تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ
DOOMED are the hands of him of the glowing countenance, and doomed is he! (1)
مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ
What will his wealth avail him, and all that he has gained? (2)
سَيَصْلَىٰ نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ
[In the life to come] he shall have to endure a fire fiercely glowing, (3)
وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ
together with his wife, that carrier of evil tales, (4)
فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِنْ مَسَدٍ
[who bears] around her neck a rope of twisted strands! (5)
- [who bears] around her neck a rope of twisted strands!4
- 4 The term masad signifies anything that consists of twisted strands, irrespective of the material (Qamus, Mughni, Lisan al-Arab). In the abstract sense in which it is evidently used here, the above phrase seems to have a double connotation: it alludes to the woman's twisted, warped nature, as well as to the spiritual truth that "every human being's destiny is tied to his neck" (see 17:13 and, in particular, the corresponding note 17) - which, together with verse 2, reveals the general, timeless purport of this surah.
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A twisted rope of palm-leaf fibre round her (own) neck!
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
Will have upon her neck a halter of palm-fibre.
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
Upon her neck a halter of strongly twisted rope.
— M. Habib Shakir -
In her neck is a twisted rope of Masad (palm fibre).
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
On her neck shall be a cord of twisted fibre.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
shall have a rope of palmfiber around her neck!
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
around her neck a rope of palm-fiber.
— Ayub Khan -
Round her neck shall be a halter of twisted palm-fibre.
— Sher Ali -
[who bears] around her neck a rope of twisted strands!
— Muhammad Asad -
upon her neck a rope of palm-fibre.
— Arthur Arberry -
upon her neck shall be a rope of palm-fibre.{{5}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi