Abu Lahab ibn 'Abdul Muttalib
Encyclopedia
Abu Lahab (c. death 624) was one of the enemies of Islam
at Muhammad
's time, condemned by name in the Qur'an
in sura Al-Masadd. His full name was Abd-al-Uzza, but he was called Abu Lahab because his cheeks were always red or inflamed. His wife was Umm Jamil
, who gave him two sons, Utbah ibn Abu Lahab
and Utaybah bin Abu Lahab
.
to spread the message of Islam openly, he was told by the Qur'an
to warn his kinsfolk about the punishment of God. In doing so, Muhammad climbed Mount Safa
and shouted: Wa sabahah! which means "O calamity of the morning!" This alarm in Arabia
was raised by the person who noticed early at dawn an enemy tribe advancing against his tribe. So when Muhammad did this, people asked who was the one who made the call. They were told that it was Muhammad. When all the people assembled, Muhammad addressed the clans by name. "O Bani Hashim, O Bani Abdul Muttalib... etc., If I were to tell you that behind this hill there is an enemy about to attack you, would you believe me?" The people responded that they would, since Muhammad was known to be honest. Muhammad continued and said "Then I warn you that you are heading for a torment." Before anybody could speak, Abu Lahab said: "Woe be on you the rest of the day! Is that what you summoned us for?" Another tradition recalls Abu Lahab picking up a stone to throw at Muhammad.
s believe that Allah
had sent down a sura, Al-Masadd (The Palm Fiber, Flame). Its English translation by Sahih International.
In the name of God, the most passionate, the most merciful (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم)
Muhammad was protected somewhat by the influence of his family, but even he was subjected to such abuse; while he was praying near the Kaaba
, Abu Lahab threw the entrails of a sacrificed goat over him.
with the news of the Quraysh defeat in the Battle of Badr
were al-Haysuman and Abdullah, al-Khuzai's son, who bewailed the fact that so many of their chieftains had fallen on the battlefield. In the large tent of Zamzam
, the converts Abu Rafi, former slave of ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib freed by Muhammad and Abbas' wife, Lubaba bint al-Harith
(Umm Fadl) sat sharpening their arrows. They had both been overjoyed to hear the news of Muhammad's victory, however, they felt it was more prudent to restrain their happiness.
As they sharpened the arrows, Abu Lahab who had not taken part in the encounter but sent al-As in his place entered. His face looked as black as thunder as he sat himself down at the other end of the tent with his back toward Abu Rafi. Not long after Abu Lahab heard some others in the tent saying, "Abu Sufyan
, Al Harith's son has returned," whereupon he looked up, saw his nephew and called him. A small crowd gathered around the two as Abu Sufyan told his uncle, "The facts are the Quraysh met our enemy and turned their backs. They put us to flight taking prisoners as they pleased, I cannot blame our tribesmen because they faced not only them but men wearing white robes riding piebald horses, who were between heaven and earth. They spared nothing and no one had a chance."
When Umm Fadl and Abu Rafi heard the news of the men in white riding between heaven and earth, they could no longer contain their happiness and Abu Rafi exclaimed for all to hear, "They were angels!" Abu Rafi's outburst was more than Abu Lahab could bear, in a raging fury he forced Abu Rafi, who was frail, to the ground and struck him over and over again. Umm Fadl grabbed hold of a tent pole that lay nearby and with all her might hit her brother-in-law's head with it crying out. "Do you think that you can abuse him just because Abbas is away!" She wounded him so severely that his head was split open and laid bare part of his skull. The wound was never to heal, it turned septic and its poison spread rapidly through his entire body erupting into open pustules that caused his death within the week.
