Quran and Hadith Studies

Quran and Hadith Studies

A Critical Analysis of the Article “Interpretive Rereading of Surah al-Masad”

Document Type : Research Article

Author
Hamid Naderi Ghahfarokhi
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
10.22067/jquran.2026.97773.1951
Abstract
Based on lexical, theological, and historical evidence, the authors of the article “Interpretive Rereading of Surah al-Masad” argue that, contrary to the popular interpretation, this surah does not denote the curse and hellishness of Abū Lahab and his wife in the hereafter but rather conveys the Quran’s prediction of their incendiary actions against the Prophet (PBUH) in this world and their failure. Evaluating the article’s evidence and examining its strengths and ambiguities necessitate rereading it to reveal new dimensions of the surah. A critical analysis of the aforementioned view shows that although this hypothesis is novel, it faces significant challenges. Firstly, from a lexical point of view, the root “t-b-b” is capable of conveying the meaning of curse even without the preposition lām, and the term “ṣalā” cannot mean “incendiary action”. Secondly, the view not only fails to resolve the theological doubt of “Abū Lahab’s compulsion to become hellish”, but it itself falls into this doubt in another way. Thirdly, the sequence of revelation of the Quranic surahs cannot prove that Surah al-Masad was revealed after Abū Lahab’s obstructionism during the event of “indhār al-ashīrat al-aqrabīn” (warning the close relatives) and the appointment of Ali (AS) as the Prophet’s minister.
Keywords
Surah al-Masad
Quranic curse
Free will and determinism
Abū Lahab’s incendiary action
Sequence of revelation
Subjects
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Quran and Hadith Studies
Volume 58, Issue 1 - Serial Number 116
Spring & summer 2026
August 2026
Pages 239-265

  • Receive Date 09 February 2026
  • Revise Date 27 April 2026
  • Accept Date 02 June 2026