اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

تَبَّتۡ یَدَاۤ اَبِیۡ لَہَبٍ وَّ تَبَّ ؕ﴿۱﴾ مَاۤ اَغۡنٰی عَنۡہُ مَالُہٗ وَ مَا کَسَبَ ؕ﴿۲﴾ سَیَصۡلٰی نَارًا ذَاتَ لَہَبٍ ۚ﴿ۖ۳﴾ وَّ امۡرَاَتُہٗ ؕ حَمَّالَۃَ الۡحَطَبِ ۚ﴿۴﴾ فِیۡ جِیۡدِہَا حَبۡلٌ مِّنۡ مَّسَدٍ ٪﴿۵﴾

اللہ کے نام سے جو رحمان و رحیم ہے۔

ٹوٹ گئے ابو لہب کے ہاتھ اور نامراد ہوگیا وہ۔ اُس کا مال اور جو کچھ اس نے کمایا وہ اُس کے کسی کام نہ آیا۔ ضرور وہ شُعلہ زن آگ میں ڈالا جائے گا اور ﴿اُس کے ساتھ﴾ اُس کی جورُو بھی، لگائی بُجھائی کرنے والی، اُس کی گردن میں مونجھ کی رسّی ہو گی۔  ؏١

Translation of the Urdu Text (Tafseer of Surah Al-Masad)

Period of Revelation
There is no disagreement among the commentators that this is a Makkan Surah. However, it is difficult to determine precisely during which phase of the Makkan period it was revealed. Nevertheless, considering the role Abu Lahab played in opposing the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his call to truth, it can be estimated that this Surah was revealed at a time when Abu Lahab had crossed all limits in his enmity and his conduct was becoming a major obstacle in the path of Islam. It is quite possible that it was revealed during the period when the Quraysh imposed a social and economic boycott on the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his family, confining them to the valley of Shi’b Abi Talib — and Abu Lahab was the only person who, abandoning his own kinsmen, sided with their enemies.
The basis for this inference is that Abu Lahab was the paternal uncle of the Prophet ﷺ, and it would not have been considered appropriate for a nephew to openly condemn his uncle until the uncle’s transgressions had become publicly manifest before all. Had this Surah been revealed at the very beginning, people would have regarded it as morally objectionable — that a nephew should speak so harshly of his own uncle.

Background
This is the only place in the entire Qur’an where an opponent of Islam has been condemned by name. Yet both in Makkah and later in Madinah, there were many who were no less hostile to Islam and to Muhammad ﷺ than Abu Lahab. The question naturally arises: what was it about this particular man that warranted being named and condemned?
To understand this, it is necessary to understand the Arab society of that time and the role Abu Lahab played within it.
In ancient times, lawlessness, plunder, and anarchy prevailed throughout Arabia. For centuries, a person had no guarantee of safety for his life, property, or honour other than the support of his own tribe and blood relatives. As a result, silat ur-rahm (maintaining ties of kinship) held a place of supreme moral importance in Arab society, and severing those ties was considered a grave sin.
It was on account of these traditions that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arose with the call of Islam, the other clans of Quraysh and their chieftains fiercely opposed him — yet the Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib (the descendants of Hashim’s brother Muttalib) not only refrained from opposing him, but openly supported him, even though most of them had not accepted his prophethood as believers. The other Qurayshi clans themselves regarded this support as entirely in keeping with Arab moral tradition, which is why they never taunted the Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib, saying: “You have deviated from the religion of your forefathers by supporting someone who preaches a new faith.” Everyone knew and accepted that they could not, under any circumstances, abandon one of their own kinsmen to his enemies — and their standing by their relative was seen by all of Quraysh and the Arabs as something entirely natural.
This moral principle — which even the Arabs of the Age of Ignorance held to be inviolable — was broken by only one person in his enmity toward Islam. That person was Abu Lahab ibn Abd al-Muttalib.
He was the paternal uncle of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Prophet’s father and Abu Lahab were sons of the same father. In Arab custom, an uncle held the place of a father — especially when a nephew had lost his father, for Arab society expected the uncle to cherish his nephew as his own child. Yet this man trampled all those Arab traditions underfoot in his hatred for Islam and his love for disbelief.

