Abu Lahab and the Danger of Division from Within
We often recite Surat al-Masad in our salah. When we hear the name of Abu Lahab we know that he was one of the fiercest opponents of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. What makes his story particularly painful and puzzling is that Abu Lahab was no stranger – he was the Prophet’s ﷺ own uncle!
When the Muhammad ﷺ was born, Abu Lahab was so happy that he freed one of his slaves, Thuwayba. Compare this scene of joy with scene when he rejected the revelation so vehemently in public on the mountain. What happened to make such a loving uncle become one of his nephew’s fiercest enemies?
The Prophet ﷺ calls Quraysh to Islam
Allah Almighty commanded the Prophet ﷺ:
وَأَنذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْأَقْرَبِينَ
“And warn your closest relatives.”
(Surah al-Shu‘ara, 26:214)
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that when this verse was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ climbed Mount Safa and began calling the different clans of Quraysh:
يَا بَنِي فِهْرٍ، يَا بَنِي عَدِيٍّ
“O Banu Fihr! O Banu Adi!”
The clans of Quraysh gathered around him. Those who could not come themselves sent someone to find out what was happening.
The Prophet ﷺ then said:
أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ لَوْ أَخْبَرْتُكُمْ أَنَّ خَيْلًا بِالْوَادِي تُرِيدُ أَنْ تُغِيرَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَكُنْتُمْ مُصَدِّقِيَّ؟
“Tell me, if I informed you that cavalry in the valley were about to attack you, would you believe me?”
They replied:
نَعَمْ، مَا جَرَّبْنَا عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا صِدْقًا
“Yes. We have never known you to say anything but the truth.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
فَإِنِّي نَذِيرٌ لَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ
“Then indeed, I am warning you of a severe punishment ahead.”
Abu Lahab responded:
تَبًّا لَكَ سَائِرَ الْيَوْمِ، أَلِهَذَا جَمَعْتَنَا؟
“May you perish for the rest of this day! Is this why you gathered us?”
Allah then revealed:
تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ
“May the hands of Abu Lahab perish, and may he perish. Neither his wealth nor what he earned will benefit him.”
(Surah al-Masad, 111:1–2; Sahih al-Bukhari)
Who was Abu Lahab?
Abu Lahab’s real name was Abd al-Uzza ibn Abd al-Muttalib. He was one of the sons of Abd al-Muttalib and therefore the paternal uncle of the Prophet ﷺ. He was known as Abu Lahab, meaning ‘Father of Flame’, because of the brightness and redness of his complexion.
When wealth becomes more important than truth
What turned Abu Lahab from a supporter of the Prophet ﷺ to his sworn enemy? His story is summarised in this surah. And each family has an Abu Lahab. What turned him against the Prophet ﷺ was the message Allah sent Muhammad. In the description of Abu Lahab, Allah specifically mentions Abu Lahab’s wealth:
مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ
“Neither his wealth nor what he earned will benefit him.”
(Surah al-Masad, 111:2)
Wealth was a major factor in Abu Lahab’s enmity. He was prepared to sacrifice his mother and children for money. This is something we still see in society. A person may know what is right, but accepting it might affect their business, position, reputation or interests. The question then becomes: what matters more to me, the truth or my own interests?
When the truth conflicts with our personal interests, this is where our faith and character are tested.
Arrogance can prevent a person from accepting the truth
Another factor in Abu Lahab’s opposition to the Prophet ﷺ was arrogance. Although he loved his nephew, he still considered himself above the Prophet ﷺ , who was an orphan. He was jealous that revelation would come to a poor orphan instead of to himself, someone of wealth and status. It was sheer kibr (pride) that prevented him from accepting the divine message from his nephew. The two worst sins are shirk (denying Allah’s oneness) and arrogance. Arrogance prevents entry to Jannah.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ كِبْرٍ
“No one who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.”
(Sahih Muslim)
The Prophet ﷺ further explained that arrogance can lead to the rejection of the truth:
الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاسِ
“Arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on people.”
(Sahih Muslim)
Abu Lahab did not just have an atom of kibr, he had tonnes of it. He was willing to go against his own tribe, Banu Hashim and his nephew and side with Banu Umayya. This is one of the most important lessons from Abu Lahab’s story. Abu Lahab continued putting his own interests above the truth. When Quraysh placed Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib under boycott, the Prophet’s clan stood together to protect him. This included people who had not accepted Islam. Abu Talib, for example, did not become Muslim, but he continued to protect his nephew and refused to hand him over to Quraysh.
