Tafsir of Surat al-Masad
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
As for the second surah, it is the saying of Allah the Exalted: [al-Masad:1-5] .
Glory be to Allah! This Qur'an contains many indications that clearly point to the fact that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is the truth. It is not because of his high status, his nobility, or the leadership of his people, never. His uncles divided in their treatment of him and the treatment of his Lord, Mighty and Majestic, into three categories: The first category: they believed in him, fought alongside him, and submitted to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
The second category: They supported and helped him, but they remained upon disbelief—seeking refuge in Allah from that.
The third category: They opposed and resisted him, and they were disbelievers.
As for the first category: So, al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, and Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib; the second is better than the first, because the second is among the best of the martyrs in the sight of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described him as the Lion of Allah and the Lion of His Messenger. He was martyred (may Allah be pleased with him) at Uhud in the second year of the Hijrah. May Allah gather us with him in the Gardens of Pleasure.
As for the second category: The one who supported and helped while remaining upon the remnants of disbelief is Abu Talib, who stood with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the best manner in defending him and supporting him. However—seeking refuge in Allah—a word of punishment had preceded for him, so he did not submit, not even at the end of his life. In the last moment of his worldly life, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered him Islam, but he refused.And he died upon his statement: He said, "I am upon the religion of Abd al-Muttalib." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) interceded for him until he was in shallow fire, with sandals on his feet from which his brain was boiling.
As for the third category: The one who opposed and resisted is Abu Lahab. Allah revealed a complete surah concerning him, which is recited in the prayers, whether obligatory or voluntary, in secret or in public. A person is rewarded for reciting it with ten good deeds for every letter.Meaning: Whoever reads the biography of Abu Lahab in this surah gets ten good deeds for every letter. But if you read the biography of Abu Bakr from the biography of Ibn Ishaq, or from al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, or others, you will not get this reward. So it is as if a person is being called with a definite call to read the biography of Abu Lahab; every letter you read from Surat al-Masad earns you ten good deeds.
(1) May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he. (2) His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained. (3) He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame (4) And his wife [as well] - the carrier of firewood. (5) Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber.
تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ * مَا أَغْنَى عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ * سَيَصْلَى نَاراً ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ * وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ * فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِنْ مَسَدٍGlory be to Allah! This Qur'an contains many indications that clearly point to the fact that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is the truth. It is not because of his high status, his nobility, or the leadership of his people, never. His uncles divided in their treatment of him and the treatment of his Lord, Mighty and Majestic, into three categories: The first category: they believed in him, fought alongside him, and submitted to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
The second category: They supported and helped him, but they remained upon disbelief—seeking refuge in Allah from that.
The third category: They opposed and resisted him, and they were disbelievers.
As for the first category: So, al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, and Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib; the second is better than the first, because the second is among the best of the martyrs in the sight of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described him as the Lion of Allah and the Lion of His Messenger. He was martyred (may Allah be pleased with him) at Uhud in the second year of the Hijrah. May Allah gather us with him in the Gardens of Pleasure.
As for the second category: The one who supported and helped while remaining upon the remnants of disbelief is Abu Talib, who stood with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the best manner in defending him and supporting him. However—seeking refuge in Allah—a word of punishment had preceded for him, so he did not submit, not even at the end of his life. In the last moment of his worldly life, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered him Islam, but he refused.And he died upon his statement: He said, "I am upon the religion of Abd al-Muttalib." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) interceded for him until he was in shallow fire, with sandals on his feet from which his brain was boiling.
As for the third category: The one who opposed and resisted is Abu Lahab. Allah revealed a complete surah concerning him, which is recited in the prayers, whether obligatory or voluntary, in secret or in public. A person is rewarded for reciting it with ten good deeds for every letter.Meaning: Whoever reads the biography of Abu Lahab in this surah gets ten good deeds for every letter. But if you read the biography of Abu Bakr from the biography of Ibn Ishaq, or from al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, or others, you will not get this reward. So it is as if a person is being called with a definite call to read the biography of Abu Lahab; every letter you read from Surat al-Masad earns you ten good deeds.