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Surah Abasa - He Frowned

(Revealed at Mecca)

42 Verses in 1 Section

Sections of Surah Abasa

  1. The Day of Requital.

Abasa – The Day Of Requital

The righteous shall appear with faces radiant, happy and joyous, and the wicked with darkened faces, sorrowful, with dust on them.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

“In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful”

عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ

“He frowned and he turned away” (80:1)

أَنْ جَاءَهُ الْأَعْمَىٰ

“Because came unto him the blind man” (80:2)

وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّهُ يَزَّكَّىٰ

“And what maketh thee to know that he would cleanse himself” (80:3)

أَوْ يَذَّكَّرُ فَتَنْفَعَهُ الذِّكْرَىٰ

“Or he warned, and profiteth him the warning?” (80:4)

أَمَّا مَنِ اسْتَغْنَىٰ

“As for him who thinketh himself independent (on account of his wealth)” (80:5)

فَأَنْتَ لَهُ تَصَدَّىٰ

“Unto him dost thou attend” (80:6)

وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلَّا يَزَّكَّىٰ

“It shall be no blame on thee if cleansed not himself” (80:7)

وَأَمَّا مَنْ جَاءَكَ يَسْعَىٰ

“But as to him1who cometh unto thee striving in earnest” (80:8)

وَهُوَ يَخْشَىٰ

“And feareth he (at heart)” (80:9)

فَأَنْتَ عَنْهُ تَلَهَّىٰ

“From him wilt thou be indifferent” (80:10)

كَلَّا إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ

“Nay! but it (the Qur’an) is a reminder” (80:11)

فَمَنْ شَاءَ ذَكَرَهُ

“So, let whosoever pleaseth, mind it” (80:12)

فِي صُحُفٍ مُكَرَّمَةٍ

“(It is written) in the Books2greatly honoured.3” (80:13)

مَرْفُوعَةٍ مُطَهَّرَةٍ

“Exalted high, purified” (80:14)

بِأَيْدِي سَفَرَةٍ

“In the hands4of the deputy5angels” (80:15)

كِرَامٍ بَرَرَةٍ

“Noble, virtuous” (80:16)

قُتِلَ الْإِنْسَانُ مَا أَكْفَرَهُ

“Cursed be man! How ungrateful is he?” (80:17)

مِنْ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ

Of” what6thing did He7create him?” (80:18)

مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ خَلَقَهُ فَقَدَّرَهُ

“Of a Seminal - a drop8; He created him, then fixed its measure” (80:19)

ثُمَّ السَّبِيلَ يَسَّرَهُ

“(And) then the way (for him) He made it easy9“ (80:20)

ثُمَّ أَمَاتَهُ فَأَقْبَرَهُ

“Then He causeth him to die, and got him buried” (80:21)

ثُمَّ إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْشَرَهُ

“Then, when He willeth, He will again raise10him (to life)” (80:22)

كَلَّا لَمَّا يَقْضِ مَا أَمَرَهُ

“Nay! he hath fulfilled not what He11bade him” (80:23)

فَلْيَنْظُرِ الْإِنْسَانُ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِهِ

“Then, let man look at his food” (80:24)

أَنَّا صَبَبْنَا الْمَاءَ صَبًّا

“That it was We Who poured down water in an abundant pouring” (80:25)

ثُمَّ شَقَقْنَا الْأَرْضَ شَقًّا

“Then We cleft the earth, with a (necessary) cleaving” (80:26)

فَأَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا حَبًّا

“And caused We to grow’ therein the grain” (80:27)

وَعِنَبًا وَقَضْبًا

“And grapes and the vegetables” (80:28)

وَزَيْتُونًا وَنَخْلًا

“The Olive and the Palm” (80:29)

وَحَدَائِقَ غُلْبًا

“And gardens enclosed, thick with trees” (80:30)

وَفَاكِهَةً وَأَبًّا

“And fruits and the herbage” (80:31)

مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ

“A provision12for you and your cattle” (80:32)

فَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الصَّاخَّةُ

“But when cometh the deafening Trumpet Blast” (80:33)

يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ الْمَرْءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ

“That day man will fly from his (own) brother” (80:34)

وَأُمِّهِ وَأَبِيهِ

“And (from) his mother and (from) his father” (80:35)

وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَبَنِيهِ

“And (from) his wife and (his) children” (80:36)

لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِ

“For every man13of them on that day will have a concern enough to make him heedless (of others)” (80:37)

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُسْفِرَةٌ

“(there shall be) faces on that day radiant” (80:38)

ضَاحِكَةٌ مُسْتَبْشِرَةٌ

“Laughing, joyous” (80:39)

وَوُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَلَيْهَا غَبَرَةٌ

“And (there shall be) faces on that day on them shall be dust” (80:40)

تَرْهَقُهَا قَتَرَةٌ

“Darkness shall cover them” (80:41)

أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَفَرَةُ الْفَجَرَةُ

“These are they who are the disbelievers, the wicked” (80:42)

Commentary

Verse 1

The occasion for the revelation of this chapter was a historic incident which took place. Once the Holy Prophet was with some chieftains of the Quraish when Abdullah Ibn-Maktoom who was blind and was one of the intimate companions of the Holy Prophet came to the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet received him with honour and pleasure and gave him the place closest to him. Since Abdullah was poor and blind, the chieftains of the Quraish looked down upon him, and did not like the honour done and the place given to him by the Holy Prophet in their own presence and one of them frowned at Abdullah and sat turning his back to him. This displeased God, and Gabriel brought this Surah and revealed it to the Holy Prophet then and there.

