1. The power (lit. the hand) of Abu Lahab will perish and he will perish.

2. His wealth avails him not, nor what he has earned.

3. Soon he will enter a blazing fire.

4. And his wife, the wood-carrier,

5. Around her neck is a rope of palm fiber.

Two conflicting opinions have been advanced about this chapter. Some have ridiculed it, claiming that the God of the Muslims has placed the phrase “The power (lit. the hand) of Abū Lahab” in the Qur’an because he had not accepted Islam. Thus, all such people should be cursed and their hands cut off, which enables them to conclude that the Qur’an is a violent book.

This interpretation is the result of a lack of knowledge and a bad intention. The Qur’an, which points out the characteristics of such people, underlines the fact that its text is composed of two types of verses: categorical or explicit (muhkamāt) and metaphorical or symbolic (mutashābihāt): “As for those in whose hearts is deviance, they pursue what is metaphorical in it, courting temptation and its interpretation” (3:7).They are after sedition, not the truth, and thus are looking merely for excuses to use as a pretext to dispute. They move around the verses and pay attention only to the particular outward meaning that supports their pre-set position, and then only within their limited range of understanding and reasoning.

The second opinion belongs to those who have a very different approach to this chapter and the entire Qur’an. According to them, the Prophet is not merely the deliverer of the Qur’an, but also its creator. Thus when he was happy and joyful he would utter eloquent and well-proportioned words and phrases, and when he was weary and tired his words were less elegant, just like the poets and writers, whose products were heavily influenced by their spiritual state. They argue that this chapter is an example of when the Prophet used less elegant words, and thus is not of the same caliber as the rest of the chapters or even many of his other statements and speeches. Such an opinion warrants a deeper reflection on this chapter.

Fundamentally, it would be incorrect to discriminate among the Book’s chapters and consider some of them to be preferred over others. Such an approach would be akin to discriminating among the parts of our body, for example, by saying that the brain is superior to all other organs, or that the eye is better than a toenail, or that we have no use for a certain body part at all. The point is that each part belongs to a larger collection, all of which work together in harmony. We cannot say that one part is better or more important than the other. If, for example, a tooth or a small finger hurts, it is as if the entire body is in pain and no part can perform its function.

We can attempt to examine this chapter from: mystical perspective and conclude that doing so is impossible because of the denunciation; literary point of view and say that it does not have the charm and eloquence of other chapters; or societal transformation perspective through fighting and conclude that it is worthless. We can also look at it with a scientific eye or in many other ways, each of which has its own merit. However, we should study it from the point of view of what it is trying to convey.

This chapter is about Abū Lahab, an epithet meaning the “the father of flame.” His real name was ‘Abd-ul-‘Uzzā (servant of ‘Uzzā) on the same pattern as the name of the Prophet, ‘Abd-ul-lāh (servant of God). Al-‘Uzzā was the name of the Quraysh’s main female idol.Just like Rabb (Lord), God (Allah), and Malik (King), the Qurayshhad three female idols, al-Lāt, al-‘Uzzā, and Manāt,to fill these three positions. ‘Abd-ul-‘Uzzāwas one of Prophet’s uncles; the other two were ‘Abbās and Abū Tālib. ‘Abdul ‘Uzzā had a closer relationship with the Prophet, for he was also the Prophet’s father-in-law through his daughters Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthūm. This man, who was a member of the Hāshimite clan and a grandson of ‘Abd-ul Muttalib,was one of the Prophet’s strongest enemies and a major persecutor of the Muslims. In fact, he was the principal instigator of the full-fledged boycott against the Prophet and his followers in Makkah for an extended period of time.

Some say that Abū Lahab earned his epithet because of his red face. Others say that it was due to his malicious nature, always adding fuel to the fire. Whatever the reason, the chapter’s emphasis is not on Abū Lahab as a person, but upon his character: that of a trouble maker. In other words, it is denouncing his character and his refusal to accept the Prophet’s invitation to Islam.

The previous chapter (an-Nasr) and this one are sandwiched be-tween the four chapters toward the end of the Qur’an that start with “Say” (qul). The former describes the positive fate and victory of those who are faithful and embark on the high road, whereas this chapter addresses the damning fate and total erasure of all traces of those who rebel against God and take the low road. Abū Lahabdied of a fatal disease, and his goal did not materialize. In fact, not even a trace of it has survived. It should be evident that the Qur’an is describing two opposing movements contained in the previous chapter and this one.

[111:1] The power (lit. the hand) of Abū Lahab will perish and he will perish.

What is meant by yad (يَد) in this chapter? The literalists have un-derstood it to mean “hand,” whereas in the Qur’an it also has other meanings. For example: 48:10 says that God’s “hand” is above all other hands. What does this mean? How can we assume “hands” for God? Qur’an 3:26 says that all good is in God’s “hands.”When we say that good and bad rests in His “hands,” what we really mean is He has the ultimate power. So in this case “hand” means “power.” The Qur’an proclaims that all grace is in God’s “hand” (3:73), and 23:88 proclaims that the dominion of all things is in His “hand.”