The Incident on Mount Safa
Hadith scholars have transmitted through multiple chains from Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was commanded to present the call publicly and the Qur’an was revealed with the instruction to first warn his nearest relatives, he climbed Mount Safa at the break of dawn and called out loudly: “Yā Ṣabāḥāh!” — “Beware of the morning catastrophe!” This was a cry that Arabs would raise at first light upon seeing an enemy force approaching to attack their tribe.
Upon hearing this cry, people asked who was calling. They were told it was Muhammad ﷺ. At once, people from all the clans of Quraysh came rushing toward him — those who could come in person came themselves, and those who could not sent someone on their behalf.
When all had gathered, he ﷺ called out to each clan of Quraysh by name: “O Banu Hashim! O Banu Abd al-Muttalib! O Banu Fihr! O Banu so-and-so! O Banu so-and-so! — If I were to tell you that behind this mountain an army stands ready to attack you, would you believe me?”
The people said: “Yes — we have never heard a lie from you.”
He ﷺ said: “Then I warn you that a severe punishment is coming ahead.”
Before anyone else could respond, his own uncle Abu Lahab spoke up: “Tabbā laka! A-li-hādhā jama’tanā?” — “Ruin upon you! Was it for this that you gathered us?”
In one narration it is also reported that he picked up a stone, intending to hurl it at the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
(References: Musnad Ahmad, Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Jarir)

Abu Lahab’s Arrogance
Ibn Zayd narrates that Abu Lahab once asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “If I were to accept your religion, what would I receive?” He ﷺ replied: “The same as all other believers receive.” He said: “Is there no distinction for me?” The Prophet ﷺ said: “And what more do you want?” At this, Abu Lahab said: “Tabbā li-hādhā al-dīn tabbā! An akūna wa hā’ulā’i sawā’an” — “Ruin upon this religion! That I should be equal to these others!”
(Reference: Ibn Jarir)

Persecution at Home
In Makkah, Abu Lahab was the closest neighbour of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, their houses sharing a common wall. Among his other neighbours were Hakam ibn al-‘As (father of Marwan), ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu’ayt, ‘Adi ibn Hamra’, and Ibn al-Asda’ al-Hudhali. These people would give the Prophet ﷺ no peace even in his own home. Sometimes, while he was praying, they would throw a goat’s entrails upon him from above. Sometimes, when food was being cooked in the courtyard, they would hurl filth into the cooking pot. The Prophet ﷺ would come out and say to them: “O Banu Abd Manaf — what manner of neighbourliness is this?”
Abu Lahab’s wife, Umm Jamil — the sister of Abu Sufyan — had made it her permanent habit to lay thorny branches at the door of the Prophet’s house at night, so that when he or his children stepped out in the morning, a thorn might pierce their foot.
(References: Bayhaqi, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Jarir, Ibn ’Asakir, Ibn Hisham)

The Divorce of the Prophet’s Daughters
Before prophethood, two of the Messenger’s daughters had been married to Abu Lahab’s sons, ’Utbah and ’Utaybah. When the Prophet ﷺ began calling people to Islam after receiving prophethood, Abu Lahab told both his sons: “It is forbidden for me to meet you unless you divorce the daughters of Muhammad.” And so both of them divorced them.
’Utaybah went even further in his insolence. He came before the Prophet ﷺ one day and declared that he rejected the verses “By the star when it descends” and “Then he drew near and descended,” and then spat toward the Messenger ﷺ — though his spittle did not reach him. The Prophet ﷺ supplicated: “O Allah, set one of Your dogs upon him.”
Thereafter, ’Utaybah set out with his father on a journey to Syria. The caravan halted at a place where the locals warned them that wild beasts came at night. Abu Lahab told his Qurayshi companions: “Protect my son, for I fear the curse of Muhammad ﷺ.” The caravan members placed their camels all around ’Utaybah in a protective ring and lay down to sleep. In the night, a lion came, passed through the circle of camels, and tore ’Utaybah apart.
(References: al-Isti’ab by Ibn Abd al-Barr; al-Isabah by Ibn Hajar; Dala’il al-Nubuwwah by Abu Nu’aym al-Asbahani; Rawdh al-Unuf by al-Suhayli)
There is some difference in narrations — some place the divorce after the declaration of prophethood, others after the revelation of this Surah. There is also a difference as to whether it was ’Utbah or ’Utaybah. However, what is established is that after the conquest of Makkah, ’Utbah accepted Islam and pledged his allegiance at the hand of the Messenger ﷺ. The correct view, therefore, is that the one in question was ’Utaybah.
Such was the depravity of his character that when the Prophet’s son Qasim passed away, and then his second son ’Abdullah also died, this man — rather than sharing in the grief of his nephew — ran joyfully to the chiefs of Quraysh to announce: “Muhammad has become nameless and without posterity today.” (See: Surah al-Kawthar)

