Hatab Firewood

Dry wood used to fuel fire. The Arabic word hattaab is the person who collects firewood from dry plants and branches. It was a known job in desert areas and forests. In the Arabian Peninsula and other desert regions get firewood from the branches of thorny trees, e.g. salam (Vachellia flava) and samur (Vachellia Tortilis) which are collected for fuel.

This word occurs twice in the Glorious Quran, in the story of the wife of Abu Lahab. She used to carry thorny pieces of wood and throw them on the way of Prophet Muhammad and his companions. Allah, Glory is to Him, says: (And his wife [as well] – the carrier of firewood. Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber) [Al-Masad: 4,5].