad 111:1: (The power of Abu Lahab will perish, and he will perish...)
المسد 111: 1: (تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ)

Scholarly Insight: Scholars note that Surah Al-Masad contains a profound miracle of the Holy Quran. It predicted that Abu Lahab and his wife would die as disbelievers at a time when they were still alive and could have theoretically converted to Islam to disprove the verse. However: they remained in their disbelief until death: confirming the divine foreknowledge. This Surah also emphasizes that wealth and status (as mentioned in verse 2) are useless in the face of divine judgment if one lacks faith and piety.

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