Surah 111

Surah 111:1

"The hands of Abū Lahab have perished, and he has perished."
A Story of Abu Lahab's Wife harming the Messenger of Allah Verses 111:1-5
Show Full Scripture Context (111:1-5) — 5 Verses
Verse 1

تَبَّتۡ يَدَآ أَبِي لَهَبٖ وَتَبَّ

The hands of Abū Lahab have perished, and he has perished.

Verse 2

مَآ أَغۡنَىٰ عَنۡهُ مَالُهُۥ وَمَا كَسَبَ

His wealth and what he has earned were of no use to him.

Verse 3

سَيَصۡلَىٰ نَارٗا ذَاتَ لَهَبٖ

He will burn in a flaming Fire,

Verse 4

وَٱمۡرَأَتُهُۥ حَمَّالَةَ ٱلۡحَطَبِ

and his wife (will be) the carrier of the firewood,

Verse 5

فِي جِيدِهَا حَبۡلٞ مِّن مَّسَدِۭ

with a rope of fiber around her neck.

Mujahid said,

{In her neck is a twisted rope of Masad.} "This means a collar of iron." Don't you see that the Arabs call a pulley cable a Masad?

A Story of Abu Lahab's Wife harming the Messenger of Allah

Ibn Abi Hatim said that his father and Abu Zur'ah both said that 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr Al-Humaydi told them that Sufyan informed them that Al-Walid bin Kathir related from Ibn Tadrus who reported that Asma' bint Abi Bakr said, "When

Quoted Scripture
"Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab and perish he!"

was revealed, the one-eyed Umm Jamil bint Harb came out wailing, and she had a stone in her hand. She was saying, 'He criticizes our father, and his religion is our scorn, and his command is to disobey us.' The Messenger of Allah was sitting in the Masjid (of the Ka'bah) and Abu Bakr was with him. When Abu Bakr saw her he said, 'O Messenger of Allah! She is coming and I fear that she will see you.' The Messenger of Allah replied,

«Verily, she will not see me.»

Then he recited some of the Qur'an as a protection for himself. This is as Allah says.

{And when you recite the Qur'an, We put between you and those who believe not in the Hereafter, an invisible veil (17:45)}

So she advanced until she was standing in front of Abu Bakr and she did not see the Messenger of Allah. She then said, 'O Abu Bakr! Verily, I have been informed that your friend is making defamatory poetry about me.' Abu Bakr replied, 'Nay! By the Lord of this House (the Ka'bah) he is not defaming you.' So she turned away saying, 'Indeed the Quraysh know that I am the daughter of their leader.'"

Al-Walid or another person said in a different version of this Hadith, "So Umm Jamil stumbled over her waist gown while she was making circuits (Tawaf) around the House (the Ka'bah) and she said, 'Cursed be the reviler.' Then Umm Hakim bint 'Abdul-Muttalib said, 'I am a chaste woman so I will not speak abusively and I am refined so I do not know. Both of us are children of the same uncle. And after all the Quraysh know best.'"

This is the end of the Tafsir of this Surah, and all praise and blessings are due to Allah.

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 10, Page 626-627)

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.