Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Masad Verse 5

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Around her neck, there is (a collar of iron, like) a well-twisted rope.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

around her neck will be a rope of palm-fibre.[[ This was one of the earliest sûrahs revealed of the Quran. Paradoxically, for Abu Lahab to disprove the Quran, all he had to do was accept Islam because this verse condemns him to Hell. ]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

around her neck will be a rope of palm fiber.

A. J. Arberry

upon her neck a rope of palm-fibre.

Abdul Haleem

with a palm-fibre rope around her neck.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

On her neck shall be a cord of twisted fibre.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

A twisted rope of palm-leaf fibre round her (own) neck!

Abul Ala Maududi

upon her neck shall be a rope of palm-fibre.

Ahmed Ali

Will have a strap of fibre rope around her neck.

Ahmed Raza Khan

A rope made from palm fibre around her neck!

Ali Quli Qarai

with a rope of palm fibre around her neck.

Ali Ünal

Around her neck will be a halter of strongly twisted rope.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Having round her neck a halter of twisted strands.

English Literal

In her neck/beautiful neck (is a) rope from palm fiber tightly woven rope/an iron ring.479

Faridul Haque

A rope made from palm fibre around her neck!

Hamid S. Aziz

On her own neck a cord of palm fibres.

Hilali & Khan

In her neck is a twisted rope of Masad (palm fibre).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Upon her neck a halter of twisted rope!

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Upon her neck a halter of strongly twisted rope.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Will have upon her neck a halter of palm-fibre.

Muhammad Sarwar

and so too will his wife who (threw thorns and firewood in the Prophet's way). Around her neck will be a rope of palm fibre.

Qaribullah & Darwish

shall have a rope of palmfiber around her neck!

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

In her neck is a twisted rope of Masad.

Wahiduddin Khan

with a rope of twisted fibre round her neck.

Talal Itani

Around her neck is a rope of thorns.

Tafsir jalalayn

with a rope of palm-fibre around her neck (f jdih hablun min masadin is a circumstantial qualifier referring to hammlata'l-hatab, which in turn is [either] a description of imra'atahu, `his wife', or the predicate of an implied subject). Meccan or Medinese, consisting of 4 or 5 verses. The Prophet (s) was asked about his Lord and the following was revealed;

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Who carries wood. In her neck is a twisted rope of Masad.

meaning, she will carry the firewood and throw it upon her husband to increase that which he is in (of torment), and she will be ready and prepared to do so.

فِى جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ
In her neck is a twisted rope of Masad. Mujahid and Urwah both said,

"From the palm fiber of the Fire."

Al-Awfi narrated from Ibn Abbas, Atiyah Al-Jadali, Ad-Dahhak and Ibn Zayd that;

she used to place thorns in the path of the Messenger of Allah.

Al-Jawhari said,

"Al-Masad refers to fibers, it is also a rope made from fibers or palm leaves.

It is also made from the skins of camels or their furs.

It is said (in Arabic) Masadtul-Habla and Amsaduhu Masadan, when you tightly fasten its twine."

Mujahid said,
فِى جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ
In her neck is a twisted rope of Masad.

"This means a collar of iron."

Don't you see that the Arabs call a pulley cable a Masad.
A Story of Abu Lahab's Wife harming the Messenger of Allah

Ibn Abi Hatim said that his father and Abu Zurah both said that Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr Al-Humaydi told them that Sufyan informed them that Al-Walid bin Kathir related from Ibn Tadrus who reported that Asma' bint Abi Bakr said,

"When
تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ
(Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab and perish he!) was revealed, the one-eyed Umm Jamil bint Harb came out wailing, and she had a stone in her hand. She was saying,

`He criticizes our father, and his religion is our scorn, and his command is to disobey us.'

The Messenger of Allah was sitting in the Masjid (of the Ka`bah) and Abu Bakr was with him. When Abu Bakr saw her he said,

`O Messenger of Allah! She is coming and I fear that she will see you.'

The Messenger of Allah replied,
إِنَّهَا لَنْ تَرَانِي
Verily, she will not see me.

Then he recited some of the Qur'an as a protection for himself.

This is as Allah says,

وَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرءَانَ جَعَلْنَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُوْمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ حِجَابًا مَّسْتُورًا

And when you recite the Qur'an, We put between you and those who believe not in the Hereafter, an invisible veil. (17;45)

So she advanced until she was standing in front of Abu Bakr and she did not see the Messenger of Allah.

She then said,

`O Abu Bakr! Verily, I have been informed that your friend is making defamatory poetry about me.'

Abu Bakr replied,

`Nay! By the Lord of this House (the Ka`bah) he is not defaming you.'

So she turned away saying,

`Indeed the Quraysh know that I am the daughter of their leader."'

Al-Walid or another person said in a different version of this Hadith,

"So Umm Jamil stumbled over her waist gown while she was making circuits (Tawaf) around the House (the Ka`bah) and she said,

`Cursed be the reviler.'

Then Umm Hakim bint Abdul-Muttalib said,

`I am a chaste woman so I will not speak abusively and I am refined so I do not know. Both of us are children of the same uncle. And after all the Quraysh know best."

This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Masad, and all praise and blessings are due to Allah.