Section 1: Verses 1–5
Thematic progression across verses 1–5
تَبَّتۡ يَدَآ أَبِي لَهَبࣲ وَتَبَّ 1
Tab bat yadaa abee Lahabinw-wa tabb
Condemned are the hands of Abee Lahab, and he is condemned
مَآ أَغۡنَىٰ عَنۡهُ مَالُهُۥ وَمَا كَسَبَ 2
Maa aghna 'anhu maaluhu wa ma kasab
His wealth did not avail him, nor did what he acquired
سَيَصۡلَىٰ نَارࣰ ا ذَاتَ لَهَبࣲ 3
Sa yas laa naran zaata lahab
He will burn in a Flaming Fire
وَٱمۡرَأَتُهُۥ حَمَّالَةَ ٱلۡحَطَبِ 4
Wam ra-atuh hamma latal-hatab
And his wife—the firewood carrier
فِي جِيدِهَا حَبۡلࣱ مِّن مَّسَدِۭ 5
Fee jeediha hab lum mim-masad
Around her neck is a rope of thorns
Quran-Anchored Prophetic Context
Authentic narrations in the active corpus that explicitly cite, name, or explain verses in Surah Al-Masad.
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَازِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ صَعِدَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم الصَّفَا ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَقَالَ " يَا صَبَاحَاهْ " فَاجْتَمَعَتْ إِلَيْهِ قُرَيْشٌ قَالُوا مَا لَكَ قَالَ " أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ أَخْبَرْتُكُمْ أَنَّ الْعَدُوَّ يُصَبِّحُكُمْ أَوْ يُمَسِّيكُمْ أَمَا كُنْتُمْ تُصَدِّقُونِي ". قَالُوا بَلَى. قَالَ " فَإِنِّي نَذِيرٌ لَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَىْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ ". فَقَالَ أَبُو لَهَبٍ تَبًّا لَكَ أَلِهَذَا جَمَعْتَنَا فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ {تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ}.
One day the Prophet (ﷺ) ascended Safa mountain and said, "Oh Sabah! " All the Quraish gathered round him and said, "What is the matter?" He said, Look, if I told you that an enemy is going to attack you in the morning or in the evening, would you not believe me?" They said, "Yes, we will believe you." He said, "I am a warner to you in face of a terrible punishment." On that Abu Lahab said, "May you perish ! Is it for this thing that you have gathered us?" So Allah revealed: 'Perish the hands of Abu Lahab!...' (111.1)