Al-Masad (The Fiber)
The surah opens with a vehement attack on one of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)’s most bitter adversaries, his uncle Abu Lahab.
May the hands of Abu Lahab perish, and may he himself perish! His wealth and all that he has gained shall not avail him. (1–2)
Abu Lahab was a wealthy and influential figure among the Arabs of Makkah, but he soon came to grief. He was one of Muhammad (peace be upon him)’s staunchest opponents, harboring intense resentment towards him and sparing no effort to slander him and his message.
It is reported that one day the Prophet went to the hillock of al-Safa, near the Kabah in Makkah, and called the names of the prominent clans of the Quraysh. A crowd, including his uncle Abu Lahab, gathered around him, and he addressed them, saying, “If I were to tell you that enemy cavalry were in the valley preparing to attack you, would you believe me?” They replied, “Indeed, we would. We have never known you to lie.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) continued to warn them of God’s severe punishment and to explain his mission, when Abu Lahab interrupted angrily, “Damn you for the rest of the day! Is this what you wanted to tell us?” It was shortly afterwards, according to the reports, that this surah was revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him). The reports go on to say that Abu Lahab started to throw stones at the Prophet.
Of all Muhammad (peace be upon him)’s uncles, Abu Lahab remained for the rest of his life a most vicious opponent. This deep-seated animosity passed on to his sons, some of whom were married to daughters of Muhammad (peace be upon him), who decided to divorce them and their wives. She was a vicious, evil, and malicious woman who dedicated herself to slandering Muhammad (peace be upon him) and smearing his name. She was a sister of Abu Sufyan, Makkah’s most prominent leader and the closest it had to a military general.
The surah was revealed during the early days of Islam, and there was ample opportunity for Abu Lahab to retract his allegations and join the Muslims, but he persisted, and so the surah asserts that: He shall roast in a flaming fire, and so shall his wife, that carrier of firewood. She shall have a rope of entwined fiber around her neck. (3–5)
These powerfully graphic idiomatic expressions indicate that the woman was zealous in her pursuit to revile the Prophet and fanatical in her hostility to Islam.
Abu Lahab, it seems, could never see Muhammad (peace be upon him) as anything other than the poor orphan boy brought up by his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, and his uncle Abu Talib. He could not accept that Muhammad (peace be upon him) could be chosen to receive divine revelation or be commissioned for prophethood. He was blinded by his prejudice and jealousy all his life.