فِى جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍۭ 5
Translations
Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber.
Transliteration
Fī jīdihā hablun min masad
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes a rope of palm fiber around the neck of Abū Lahab's wife, Umm Jamīlah, on the Day of Judgment as a sign of her punishment. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Ṭabarī explain this as a concrete depiction of the humiliation and torment awaiting those who opposed the Prophet ﷺ and his message. The rope symbolizes both her spiritual bondage due to her enmity toward Islam and the physical manifestation of divine punishment in the Hereafter.
Revelation Context
Sūrah Al-Masad was revealed in Mecca as a direct response to the hostility of Abū Lahab (the Prophet's uncle) and his wife toward the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the early Muslim community. This surah explicitly names the disbelievers and their fate, making it unique among the surahs of the Quran. Verse 5 specifically addresses the punishment of Umm Jamīlah, who was known for her fierce opposition and for spreading thorns on the Prophet's path.
Related Hadiths
Hadith in Sunan Ibn Mājah and other collections mentions that Umm Jamīlah used to carry firewood to throw on the path of the Prophet ﷺ, directly referenced in verse 4 of this surah. Additionally, various hadiths emphasize the severe punishment awaiting those who actively opposed the Prophet and the message of Islam.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that opposition to God's message and His Prophet carries severe eternal consequences, serving as a deterrent against hostility toward Islam. It also affirms that divine justice is absolute and that no amount of worldly power or position shields one from accountability before Allah on the Day of Judgment.
Related Ayahs
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِىَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ فَعَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
Do they [i.e., the disbelievers] await except that the angels should come to them or there comes the command of your Lord? Thus did those do before them. And Allāh wronged them not, but they had been wronging themselves.
ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ
Those who disbelieve will have a severe punishment, and those who believe and do righteous deeds will have forgiveness and great reward.
لِّيُعَذِّبَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتِ وَٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَٱلْمُشْرِكَـٰتِ وَيَتُوبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًۢا
[It was] so that Allāh may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the men and women who associate others with Him and that Allāh may accept repentance from the believing men and believing women. And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.
فَٱنتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ وَإِنَّهُمَا لَبِإِمَامٍ مُّبِينٍ
So We took retribution from them, and indeed, both [cities] are on a clear highway.