Sūrat ʿAbasa

Classification: Meccan. 42 verses (some say 41). Revealed after al-Najm.

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

1. He frowned and turned away,

2. Because the blind man came to him.

3. And what would make you know? Perhaps he might purify himself,

4. Or be reminded, and the reminder would benefit him.

5. As for him who considers himself self-sufficient,

6. To him you attend.

7. And it is not upon you if he does not purify himself.

8. But as for him who came to you striving,

9. While he fears [God],

10. From him you are distracted.

Ibn Umm Maktum—whose mother was Umm Maktum, the mother of his father, and whose name was Abdullah ibn Shurayh ibn Malik ibn Rabi‘ah al-Fihri of the Banu ‘Amir ibn Lu’ayy—came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

At that time, the leaders of Quraysh were with him: ‘Utbah and Shaybah (sons of Rabi‘ah), Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, and al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah. He was inviting them to Islam, hoping that if they accepted, others would follow.

Ibn Umm Maktum said, "O Messenger of Allah, teach me and instruct me from what Allah has taught you," repeating this while unaware that the Prophet (ﷺ) was preoccupied with the others. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) disliked his interruption, so he frowned and turned away from him.

Then this [surah] was revealed. Thereafter, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would honor him, and whenever he saw him, he would say, "Welcome to the one for whom my Lord rebuked me," and would ask him, "Do you have any need?" He even appointed him as his deputy over Medina twice. Anas said: "I saw him on the day of al-Qadisiyyah wearing armor and carrying a black banner."

• "He frowned" (‘abasa): It is read with tashdid (doubling the letter) to denote intensity, similar to kallaha (he scowled).
• "Because there came to him" (an ja’ahu): The an is in the accusative case, governed by "turned away" (tawalla) or "frowned" (‘abasa), depending on the two schools of thought. The meaning is: He frowned because the blind man came to him, or he turned away for that reason.
• It is also read as a-an ja’ahu (with two hamzas and an alif between them), pausing at "He frowned and turned away," then beginning anew with the meaning: "Is it because the blind man came to him that he did that?"—as a form of disapproval.
• It is narrated that he never frowned in the face of a poor person after that, nor did he prioritize a wealthy one.
• The shift from reporting what occurred to addressing him directly in the second person is a sign of increased disapproval, like someone complaining to others about a person who wronged them, then turning to the wrongdoer while heated in complaint, confronting them with rebuke and establishing the argument against them.
• Mentioning "the blind man" serves a similar purpose, as if to say: "He deserved, in your view, to be frowned at and turned away from because he is blind?" Whereas his blindness should have prompted more compassion, kindness, approachability, and welcome. People have learned excellent manners from Allah’s discipline here; it is narrated that Sufyan al-Thawri (may Allah have mercy on him) used to treat the poor in his gatherings as if they were princes.

• "But what would make you perceive" (wa ma yudrika): What could make you aware of the state of this blind man?
• "Perhaps he might purify himself" (la‘allahu yazzakka): That is, cleanse himself from some of the filth of sin through the laws he learns.
• "Or be reminded" (aw yadhakkar): Or take heed.
• "So the reminder would benefit him" (fatanfa‘ahu al-dhikra): That is, your sermon; it would be a grace for him in some acts of obedience. The meaning is: You do not know what is expected of him—whether purification or remembrance—and had you known, this would not have occurred from you.
• It is said the pronoun in "perhaps" (la‘allahu) refers to the disbeliever. Meaning: You were greedy for him to be purified through Islam or to be reminded so that the reminder would bring him closer to accepting the truth; but what makes you know that what you were greedy for would actually happen?
• "So the reminder would benefit him" (fatanfa‘ahu) is read in the nominative case as a conjunction to "be reminded" (yadhakkar), and in the accusative as a response to "perhaps" (la‘alla).

• "You attend to" (tassadda): You show concern by turning toward him. Musadah means opposition. It is read with tashdid by assimilating the ta into the sad. Abu Ja‘far read it as tassadda with a damma on the ta, meaning "you turn toward."
• The meaning is: A caller calls you to attend to him out of eagerness and intense desire for his Islam. There is no blame on you if he does not purify himself through Islam: "You are not responsible except for notification" (42:48).
• "He strives" (yas‘a): He hastens in seeking good.
• "While he fears" (wa huwa yakhsha): He fears Allah, or he fears the disbelievers and their harm in coming to you. It is also said he came without a guide, so he fears stumbling.
• "You are distracted" (tatalla): You occupy yourself, from laha ‘anhu (to be distracted from something). Talha ibn Musarrif read it as tatalla, and Abu Ja‘far read it as talla, meaning: the affairs of the leaders distract you.
• If you ask: "His saying 'To him you attend' and 'From him you are distracted'—does this imply exclusivity?" I say: Yes. The meaning is a disapproval of attending to one and being distracted from the other. That is: Someone like you, specifically, should not attend to the wealthy and be distracted from the poor.