The Sons of Abu Lahab
Who Are the Sons of Abu Lahab?
Abu Lahab had three sons: Utbah, Mu’tab, and Utaibah. His daughters included Durrah, Khalidah, and Izzah. Among his sons, Utbah, Mu’tab, and Durrah had companionship with one another, while Utaibah met an unfortunate fate at the hands of a lion, as he was considered a disbeliever. It is also mentioned that he had two daughters, Durrah and Subay’ah, of whom two sons converted to Islam during the Conquest of Mecca, as will be elaborated in the subsequent section. Both of his daughters, Durrah and Subay’ah, also embraced Islam.
Islam of Abu Lahab’s Sons
Abu Lahab had four children, two of whom passed away during his lifetime as disbelievers. The other two embraced Islam, disappointing their father’s expectations. Utbah and his brother Mu’tab converted to Islam during the Conquest of Mecca. They fled initially, but Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet, was sent to bring them back, and upon their return, they had accepted Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was pleased with their conversion, prayed for them, and they participated in the battles of Hunayn and Ta’if, but they did not leave Mecca to go to Medina.
On the other hand, Utaibah was a source of great distress for the Prophet, who prayed for Allah to unleash a wild beast upon him. Eventually, he was attacked and killed by a lion among his people. There is also an account stating that it was Utbah who fell victim to the lion, and that Utaibah is the one who converted to Islam during the Conquest of Mecca. As for Durrah, she accepted Islam and was married to Al-Harith ibn Nufail ibn Abd al-Muttalib, birthing children named Uqbah, Al-Walid, and Abu Muslim.
The Marriages of Abu Lahab’s Sons to the Daughters of the Prophet
It has been reported that Utbah and Utaibah married the daughters of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Rukayah and Umm Kulthum. When the verse “May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he” was revealed, their father, Abu Lahab, commanded them to divorce their wives, which they did. Rukayah, daughter of the Prophet, was married to Utbah, but when the Prophet was commissioned for his mission and Surah Al-Masad was revealed, Abu Lahab told his son that he would not allow him to have any association with Rukayah. Therefore, Utbah divorced her before he could consummate the marriage.
Similarly, Umm Kulthum was married to Utaibah, although some accounts state that she was married to Utbah. Bai Lahab ordered them to divorce her following the Prophet’s mission and the revelation of Surah Al-Masad, and Utaibah, too, divorced her before consummation. Rukayah was married to Utbah ibn Abu Lahab, while her sister Umm Kulthum was married to his brother Utaibah.
After the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) publicly announced his mission, Utbah and Utaibah opposed him. The Quraysh advised them, saying, “You have relieved Muhammad of his burdens; return his daughters to him and distract him with them.” Following this advice, the sons of Abu Lahab approached Abu al-Aas to request he divorce the daughter of the Prophet. However, he declined their request, stating, “By Allah, I will not part with my wife, and I would not want to replace her with a woman from Quraysh.”