100 Proofs That Islam Is True (Part 12): The Prophecy About Abu Lahab
Mufti Faijullah Aman
Introduction
In Parts 3 and 7 we saw that the Qur'an and the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave news of many future events. Today's prophecy is the most unusual and the most risky of all, because the power to prove it false lay in the hands of one man, and that man was one of the Prophet's greatest enemies.
Who Was Abu Lahab?
Abu Lahab was the Prophet's own uncle, yet he was a fierce enemy of Islam. When the Prophet stood on Mount Safa and gave his first public call, Abu Lahab was the first to shout: "May you perish! Is this why you gathered us?" (Sahih al-Bukhari)
After that, wherever the Prophet went to call people, Abu Lahab followed behind him, telling people: do not listen to him, he is a liar. His wife, Umm Jamil, used to scatter thorns on the path where the Prophet walked.
The Qur'an's Announcement
In this setting, Surah al-Lahab was revealed: "May the hands of Abu Lahab perish, and he has perished. His wealth and what he earned will not benefit him. He will soon enter a Fire of blazing flame, and his wife too, the carrier of firewood. Around her neck will be a rope of twisted palm fiber." (Surah al-Lahab 111:1-5)
The meaning of this chapter is clear: Abu Lahab and his wife are people of the Fire. And according to the basic teaching of Islam, one who dies with faith does not remain in the Fire forever. In other words, the Qur'an declared that these two would never believe, and would die in disbelief.
Ten Years of Open Opportunity
This chapter was revealed in the early Makkan period. Abu Lahab died shortly after the Battle of Badr, in the second year after the migration. This means he lived for about ten years after the chapter was revealed.
During those ten years, he could very easily have proven the Qur'an false. He would not have needed to fight a war or spend any wealth. He only had to stand in the marketplace of Makkah and say once: "I have become a Muslim." Even if he did not mean it, saying it with his tongue would have been enough. Then he could have told everyone: look, Muhammad's Book said I would die a disbeliever, yet I am a Muslim! Your prophet is a liar!
This would have been his most effective weapon against Islam. Yet he never did this simplest of things.
Others Did Change
It is worth noting that during those ten years and afterward, many bitter enemies of Islam accepted faith. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who had set out to kill the Prophet, became a Muslim. Later, Abu Sufyan, Khalid ibn al-Walid, Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, Wahshi, and many other enemies embraced Islam. But Abu Lahab and his wife, the very ones the Qur'an had named, never believed.
His Miserable Death
History books report that shortly after hearing the news of the defeat of Quraysh at Badr, Abu Lahab was struck by a contagious disease and died. Out of fear of the disease, even his own sons would not go near him. His body lay for several days. Later, fearing public shame, they threw water on it from a distance, pushed it into a pit with sticks, and covered it with stones. His wealth and earnings truly did not benefit him.
Why Is This a Proof?
Think about it. If Muhammad (peace be upon him) had written the Qur'an himself, would he have made a prophecy that placed the full power to prove it false in the hands of his enemy? A wise man would never leave all his claims to the will of someone who is most eager to prove him a liar. No human being knows which way another person's heart will turn. But the Owner of hearts knows, and so He could speak with certainty.
Conclusion
Abu Lahab had ten years, and to prove the Qur'an false he needed only one sentence. He never said it. This silence itself cries out as a witness that the Qur'an is the word of Allah, who knows what is in people's hearts and to whom the future is clear.
In the next part, the thirteenth proof, in sha Allah.
