Surah Al-Lahab (The Flame)
Name
The surah takes its name from the word lahab (flame) appearing in its first verse.
Period of Revelation
There is no disagreement among scholars that this surah is Meccan. However, pinpointing the exact period within the Meccan era is difficult. Considering Abu Lahab’s role in opposing the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his call to truth, it can be estimated that this surah was revealed when Abu Lahab had crossed all limits in his enmity and his conduct had become a major obstacle to Islam. It is quite possible that it was revealed during the period when the Quraysh boycotted the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his family, confining them to Shi’b Abi Talib — and Abu Lahab alone abandoned his own family to side with the enemies. This inference is based on the fact that Abu Lahab was the Prophet’s uncle, and having a nephew publicly condemn his uncle would not have been considered appropriate until the uncle’s transgressions had become openly evident to all. Had the surah been revealed at the very outset, people would have considered it morally objectionable for a nephew to speak so harshly of his uncle.
Background
This is the only place in the entire Quran where a specific enemy of Islam is condemned by name — even though both in Mecca and later in Medina, many individuals were no less hostile to Islam and to the Prophet (peace be upon him) than Abu Lahab. The question arises: what was so particular about this man that he alone was singled out for condemnation by name?
To understand this, one must appreciate the Arab society of that era and Abu Lahab’s role within it. In ancient Arabia, lawlessness, plunder, and tribal conflict were widespread, and for centuries a person’s only guarantee of safety — for life, property, and honor — was the support of his own clan and blood relatives. As a result, sila-e-rahmi (maintaining ties of kinship) held great moral weight in Arab society, while severing those ties was considered a grave sin.
It was because of these traditions that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) arose with the message of Islam, the other Qurayshi clans and their chiefs 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. The other Qurayshi clans fully recognized this support as consistent with Arab moral tradition, and never accused the Banu Hashim or Banu al-Muttalib of apostasy for standing by a man who preached a new religion. Everyone understood that they could not, under any circumstances, hand over a member of their own family to his enemies — and their support for their kinsman was seen by all of Quraysh and the Arabs as entirely natural.
This moral principle, honored even in the Age of Ignorance, was broken by only one man out of enmity toward Islam: Abu Lahab ibn Abd al-Muttalib — the Prophet’s own uncle, the full brother of the Prophet’s father. In Arab custom, an uncle was regarded as a father’s equal, especially when the nephew’s father had passed away; in such cases, Arab society expected the uncle to cherish his nephew like his own son. Yet this man trampled all those Arab traditions underfoot out of his hatred for Islam.
Incidents of Enmity
The Call at Mount Safa
Multiple chains of narration from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) record that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was commanded to deliver the message publicly — and the Quran instructed him to warn his nearest relatives first — he climbed Mount Safa at dawn and called out “Ya Sabaah!” (the warning cry used in Arabia when an enemy was spotted approaching at daybreak). Hearing this call, people came running from all directions, and whoever could not come himself sent a representative.
When all had gathered, the Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed the Qurayshi clans by name one by one: “O Banu Hashim! O Banu Abd al-Muttalib! O Banu Fihr! O Banu so-and-so! If I were to tell you that an army is behind this mountain, ready to attack you, would you believe me?” They replied: “Yes, we have never heard a lie from you.” He then said: “Then I warn you that a severe punishment lies ahead.” Before anyone else could respond, the Prophet’s own uncle, Abu Lahab, exclaimed: “Tabban lak! Alihaza jama’tana?” — “Damn you! Was this why you gathered us?” One narration adds that he even picked up a stone to hurl at the Prophet (peace be upon him).
(Musnad Ahmad, Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Jarir)
The Question of Reward
Ibn Zayd narrates that Abu Lahab once asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): “If I accept your religion, what would I receive?” The Prophet replied: “What all other believers receive.” Abu Lahab said: “Is there no distinction for me?” The Prophet asked: “What more do you want?” At that, Abu Lahab declared: “Tabban lihazad-deen! An akuna wa haa’ula’i sawa’an” — “Curse this religion, in which I and these others are equal!”
(Ibn Jarir)
Harassment as a Neighbor
In Mecca, Abu Lahab was the Prophet’s nearest neighbor — their homes shared a wall. Other neighbors included Hakam ibn al-As (the father of Marwan), Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt, Adi ibn Hamra, and Ibn al-Sadda al-Hudhali. These neighbors gave the Prophet (peace be upon him) no peace even at home. When he was praying, they would throw a goat’s entrails upon him from above. When food was cooking in the courtyard, they would throw filth into the pot. The Prophet would come out and say: “O Banu Abd Manaf, what kind of neighborliness is this?”
Abu Lahab’s wife, Umm Jamil — the sister of Abu Sufyan — made it her regular practice to scatter thorny bushes at the Prophet’s door at night, so that when he or his children stepped outside in the morning, thorns would pierce their feet.
