(The power of Abu Lahab will perish, and he will perish…) [111:1-5]. Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Hiri informed us> the chamberlain of Ibn Ahmad> Muhammad ibn Hammad> Abu Mu‘awiyah> al-A‘mash> ‘Amr ibn Murrah> Sa‘id ibn Jubayr> Ibn ‘Abbas who said: “One day, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, climbed al-Safa [hill] and shouted: ‘Come to me!’ And so all the Quraysh gathered around him. They said: ‘What ails you?’ He said: ‘If I were to tell you that the enemy is going to attack you in the morning or in the evening, would you not have believed me?’ They said: ‘Indeed, we would believe you’. He said: ‘In that case, I am a warner sent to you against a tremendous chastisement’. Abu Lahab said in response: ‘May you perish, is this why you have summoned all of us here?’ And so Allah, glorified and majestic is He, revealed (The power of Abu Lahab will perish, and he will perish…) up to the end of the Surah”. This was narrated by Bukhari from Muhammad ibn Salam from Abu Mu‘awiyah. Sa‘id ibn Muhammad al-‘Adl informed us> Abu ‘Ali ibn Abu Bakr al-Faqih> ‘Ali ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Mubashshir al-Wasiti> Abu’l-Ash‘ath Ahmad ibn al-Miqdam> Yazid ibn Zuray‘> al-Kalbi> Abu Salih> Ibn ‘Abbas who said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, stood up once and called: ‘O household of Ghalib! O household of Lu’ayy! O household of Murrah! O household of Kilab! O household of Qusayy! O household of ‘Abd Manaf! I have nothing in my possession which will spare you from Allah’s chastisement nor can I promise you any share from this world unless you say: there is no deity except Allah’. Abu Lahab said to him: ‘May you perish, is this why you have summoned us?’ And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (The power of Abu Lahab will perish, and he will perish)”. Abu Ishaq al-Muqri’ informed us> ‘Abd Allah ibn Hamid> Makki ibn ‘Abdan> ‘Abd Allah ibn Hashim> ‘Abd Allah ibn Numayr> al-A‘mash> ‘Abd Allah ibn Murrah> Sa‘id ibn Jubayr> Ibn ‘Abbas who said: “When the verse (And warn thy tribe of near kindred) [26:214], the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, went toward al-Safa, climbed it and then called: ‘It’s morning time, get ready!’ people gathered around him (some came in person and some sent their own emissary).
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
