Al-Masad — The Palm Fibre
سُورَةُ المَسَدِ
Verses
5
Revealed
6th
Period
Makkan
Juz
30
Al-Masad is about Abu Lahab — an uncle of the Prophet ﷺ and one of the fiercest early opponents of his message — and his wife, who joined him in hostility. It is the only surah to name a specific enemy of the Prophet ﷺ, and it pronounces his ruin in the starkest terms: his wealth and his standing will avail him nothing against the Fire that awaits.
The surah is also a quiet proof of the Qur'an's truthfulness. It declared Abu Lahab's loss while he was still alive and able to disprove it simply by professing faith — yet he never did, and he died a disbeliever. The surah's images are vivid and exact: hands ruined, a fire of flame, a wife who carries firewood, a rope of twisted palm-fibre around her neck. Wealth that once seemed like power is shown to be utterly worthless before Allah.
The ruin of an enemyWealth that cannot saveHostility repaid
Before you begin
Start with sincerity — ask Allah to make this easy for you and to let what you learn benefit you. A short dua to begin with:
رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
Rabbi zidni ‘ilma — “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” (Qur'an 20:114)
Core message
The surah opens with a verdict: tabbat yada abi lahab — may the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he. It then strips away his defence: neither his wealth nor what he earned will save him from a fire of blazing flame. The final verses turn to his wife, the carrier of firewood, with a rope of palm-fibre around her neck — imagery of one who fuelled hostility against the Prophet ﷺ and is now bound by the consequence.
1–2
تَبَّتْ يَدَآ أَبِى لَهَبٍۢ وَتَبَّ•مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُ مَالُهُۥ وَمَا كَسَبَ
May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he. His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained.
3
سَيَصْلَىٰ نَارًۭا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍۢ
He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame
4–5
وَٱمْرَأَتُهُۥ حَمَّالَةَ ٱلْحَطَبِ•فِى جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌۭ مِّن مَّسَدٍۭ
And his wife [as well] - the carrier of firewood. Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber.
Memory hook — the wordplay on "flame"
The surah is built on a striking echo. Abu Lahab's name literally means "father of flame" (lahab), and verse 3 promises him naran dhata lahab — a fire of flame. The very word in his name becomes his sentence. Anchor the surah on that pun: the man of "flame" meets the fire of flame. Then track the close-up images in order — hands (v.1) → wealth (v.2) → fire (v.3) → firewood (v.4) → rope (v.5).
Wealth and standing made worthless
Abu Lahab was prosperous and influential in Makkah. Verse 2 dismantles that in a single line: his wealth will not avail him, nor what he earned. The surah's lesson reaches beyond one man — status and riches, however great in this world, carry no weight before Allah when set against open hostility to the truth.
Al-Masad — key words
تَبَّتْ
tabbat
May they be ruined / perish
v.1 — the opening verdict on Abu Lahab's hands
يَدَآ
yada
The two hands of
v.1 — standing for his efforts and deeds
مَالُهُ
maluhu
His wealth
v.2 — what he relied on, shown to be useless
نَارًۭا
naran
A fire
v.3 — the fate awaiting him
لَهَبٍ
lahab
Flame
v.3 — echoing the name Abu Lahab ("father of flame")
حَمَّالَةَ ٱلْحَطَبِ
hammalat al-hatab
Carrier of firewood
v.4 — his wife, who fuelled the hostility
مَّسَدٍ
masad
Twisted palm-fibre
v.5 — the rope around her neck; the surah's namesake
A short, vivid surah
Al-Masad is five short verses with a sharp, rhyming cadence (lahab… lahab… al-hatab… masad). Its imagery is concrete and easy to picture, which aids memorisation — each verse adds one vivid detail to the scene.
Full surah — single rak'ah
Verses 1–5 · suitable for any rak'ah of fard or nafl prayer
Recite all five verses in one rak'ah — the surah is short and is never split.
Let the rhyme carry the rhythm: the repeated -ab ending across verses 1–4 (lahab, lahab, al-hatab) and the closing masad give the surah a tight, memorable cadence.
Its brevity makes it a natural companion to a longer surah in the paired rak'ah.
Natural stopping points
v.2
ma aghna 'anhu maluhu wa ma kasab — the verdict that his wealth cannot save him. A natural pause before the Fire is named.
v.3
sayasla naran dhata lahab — the fire of flame. A strong mid-surah breath before the surah turns to his wife.
v.5
fi jidiha hablun min masad — the final verse and the surah's namesake image. A firm close before ruku'.