When he died, his family, fearing that they might be afflicted with disease -- for they feared the plague, and his condition resembled it -- were hesitant to bury him and so they left his decaying body decomposing in his home for two or three nights. It was only when someone rebuked them strongly saying, "It is disgraceful, you should be ashamed of yourselves to leave your father to rot in his house and not bury him from the sight of men!" that they did something. With great reluctance and from a safe distance, his sons threw water over his body, then removed his corpse and left it by a wall on a high piece of ground outside Mecca and threw stones over it until it was completely covered.
fed Muhammad milk. After she informed him that his brother's wife Aminah
had given birth to a son Abu Lahab freed her due to his happiness, and was rewarded by having his punishment reduced.
It is narrated that the Prophet
Muhammad said;
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
at Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
's time, condemned by name in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
in sura Al-Masadd. His full name was Abd-al-Uzza, but he was called Abu Lahab because his cheeks were always red or inflamed. His wife was Umm Jamil
Umm Jamil
Umm Jamil bint Harb was the wife of Abu Lahab, an enemy of Muhammed and the sister of Abu Sufyan. She is mentioned in chapter 111 of the Quran....
, who gave him two sons, Utbah ibn Abu Lahab
Utbah ibn Abu Lahab
Son of Abu Lahab, he married Muhammad's second daughter Ruqayyah, but divorced her on his father's request.He had an Arab slave-girl named Barirah mawla Aisha whom he did not treat well.-See also:*Family tree of Utbah ibn Abu Lahab...
and Utaybah bin Abu Lahab
Utaybah bin Abu Lahab
Son of Abu Lahab, he married Muhammad's third daughter Umm Kulthum, but divorced her on his father's request.-See also:*Family tree of Utaybah bin Abu Lahab...
.
The Wa Sabahah
When Muhammad claimed he was instructed by GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
to spread the message of Islam openly, he was told by the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
to warn his kinsfolk about the punishment of God. In doing so, Muhammad climbed Mount Safa
Al-Safa and Al-Marwah
Al-Safa and Al-Marwah are two small mountains now located in the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia between which Muslims travel back and forth seven times during the ritual pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah.-History:...
and shouted: Wa sabahah! which means "O calamity of the morning!" This alarm in Arabia
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
was raised by the person who noticed early at dawn an enemy tribe advancing against his tribe. So when Muhammad did this, people asked who was the one who made the call. They were told that it was Muhammad. When all the people assembled, Muhammad addressed the clans by name. "O Bani Hashim, O Bani Abdul Muttalib... etc., If I were to tell you that behind this hill there is an enemy about to attack you, would you believe me?" The people responded that they would, since Muhammad was known to be honest. Muhammad continued and said "Then I warn you that you are heading for a torment." Before anybody could speak, Abu Lahab said: "Woe be on you the rest of the day! Is that what you summoned us for?" Another tradition recalls Abu Lahab picking up a stone to throw at Muhammad.
Other acts of scepticism
Once Abu Lahab asked Muhammad: "If I were to accept your religion, what would I get?" Muhammad replied: "You would get what the other believers would get." Abu Lahab responded: "Is there no preference or distinction for me?" In which Muhammad replied, "What else do you want?" Abu Lahab replied back: "May this religion perish in which I and all other people should be equal and alike!"The Sura of Abu Lahab
Due to his hostility towards Islam, MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s believe that Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
had sent down a sura, Al-Masadd (The Palm Fiber, Flame). Its English translation by Sahih International.
In the name of God, the most passionate, the most merciful (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم)
- May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he,
- His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained,
- He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame,
- His wife [as well] - the carrier of firewood (thorns of Sadan which she used to put on the way of the Prophet (or use to slander him).
- Around her neck is a rope of twisted fiber (masadd).
Muhammad was protected somewhat by the influence of his family, but even he was subjected to such abuse; while he was praying near the Kaaba
Kaaba
The Kaaba is a cuboid-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham, or Ibraheem, in Arabic, and his son Ishmael, or Ismaeel, as said in Arabic, after he had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque...
, Abu Lahab threw the entrails of a sacrificed goat over him.