Obstructing the Call of Islam
Wherever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to convey the message of Islam, Abu Lahab would follow behind him, turning people away from listening.
Rabi’ah ibn ’Abbad al-Dayli رضي الله عنه narrates: “I was a young boy when I went with my father to the market of Dhul-Majaz. There I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: ‘O people, say there is no god but Allah, and you will prosper!’ — and behind him walked a man saying, ‘This man is a liar; he has abandoned the religion of his forefathers.’ I asked who this man was. People said: ‘That is his uncle Abu Lahab.’”
(References: Musnad Ahmad, Bayhaqi)
A second narration from the same Rabi’ah states: “I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ going from one tribal encampment to another, saying: ‘O Banu so-and-so, I am the Messenger of Allah to you. I instruct you to worship Allah alone and associate no partner with Him. Believe in me and support me, so that I may fulfil the task for which Allah has sent me.’ And behind him came another man saying: ’O Banu so-and-so, this man wants to turn you away from Lat and ‘Uzza and lure you into the innovation and misguidance he has brought. Do not listen to him and do not follow him.’ I asked my father who this was. He said: ‘That is his uncle Abu Lahab.’”
(References: Musnad Ahmad, Tabarani)
Tariq ibn Abdullah al-Muharibi رضي الله عنه narrates similarly: “In the market of Dhul-Majaz, I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ telling people: ‘Say Lā ilāha illā Allāh and prosper!’ — and behind him walked a man hurling stones at him, until his heels ran with blood, and the man cried out: ‘This is a liar — do not listen to him!’ I asked who this was. People said: ‘That is his uncle Abu Lahab.’”
(Reference: Tirmidhi)

The Boycott of Shi’b Abi Talib
In the seventh year of prophethood, when all the clans of Quraysh imposed a complete social and economic boycott on the Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib — and these two clans, standing firm in their support of the Prophet ﷺ, were confined to the valley of Shi’b Abi Talib — Abu Lahab alone, abandoning his own kinsmen, sided with the disbelieving Quraysh. This boycott lasted three years, during which the Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib were reduced to starvation.
Meanwhile, whenever a trading caravan arrived in Makkah and someone from among the besieged tried to buy food from the traders, Abu Lahab would call out to the merchants: “Demand such a price from these people that they cannot afford it — whatever loss you incur, I will make it good.” So the traders would demand exorbitant prices, and the buyer would return empty-handed to his starving family. Abu Lahab would then buy those same goods from the very same traders at the normal market price.
(References: Ibn Sa’d, Ibn Hisham)

Why Was He Named?
These are the acts that led to this man being condemned by name in this Surah. The particular necessity for it was this: when Arabs from outside Makkah — who came for Hajj or gathered in the various market fairs — saw the Prophet’s own uncle following behind him and opposing him publicly, it struck them as strange and contrary to known Arab tradition that an uncle would without cause speak ill of his own nephew before others, hurl stones at him, and make accusations against him. As a result, they were influenced by Abu Lahab’s words and fell into doubt about the Messenger ﷺ.
But when this Surah was revealed and Abu Lahab responded with furious, wild outbursts, people came to understand that this man’s words against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were not credible — for he was clearly consumed by personal enmity toward his own nephew.
Furthermore, when the uncle of the Prophet ﷺ himself was named and condemned publicly, people permanently abandoned any expectation that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ might show any partiality or make any compromise in matters of faith out of regard for someone. When even his own uncle was publicly called to account, it became clear to all that there was no room here for any favouritism.
A stranger could become one’s own through faith; and one’s own could become a stranger through disbelief. In this matter, “so-and-so, son of so-and-so” counted for nothing.

Translated from Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi’s Tafheem ul-Qur’an — Introduction to Surah Al-Masad (Surah 111)