Surah Lahab [111] (part 1) – Dream Student Notes – Nouman Ali Khan

Surah Lahab •  

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Bismillah ArRahman ArRaheem

Tafseer Juz Ammah – Nouman Ali Khan

Surat Lahab:

• Surah no. 111
• One of the shortest surahs in the Quran
• It is dedicated to Abu Lahab and his Wife
• Allah has never dedicated a particular Surah to a particular enemy anywhere else in the Quran
• Other enemy’s such as Abu Jahl, and others were mentioned a few times but never by name

 
Question to be considered is:

• Why is there this special emphasis given to this enemy of Islam?
• The placement of the surah

Historical Background of Abu Lahab:

• He was one of the most famous and wealthiest people in Makkah (even before Islam)
• He was the treasure secretary at that time
• His orginal name is Abdul Uzzah
• His nickname is Abu Lahab.
  • Lahab is a red flame that flickers and gives of light
  • Abu doesn’t litteraly mean father nessasarily. When someone is affiliated or associated with something you can put Abu infront of their name.
    • Example: When Ali bin Abi Taleb was sleeping on the dust, the Prophet called him Ya Aba Turaab. Meaning he was covered in dust
    • Example: Abu Hurayrah was called that because he had a cat that he loved.
    • Abu Lahab was given this nickname because he had a reddish complexion in his skin. And this was considered as good looking
    • He had a powerful lineage. He was the grandson of Hashim.
    • He was the Uncle of the Prophet, and his father in law.

History of Urwah (wife of Abu Lahab)

• She was the granddaughter of Ummayyah
• She use to flaunt her status and family background
• Her nickname was Umm Jamil (beautiful)
• The city use to look up to this couple because of their good looks and high status

Negative side of Abu Lahab

• He was the next door neighbor of the Prophet and he would throw filth into the house of the Prophet whenever the Prophet use to read Quran
• He ordered his sons to divorce the daughters of the Prophet
• When the Prophet’s son Qasim passed away, Abu Lahab came out of his house screaming and dancing. And he says Batara Muhammadun – Muhammed has had his lineage cut off
  • This was the death of a child in his own family and yet he celebrates
  • Even enemy’s in battle do anything like this
  • This kind of hatred is not shared by any other enemy of Islam
  • This is one of the reasons why he was given this special dedication
  • He curses Islam by saying Taban li Hadha Ad-Deen he was invited to become Muslim
  • When the Prophet stood on the mountain and called everyone, he told them that he was a Prophet and a warner. Abu Lahab said to him, Taban Lak!

Ayah 1:

تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ

• Because Abu Lahab said Taban to the Prophet twice, it is said to him twice.
• When this Ayah was sent down, Abu Lahab use to make fun of it. He would go into public gatherings and he would take out his hands (because Allah said may his hands by destroyed) and he would sarcastically say Taban Lakuma May you be destroyed. Then he would say I don’t see in you any signs from what muhammed said.

Tab:

• A past tense verb of Tabba
• The feminine form is used because ‘hands’ in Arabic are feminine
  • There’s no it in Arabic
  • Body parts that are in twos are feminine
  • Body parts that are singular are masculine
  • Arabs used past tense for several reasons
  • One of them is when something is guaranteed
  • The past is associated with certainty, the future is not
  • So Allah is saying that his hands being destroyed is guaranteed
  • The second is to refer to a dua
    • That is why you’ll sometimes find the ayah translated as May both hands of Abu Lahab be destroyed
    • You can pray for someone and you can pray against someone

• Tab literally means to break apart slowly or to collapse
  • Other similar words are infasama, inqadha, and taqada3ah
• It is specifically used when something is falling apart little by little until it’s completely destroyed
  • That kind of destruction is called tabaab
  • From Tabaab we get the verb tab
  • This means Allah is saying that Abu Lahab is not going to die an immediate death, rather he’s going to die a slow and painful death
• Tab was used by the ancient arabs, they would go to a woman and ask her A shaabah am taabah (Are you a young woman or are you being destroyed)
  • They didn’t say old woman, they said destroyed because they affiliated old age with you deteriorating slowly and slowly towards your destruction/demise (death)

Other meanings of Tabat

• Tabat = Halakat (die violently)
• Tabat = Khasirat (To suffer loss)
• Tabat = Khaabat (To go bad)
• Tabat = Dhalat (To go to waste)
• Tabat = Safarat min kuli Khair (To be completely void of any good)

Other names for Flame:

• Shiwadh
• Nu7aas
• Maarij
• Sharar

One reason why both hands of Abu Lahab are mentioned is because it is narrated that he once picked up a rock and tried to throw it at the Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him.
Tabat Yadahu: May both his hands be destroyed also includes his deen, dunya, the things he does, and their outcomes.
Tabat Yadahu: Your right hand is used to attack, and your left hand is used to defend. When Allah says may both his hands be destroyed this means that he won’t be able to attack anyone. And he won’t be able to defend himself either.
Abu Lahab’s name:

• His real name is Abdul Uzzah, who was an idol/false god. So Allah does not dignify him by mentioning the false god that he worshiped. Also nobody is the slave of Uzzah so his name is a lie so Allah does not mention his name.
• Because he is of the people of the Fire and Allah is going to put him in a flame that is flickering red, why not call him by his nickname because his nickname has now been given a new meaning. Now when he is called Abu Lahab, he’s not called that because he has redish skin or he looks good, but because he’s going to be in a Lahab forever.

Wa Tab

• The first part is Dua (May his hands be destroyed)
  • There’s no guarantee that it will happen
  • The second part – wa tab – is Khabr
    • It means that it is bound to happen. i.e.  it is guaranteed to happen
    • Abu Lahab developed a very serious disease and he started developing a swelling in his body
    • His sons, servants, family, and friends all stayed away from his because they were afraid to catch the diseases from him
    • He’s dying painfully and slowly and no one is there for him
    • His corpse was lying there and no one wanted to touch it so his sons finally hire some Abyssinians who use logs to drag him into a pit and then throw stones at him to fill up his grave. They didn’t even want to touch him either.
    • Allah’s promise came true –  that he would die a slow painful death.

Part 2 = Second Verse
Coming very soon Inshallah