Revelation of Surah al-Masad Against Abu Lahab

When the Prophet ascended Mount Safa and called out to the clans of Quraysh, warning them of severe punishment if they did not worship Allah alone, his uncle Abu Lahab responded with hostility, saying: 'May you perish! Is this why you gathered us?' In response, Allah revealed Surah al-Masad: 'May the hands of Abu Lahab perish, and may he perish. His wealth and what he earned will not benefit him. He will burn in a Fire of blazing flame, and his wife, the carrier of firewood, around her neck will be a rope of palm fiber.' Abu Lahab's wife, Umm Jamil bint Harb (sister of Abu Sufyan), used to place thorns on the path where the Prophet walked. This surah is unique in the Quran for condemning a specific individual by name, and Abu Lahab's refusal to accept Islam even to disprove the Quran serves as evidence of its divine origin.