Abu Lahab took the opposite position. He broke ranks with his own family and sided with those who were persecuting them. This made his opposition particularly useful to the enemies of the Prophet ﷺ.
This is why we must be careful not to allow our personal interests, disagreements or emotions to turn us into a means of harming the truth or damaging our own community unjustly.
Abu Lahab actively opposed the Prophet ﷺ
Abu Lahab’s wife, Umm Jamil Arwa bint Harb, was the sister of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. And she was equally evil and vitriolic in her opposition to the Prophet ﷺ and injected Abu Lahab with more hatred towards him.
Allah mentions her in the surah as well:
وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ
“And his wife, the carrier of firewood. Around her neck will be a rope of twisted fibre.”
(Surah al-Masad, 111:4–5)
Abu Lahab followed the Prophet ﷺ when he approached people and tribes during the Hajj to undermine his message. He was like his shadow – when the Prophet ﷺ spoke to people, Abu Lahab would warn them against listening to him. This was even more damaging because he was the enemy from within, his own flesh and blood. A stranger meeting the Prophet ﷺ for the first time might naturally think that a close relative knew him better than they did. His family connection therefore gave his opposition greater influence.
The pre-Islamic poet Tarafah ibn al-Abd expressed this meaning when he said:
وَظُلْمُ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَى أَشَدُّ مَضَاضَةً
عَلَى الْمَرْءِ مِنْ وَقْعِ الْحُسَامِ الْمُهَنَّدِ
“The injustice of one’s own kin is more bitter to endure than the blow of a sharp and tempered sword.”
Harm from those closest to us can be more painful than harm from strangers.
The danger of division from within
Abu Lahab continued putting his own interests above the truth. So we need to be careful not to put our interests above the truth. He was concerned that he might lose wealth if he followed the Prophet ﷺ. By contrast, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) supported the Prophet ﷺ but never became bankrupt. The only time the companions became bankrupt was when the Quraysh confiscated their wealth, when they migrated to Madinah.
Using family ties as a means of pressure
Abu Lahab’s hostility even entered the Prophet’s family life. His sons Utbah and Utaybah had been married to the Prophet’s ﷺ daughters Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum. As hostility towards the Prophet ﷺ increased, these marriages were ended.
Family relationships themselves became another weapon against the Prophet ﷺ. This shows how far opposition can go when hatred, pride and self-interest take control. It begins to affect families, relationships and the lives of innocent people.
Not believing is not the same as fighting the truth
There is an important distinction here. Not everyone in the Prophet’s ﷺ family accepted Islam immediately. Hamzah and al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) did not become Muslim on the first day. But they were not like Abu Lahab. Abu Lahab actively made himself an enemy of the message and worked against the Prophet ﷺ.
There is a difference between someone who has not yet accepted the truth and someone whose pride and interests drive them to attack it. Hamzah and al-Abbas still had strong principles, which later led them to accept Islam and become among the great companions of the Prophet ﷺ.
Abu Lahab exists in every society
The reason Allah tells us the story of Abu Lahab is not only so that we know what happened more than fourteen centuries ago. There can be an Abu Lahab in every society and sometimes within a family or community: someone whose pride, wealth, status or personal interests become more important than what is right. We therefore have to ask ourselves difficult questions when we read Surah al-Masad: what happens when the truth conflicts with my interests? Do I follow what is right, or what benefits me? Am I prepared to sacrifice money, status or popularity for the truth?
Remain firm when opposition comes from those closest to you
There is also an important lesson in the way the Prophet ﷺ dealt with opposition. It is very difficult to fight an enemy, but even harder to fight an enemy within your family. They know your secrets, and your vulnerabilities.
The Prophet ﷺ did not give up despite all this. He taught us how to resist, and how to have resilience even if we are opposed by our own family. Sometimes the greatest difficulties we face come from within our own families or communities rather than from outside.
We should not allow these difficulties to make us abandon what is right. In the end, Abu Lahab’s opposition did not stop the truth. The Prophet ﷺ continued his mission, Islam spread, and Makkah itself was eventually conquered. The truth always prevails.
We need to have patience and strong character to face the challenges in our reality – whether they are internal (which is harder) or external. The role model is the Prophet ﷺ. Keep going and don’t give up.
We ask Allah Almighty to make us people of truth, to give us the strength to stand firmly by our principles, and to protect our hearts from arrogance and attachment to worldly interests. Ameen.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 4th September 2026