Tafsir of Al-Masad 111:4

(And his wife) is a conjunction to the hidden pronoun in "he will enter" (sayasla), due to the separation caused by the object. His statement, the Exalted, (the carrier of firewood) is in the accusative case as a form of vilification and condemnation. It is also said to be in the state of being a circumstantial qualifier (hal), based on the view that the genitive construction is not literal for the future tense, as you will hear, God willing.

She is Umm Jamil bint Harb, the sister of Abu Sufyan. Ibn Asakir narrated from Ja'far al-Sadiq, from his father Muhammad al-Baqir—may God the Exalted be pleased with them both—that Aqil ibn Abi Talib entered upon Mu'awiyah, and Mu'awiyah said to him, "Where do you see your uncle Abu Lahab in the Fire?" Aqil replied, "When you enter it, he will be on your left, laying with your aunt, the carrier of firewood; and the rider is better than the ridden." I do not believe this report from al-Sadiq to be authentic, as it contains what it contains.

According to what is in al-Bahr, she was one-eyed, and she was branded with this [title] because—as Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir narrated from Ibn Zayd—she used to bring thorny branches and throw them at night on the path of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, and the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, would tread upon them as if treading on silk.

It is narrated from Qatadah that, despite her great wealth, she used to carry firewood on her back due to extreme stinginess, and thus she was shamed for her stinginess. Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from him and from Mujahid that she used to walk about with slander. Ibn Abi Hatim also narrated this from al-Hasan. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas and al-Suddi that it is said of one who walks with slander that they "carry firewood" among people; meaning, they kindle the flames of discord among them and ignite evil. Thus, "firewood" is a metaphor for slander, and it is a well-known metaphor. Among such examples is the saying:

Of the white-complexioned women who do not hunt behind the armor, And who do not walk among the tribe with damp firewood.

He called it "damp" to indicate the smoking, which is an increase in evil; therein is an excellent elaboration. Likewise is the saying of the Rajaz poet:

Indeed, the sons of al-Adram are carriers of firewood, They are the slanderers in contentment and in anger.

Ibn Jarir said: "[It means] carrier of sins and transgressions," from the expression "He collects firewood on his back," meaning when one acquires sins and transgressions. The apparent meaning is that the firewood is a metaphor for sins, based on the commonality that both are the cause of burning. It is said that "firewood" (hatab) is the plural of "gatherer" (hatib), like the plural of "guard" (haris) is "guards" (haras), meaning she carries the perpetrators toward their crimes; but this is a far-fetched interpretation.

Abu Haywah and Ibn Miqsam read sayasla (he will enter) with a damma on the ya, a fatha on the sad, and a shadda on the lam. [They read] murayyatuhu (his little wife) with the diminutive form and the glottal stop. It was also read murayyatu-hu with the diminutive, changing the glottal stop to a ya and assimilating it. Al-Hasan and Ibn Ishaq read sayasla with a damma on the ya and a sukun on the sad. Abu Amr elided the vowel of the ha in imra'atihi. In one narration, Abu Qilabah read hamilata al-hatab (carrier of firewood) in the measure of fa'ilah, as a genitive construction. The majority read hammalata al-hatab (the carrier of firewood) in the accusative case as a genitive construction. It was also read hammalatun li-l-hatab with tanwin, in the nominative and accusative, with the preposition lam attached to al-hatab.