THE REACTION OF THE MECCANS to Muḥammad's public appearance forms the core of the theme of persecution. Their first hostile reaction is described in the traditions of the ‘ashira scene; many of its versions revolve round the Prophet's greatest enemy, his own paternal uncle, Abū Lahab.

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The story of Abū Lahab's reaction demonstrates once again the Quranic role in the development of the story of Muḥammad's emergence, and illustrates various aspects of the process of adaptation of universal themes like persecution to Quranic models. The name of Abu Lahab is mentioned in Surat al-Masad (111), in which he and his wife are severely cursed and condemned to Hell. This di- vine condemnation of a member of the Prophet's own clan (Hashim) turned him in the eyes of later generations into a damned enemy of Islam, and made him the most suitable figure to represent the persecuting party in the story of persecu- tion. His sūra was incorporated into various scenes of persecution together with an ever changing story about its revelation, which was made part of the scene itself. This applies first and foremost to the ‘ashira scene. The actual wording of Sūrat al-Masad was made part of the lines uttered by Abū Lahab in reaction to Muḥammad's address, and the revelation of Surat al-Masad was actually made part of the story, functioning as a divine response to Abū Lahab's own hostile reaction. The text uttered by Abū Lahab in the ‘ashīra scene consists of linking words derived from the first verse of Sūrat al-Masad. This verse reads:

The versions containing the reaction of Abū Lahab take the ‘ashīra address back to its basic apocalyptic level. The best-known tradition of this group is that of Sa'id ibn Jubayr (Kūfan d. AH 95) from Ibn ‘Abbās, and appears in the sec tions of Iman in Muslim and Abū ‘Awāna. God orders His Prophet to warn his nearest ‘ashīra, or “relations”, so Muḥammad mounts the hill of the Ṣafā and warns the audience of the “attack” of the Last Judgement. His warning contains a part of Quran 34:46, in which, as already seen, he is “a warner on the brink of a horrible disaster”. Abū Lahab says: tabban laka, “Damn you”, and adds: “Is this what you called us for?“