Death
The first people to reach MeccaMecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
with the news of the Quraysh defeat in the Battle of Badr
Battle of Badr
The Battle of Badr , fought Saturday, March 13, 624 AD in the Hejaz region of western Arabia , was a key battle in the early days of Islam and a turning point in Muhammad's struggle with his opponents among the Quraish in Mecca...
were al-Haysuman and Abdullah, al-Khuzai's son, who bewailed the fact that so many of their chieftains had fallen on the battlefield. In the large tent of Zamzam
Zamzam Well
The Well of Zamzam is a well located within the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, east of the Kaaba, the holiest place in Islam...
, the converts Abu Rafi, former slave of ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib freed by Muhammad and Abbas' wife, Lubaba bint al-Harith
Lubaba bint al-Harith
Lubaba bint al-Harith , also known as "Umm Fadl", is the mother of Abd-Allah ibn Abbas and Fadl ibn Abbas, wife of Abbas ibn Abd-al-Muttalib, and sister of Maymuna bint al-Harith....
(Umm Fadl) sat sharpening their arrows. They had both been overjoyed to hear the news of Muhammad's victory, however, they felt it was more prudent to restrain their happiness.
As they sharpened the arrows, Abu Lahab who had not taken part in the encounter but sent al-As in his place entered. His face looked as black as thunder as he sat himself down at the other end of the tent with his back toward Abu Rafi. Not long after Abu Lahab heard some others in the tent saying, "Abu Sufyan
Abu Sufyan ibn Harb
Sakhr ibn Harb , more commonly known as Abu Sufyan was a leading man of the Quraish of Mecca. He was a staunch opponent of the Islamic prophet Muhammad before accepting Islam later in his life.-Opposition to Islam:...
, Al Harith's son has returned," whereupon he looked up, saw his nephew and called him. A small crowd gathered around the two as Abu Sufyan told his uncle, "The facts are the Quraysh met our enemy and turned their backs. They put us to flight taking prisoners as they pleased, I cannot blame our tribesmen because they faced not only them but men wearing white robes riding piebald horses, who were between heaven and earth. They spared nothing and no one had a chance."
When Umm Fadl and Abu Rafi heard the news of the men in white riding between heaven and earth, they could no longer contain their happiness and Abu Rafi exclaimed for all to hear, "They were angels!" Abu Rafi's outburst was more than Abu Lahab could bear, in a raging fury he forced Abu Rafi, who was frail, to the ground and struck him over and over again. Umm Fadl grabbed hold of a tent pole that lay nearby and with all her might hit her brother-in-law's head with it crying out. "Do you think that you can abuse him just because Abbas is away!" She wounded him so severely that his head was split open and laid bare part of his skull. The wound was never to heal, it turned septic and its poison spread rapidly through his entire body erupting into open pustules that caused his death within the week.
When he died, his family, fearing that they might be afflicted with disease -- for they feared the plague, and his condition resembled it -- were hesitant to bury him and so they left his decaying body decomposing in his home for two or three nights. It was only when someone rebuked them strongly saying, "It is disgraceful, you should be ashamed of yourselves to leave your father to rot in his house and not bury him from the sight of men!" that they did something. With great reluctance and from a safe distance, his sons threw water over his body, then removed his corpse and left it by a wall on a high piece of ground outside Mecca and threw stones over it until it was completely covered.
After death
Abu Lahab's slave 'Ursa Thuwaybah al-IslamiahThuwaybah
Thuwaybah was a Sahaba and the first nurse of Muhammad.Her name means "Deserving of God's reward." She is also known as Thuwaybah al-Islamiah .-Biography:...
fed Muhammad milk. After she informed him that his brother's wife Aminah
Aminah bint Wahb
Aminah bint Wahb was the mother of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.-Biography According to Islamic History:The daughter of Wahb ibn 'Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah ibn Kilab ibn Murrah, Aminah was born in Mecca. She was a member of the Banu Zuhrah clan in the tribe of Quraysh who were descendants of Ibrahim ...
had given birth to a son Abu Lahab freed her due to his happiness, and was rewarded by having his punishment reduced.
It is narrated that the Prophet
Prophets of Islam
Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
Muhammad said;