Qur’an 18:57 addresses those who have shunned its verses and reminds them of what “his hands have sent forth.” Of course, most of our deeds are done with our minds or tongues, as opposed to our hands. This shows that “hand” is used metaphorically here. And then there is 2:237, which says: “Someone in whose hand is the marriage tie,”referring to the person whohas the final say on marital issues. Either the man or the woman will marry on their own, if they are mature enough, or they will be married with the consent of someone who has the authority to marry them, such as one’s father or grandfather.

As such, “hand” does not refer to hisphysical hand; rather, it is an allegory representing power and strength, the strength of polytheism, the opposition and enmity being marshalled to destroy Islam, and the negative strength that is being arrayed against the Islamic awakening. This is the strength that will be cut and truncated.

Clearly, if God wills it, it will take place and the enemies will be annihilated. Thus it is not necessary for Him to employ slogans or spew out curses. Slogans are used by people to show their heartfelt inclination: “Down with so and so,” “Death to so and so,” and “Long live so and so.” These are the wishes and desires of a nation’s people. Thus, it is baseless to say that Abū Lahab’s hands were cut off because he refused to accept Islam. This neither happened, nor has anyone ever understood this verse to mean that. Even the verse regarding the punishment for a thief: “As for the male thief and the female thief, ‘cut off their hands’ as a punishment for what they have earned,”(5:38) does not mean the hand, the part of the body used for sensory touch, to be cut off.

In the past, most tasks were done by hands. At a time when there were no prisons, police, or security, perhaps the people would want to recognize a thief by his or her missing thumb or some other physical mark. Even then, it can be argued that “cutting off one’s hand” does not mean to cut off a person’s actual hand, but to cut off that person’s influence and power.

In our time, if a company is found guilty of embezzling substantial funds, how are its “hands cut off”? Such crimes are not committed by one person, for many people are involved. However, literally speaking, they did not use their hands but rather computers, and therefore “cutting off the hands” of a company means limiting the contract work performed by it. We see that criminals, provided that they are caught, ruin their reputation and thus cannot obtain a job. If people in the United States do not pay their mortgage or utility bills, this information will appear in their credit report and make it almost impossible for them to rent a place or secure a loan. Without credibility their “hands have been cut off,” meaning that they cannot participate in various social affairs. Drivers with enough traffic violations on their record will find their driving license revoked and therefore unable to drive legally. In other words, the “hands will be cut off” from doing business as usual. The legal and judicial systems apply the law very carefully. As we see, these examples use “hand” in a much broader context, and the physical hand is only one of its meanings.

In any event, this is a reminder and an admonition from God that the thoughts and oppressive actions of Abū Lahab and people like him will not bear any fruit. Abū Lahab could not escape this binding law, for he and his supporters attained none of their goals and all of their plots and conspiracies failed.

[111:2] His wealth avails him not, nor what he has earned.

Abū Lahab was relying on his wealth, power, and social standing to fight the Prophet and remain aloof from the transcendent God. But all of these pillars of his “self-sufficiency” proved to be imaginary, for he achieved nothing. The Qur’an tells people like him that all of their problems will remain unresolved and that they will never be independent.

[111:3] Soon he will enter a blazing fire.

On the Day of Judgment, he will encounter a blazing fire as his destiny. Both his nickname Abū Lahab (the father of flame)and his destiny have the word “lahab” (blazing fire) in common, and thus there is a relationship between his punishment and what he did during his life. He will reap the harvest of what he had sown. Those who make trouble for others by inflicting injustice, oppression, torture and corruption upon them, and by going after their lives and money, naturally will have the same destiny.

[111:4] And his wife, the wood-carrier,

There are those who start a fire, as in starting trouble, and those who help it flourish by providing the necessary firewood and other fuels. Abū Lahab’s wife Umm Jamīl was Mu‘āwiyah’s sister and thus a member of the Umayyads, the Prophet’s pre-Islamic archenemies.She inflamed the friction between the Umayyad and the Hāshimite clans and egged her husband on. He stirred the pot, and she added the fuel.

[111:5] Around her neck is a rope of palm fiber.

This verse does not refer to a woman’s neck or that part of it usually adorned with a necklace, for the Arabic word for neck is ‘unuq or raqabah. Some say that it refers to the Day of Judgment, when she will be hung with a rope around her neck. It is said that instead of a kind, delicate, tender, gentle, and sentimental nature, she had a rough, harsh, and vicious nature. Her disposition was wicked and full of grudges and hatred. Contrast this to Pharaoh’swife Āsiyah, whose maids found the basket in which Moses’ mother had placed him and then set upon the Nile’s waters. She prevented the infant Moses from being killed, took him into her arms, and proposed to Pharaoh that they should raise him as their own, for perhaps doing so might be in their best interest. This story is told in the Qur’an in detail. Abū Lahab’s enmity and Umm Jamīl’s jealousy ultimately destroyed both of them.

Translator: Amir Douraghy
Editor: Hamid Mavani