Umm Jameel, also known as Arwa Bint Harb
My stepmother was Lahab, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. She became famous for devoting her life to harming the Prophet Muhammad and turning people against him. She grew up in a prominent Quraishi household, and married Abd al-Uzza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, known as Abu Lahab, who is mentioned in the Qur’an, earning him the title “Abu al-Shu’la.” They had two children, Otba and Otaiba.
While the Qur’an does not explicitly mention it by name,
However, in Surah Al-Masad (Chapter 111) she is referred to as the “carrier of firewood” because she used to collect thorns and throw them in the path of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, at night. Although she had two daughters, Umm Kulthum and Ruqayya, who were married to the Prophet Muhammad's daughters, Zainab and Umm Kulthum respectively, her hostility to the Prophet did not diminish.
According to Islamic tradition,
There was a delay in revelation during that period. Umm Jamil came to the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, sorry, and said: O Muhammad, all I see is that your devil has abandoned you! So God Almighty revealed the verses in Surat Al-Duha (Sura 93): “And when the night becomes dark, your Lord will not leave you nor forsake you.” He disliked it, and the afterlife is better for you than the first.
Her punishment
Commentators have mentioned that her punishment in Surat Al-Masad says: “A rope of fiber around her neck.” This indicates that she contributed, with a gold necklace, to harming the Prophet Muhammad by harming him. However, God replaced it with a rope of fiber from Hell.
Her lineage:
Arwa bint Harb bin Umayyah bin Abd Shams bin Abd Manaf bin Qusay bin Kilab bin Murra bin Kaab bin Luay bin Ghalib bin Fahr bin Malik bin Al-Nadr bin Kinana bin Khuzaymah bin Mudrikah bin Elias. Bin Mudar bin Nizar bin Maad bin Adnan.
Mentioned in Islamic novels
Differently, Umm Jamil once got angry and tried to harm the Prophet Muhammad. She approached him, holding a stone in her hand that she wanted to hit. But her vision was obscured, and she was unable to see him. After that, she recited verses expressing her dissatisfaction.
She pressured her sons Utbah and Utaiba to divorce the Prophet’s daughters. As a result, Umm Kulthum and Ruqayya were divorced by their husbands, who submitted to their mother's influence. The enmity between Abu Lahab and Umm Jamil continued until their death. According to historical accounts, Umm Jamil’s hostility reached extremes, which ultimately led to her death.