بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ تَبَّتْ يَدَآ أَبِى لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ
Ruined are the hands of Abu Lahab, and ruined is he.
Pickthall (1930): The power of Abû Lahab will perish, and he will perish.
Quran · Surah 111 · 5 ayat
Surah Al-Masad
Palm Fibre
ٱلْمَسَد
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About this surah
Surah Al-Masad ('Palm Fibre'), also called Al-Lahab, has 5 ayat and is Meccan. It names Abu Lahab, an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who, together with his wife, openly opposed him and his message in Makkah. A report in Bukhari says it was revealed after the Prophet called the people of Makkah together at Mount Safa to share his message, and Abu Lahab rejected him with harsh words. Muslims read it as a historical account of that opposition, and as a lesson that family ties and wealth do not protect a person from the results of his own deeds.
Historical opposition in MakkahWealth cannot save a personResponsibility for one's own deeds
Read the surah
Arabic exactly as in the Tanzil text, then a plain meaning in your language. The Arabic is never read by a machine voice; "Listen" reads only the meanings.
مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُ مَالُهُۥ وَمَا كَسَبَ
His wealth and all that he earned did not help him.
Pickthall (1930): His wealth and gains will not exempt him.
سَيَصْلَىٰ نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ
He will enter a fire of blazing flames,
Pickthall (1930): He will be plunged in flaming fire,
وَٱمْرَأَتُهُۥ حَمَّالَةَ ٱلْحَطَبِ
and so will his wife, the carrier of firewood (some commentators understand this as one who spread harmful gossip),
Pickthall (1930): And his wife, the wood-carrier,
فِى جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍۭ
with a rope of twisted palm fibre around her neck.
Pickthall (1930): Will have upon her neck a halter of palm-fibre.
Quick quiz
Who is named in ayah 1?
What does ayah 2 say about Abu Lahab's wealth?
The name of this surah, Al-Masad, comes from the last ayah. What does it mean?
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Tanzil Quran Text (Uthmani, Version 1.1), tanzil.net, CC BY 3.0, verbatim: tanzil.net. Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), public domain; text from English Wikisource. Al-Fatiha aligned to the Hafs count (basmala as verse 1, his verses 6 and 7 joined); Quraysh: his verses 4 and 5 joined.. Plain meanings, introductions and quiz: IndiaDigital, awaiting review by an Islamic scholar.
Corrections from members of every tradition are welcome at support@indiadigital.org. Last checked: .