(Bayhaqi, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Jarir, Ibn Asakir, Ibn Hisham)
The Forced Divorces
Before prophethood, two of the Prophet’s daughters had been married to Abu Lahab’s sons, Utbah and Utaybah. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) began calling people to Islam, Abu Lahab told his sons: “It is forbidden for me to see you until you divorce the daughters of Muhammad (peace be upon him).” Both sons accordingly gave divorce. Utaybah went even further in his ignorance: he came before the Prophet and declared that he rejected “wan-najmi idhaa hawaa” and “alladhee danaa fatadallaa,” then spat toward the Prophet — though it did not reach him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed: “O Allah, unleash one of Your dogs upon him.”
Afterward, Utaybah set out on a journey to Syria with his father. At a certain camp, the locals warned that predatory animals came at night. Abu Lahab said to his Qurayshi companions: “Watch over my son, for I fear the curse of Muhammad (peace be upon him).” The group had Utaybah sleep surrounded by their camels on all sides. That night, a lion came, passed through the ring of camels, and mauled Utaybah to death.
(Al-Isti’ab by Ibn Abd al-Barr, Al-Isaba by Ibn Hajar, Dala’il al-Nubuwwah by Abu Nu’aym al-Isfahani, Rawdh al-Unuf by al-Suhayli)
(Note: There is some disagreement among narrators as to whether this concerned Utbah or Utaybah, and whether it occurred before or after the revelation of this surah. However, since Utbah later accepted Islam and pledged allegiance to the Prophet after the Conquest of Mecca, the correct view is that it was Utaybah.)
Celebrating the Prophet’s Bereavement
Such was Utaybah’s vile character that when the Prophet’s son Qasim passed away, and then his second son Abdullah also died, rather than sharing in his uncle’s grief, Utaybah rushed joyfully to the Qurayshi chiefs to announce: “Muhammad has become cut off and without posterity today.” (See Surah al-Kawthar)
Shadowing the Prophet at the Markets
Wherever the Prophet (peace be upon him) went to invite people to Islam, Abu Lahab would follow him to turn people away. Rabi’ah ibn Abbad al-Dili (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: “I was a youth when I went with my father to the market of Dhul-Majaz. I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying: ‘O people, say there is no god but Allah and you will prosper,’ while behind him someone was saying: ‘He is a liar; he has turned away from the religion of his forefathers.’ When I asked who that person was, people said: ‘That is his uncle, Abu Lahab.’”
(Musnad Ahmad, Bayhaqi)
In another narration from the same Rabi’ah: “I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) going from one tribal encampment to another saying: ‘O Banu so-and-so, I am Allah’s messenger to you. I call you to worship Allah alone and associate none with Him. Confirm me and support me so I may fulfill what Allah has sent me for.’ Behind him came another man saying: ‘O Banu so-and-so, this man wants to turn you away from Lat and Uzza toward this innovation and misguidance he has brought. Do not obey him and do not follow him.’” When Rabi’ah asked his father who this man was, he said: “That is his uncle, Abu Lahab.”
(Musnad Ahmad, Tabarani)
Tariq ibn Abdullah al-Muharibi (may Allah be pleased with him) gives a similar account: “In the market of Dhul-Majaz I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying to the people: ‘Say there is no god but Allah and prosper,’ while behind him a man was throwing stones at him until his heels ran with blood, and saying: ‘Do not listen to him — he is a liar.’ When I asked who this was, people said: ‘That is his uncle, Abu Lahab.’”
(Tirmidhi)
The Boycott of Shi’b Abi Talib
In the seventh year after the Prophet’s mission began, when all the Qurayshi clans declared a social and economic boycott of Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib, and these two clans remained steadfast in their support for the Prophet and were confined to Shi’b Abi Talib — Abu Lahab alone abandoned his own family to side with the disbelievers. The boycott lasted three years, during which the besieged families were reduced to starvation. Yet whenever a trade caravan came to Mecca and someone from the besieged families tried to buy food, Abu Lahab would shout to the merchants: “Charge them so much that they cannot buy — I will cover any loss you suffer.” The merchants would then demand impossibly high prices, and the would-be buyer would return empty-handed to his starving family. Abu Lahab would then buy those same goods from the very same merchants at the normal market price.
(Ibn Sa’d, Ibn Hisham)
Why This Surah Was Necessary
These were the acts for which this surah condemned him by name. The specific need for doing so was this: the Arabs who came from outside Mecca for Hajj, or gathered at various seasonal markets, were perplexed when they saw the Prophet’s own uncle following him and opposing him. By Arab custom, it was unthinkable for an uncle to publicly denounce, stone, and slander his own nephew without cause — and so, influenced by Abu Lahab’s testimony, they fell into doubt about the Prophet (peace be upon him).
But when this surah was revealed and Abu Lahab flew into a rage and began ranting and raving, people realized that his opposition carried no credibility — he was simply consumed by personal hatred of his nephew.
Furthermore, by publicly condemning his own uncle by name, the Prophet (peace be upon him) permanently closed the door on any expectation that he might compromise for family ties in matters of religion. When even his own uncle was openly called out, people understood that there was no room for favoritism here. 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.
بِسْمِ 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
Here is the English translation:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Ruined are the hands of Abu Lahab, and ruined is he. His wealth and whatever he earned availed him nothing. He will surely be cast into a flaming fire — and with him his wife, the carrier of firewood, around whose neck will be a rope of palm fiber.
Messages from Quran 