Beams of Illumination From the Divine Revelation (juz' 'amma - the Last Section of the Qur'an)

Sura 8 : Surat Al Lahab the Flame

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful

1 May the two hands of Abu Lahab perish, and may he perish!

Tabba means "to be lost, to lose," and "to perish," or "to be destroyed." Abu Lahab was one of the uncles of the Prophet, salla-llahu `alayhi wa alihi wa sallam. He was a vibrant, fiery being, handsome and dangerous, like a tiger. He upheld the old traditions, and defended them in a dogmatic, fanatical way. Whatever his hands put forth, whatever his actions were, whatever his direction was, he was to be at a loss.

2 His wealth and what he gains will be of no use!

Whatever he earned, whatever he possessed of power, was to be of no avail.

3 He will be plunged into flaming fire,

He was destined for the ultimate Fire, just as in this life he burned with his agitation, his fiery hatred and his disappointments and frustrations.

4 And his wife, the carrier of fire-wood,

The wife of Abu Lahab was the sister of Abu Sufyan. Hatab means "firewood," the implication being, in the phrase "carrier of fire-wood," that she incited people against each other by carrying tales back and forth to fuel and fan gossip, and to create agi­tation. She used to throw small thorny bushes along the path which the Prophet, salla-llahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, used to take to the mosque, so that in the dark of the early morning he would step on them. What it implies is that her inner discontentment showed itself in whatever she did outwardly, and her inner thorns were carried out­wardly on her back.

5 Upon her neck is a halter of strong twisted palm-fiber!

Jid describes the part of the neck where the necklace mark is. Masad normally means a twisted palm-frond. What this means is that what she dragged about with her, what was around her neck, was a heavily twisted chain of her own making.