This Surah commends Abdullah’s position, though poor and blind and condemns the loathsome attitude of the companions. The pity is that some commentators just to align the Holy Prophet along with the ordinary mortals, attempt to say that he was not free from the weaknesses of character and conduct which insulted Abdullah, whereas the one who insulted the poor man was the companion. This is in the first place a gross betrayal of the ignorance of the facts of the historic event and secondly a falsehood uttered against the divinely set up fountainhead of the best of ethics, as a model for mankind to copy. It is the doubtless fact of history that it was not the sword of the Muslims that spread Islam but the sublime ethics of the Holy Prophet.

The sword which Islam used was only to defend its existence and to protect its early adherents against the unprovoked aggression from its enemies. It is opposed to the announcement of the sublime morals and the ethics of the Holy Prophet by God Himself:

“Verily thou (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) is on sublime morals or ethics” (68:4)

How could such a defect in the morals be accepted when God Himself commends mankind to follow the example of the Holy Prophet in his ethics:

‘‘Verily ye (Mankind) have in the Apostle an excellent exemplar who hopes in God, and the Hereafter and remembers God much” (33:21)

The conduct referred to here is that the companion enacted out of his tribal pride and personal position as a wealthy one (MS.) and Qummi’s commentary.

The commentators who have depended on the sources other than the Ahl Al-Bayt had the view that the nominative pronoun in the two verbs in verse 1 and the subjective pronoun in verse 2 refer to the Holy Prophet and subsequently the other pronoun in second person in verse 3 and in verse 6 and verse 7 and verse 8 also refer to the Holy Prophet and hold this as one of the examples where God censured the Holy Prophet for his mistake but according to the interpretation of the Ahl Al-Bayt the reference in all these places is to somebody else who was present in the meeting in question and resented the presence of the blind man (Abdullah Ibn Maktoom) who interrupted the discourse between the Holy Prophet and the dignitaries. So the man who resented is the one referred to, directly, and also the other dignitaries indirectly showing that what is wanted, is the sincerity of the faith, irrespective of any worldly position oi status.

Otherwise, the Holy Prophet attending to the dignitaries with the intention of bringing them to the right path, as new converts and not attending to an old believer is not a wrong procedure to be blamed, for God orders Moses to go to Pharaoh14 knowing that Pharaoh would not submit to Moses and even in other place, orders Moses and Aaron to go and talk to Pharaoh in a gentle and lenient tone. (A.P.)

Verse 2

The blind man is the reference to Abdullah Ibn Maktoom. Note the address is to the second person, i.e., to the Holy Prophet, but it is meant for the companion.

Verse 3

The questioning in this verse clearly indicates that the doubt about Abdullah being benefited by the talk with the Holy Prophet or not, could have been in the mind of one who had not yet embraced the faith, and which could never have occurred to an Apostle of God who has been sent to preach the faith to one and all, irrespective of any worldly position of the people. The questioning clearly indicates that the addressee was someone other than the Holy Prophet. The factor which this verse wants to preach, i.e., no spiritual value should be assigned to material wealth and the prospects of guidance being effective or not, should not be measured by any one’s economic position in life or his influence in the society.

Verse 4

What is wanted to acquire knowledge is the will to learn. This essential urge in any poor man, may help him to grow more in spiritual excellence than the arrogant self-exalting wealthy one puffed up of his riches and position.

Verse 5

It is the poor who by nature or necessity, turn to God and become godly to earn His grace and mercy which they need very badly. The arrogant wealthy ones in their self-sufficiency always rebel against the laws of God and transgress the prescribed limits and if they ever join the ranks of faithful, it would be only when it profits them and gives them an advantageous position in their life and society or for the promotion of their worldly interest. Faith needs humility and naturally goes with meekness and the humble.

Verse 6

The divine will is opposed to any attention paid to such arrogant one who looked down at Abdullah Ibn-Maktoom for his poverty and being blind and helpless.

Verse 7

It was not the concern of anyone if the poor man did not benefit himself by the preachings of the Holy Prophet.

Verse 8

The reference is to Abdullah Ibn-Maktoom.

Verse 9-10

Attention should be paid first to the one who comes striving with earnestness, be he poor and lowly in his position, it is nothing to do with his receiving the knowledge, he comes for.

Verse 11

The Reminder (The Holy Qur’an) from God or the faith it preaches, is universal in its application - none should be excluded on the merit of any worldly calculation of wealth or poverty, the individual being high or low. The craving for spiritual growth, if with the necessary earnestness, must be given preference if it be needed.

Verse 12

The choice to accept the Holy Qur’an as the Word of God and to abide by it, is left to every individual man and woman.

Verse 13

The truth about the Unity of God had been in all the previously revealed scriptures which are undoubtedly the honoured scripts.

Verse 15

i.e., The Holy Books have been either in the hands of the angels who conveyed them to the apostles of God or in the hands of those who have been purified by God Himself15. i.e., the purified ones are only the Holy Ahl Al-Bayt, i.e., the Holy Prophet, his godly daughter Lady Fatimah and the Twelve Holy Imams viz., Ali, his two sons, Hasan and Husayn, and nine Holy Imams in the seed of Husayn.

The angels or those pious ones who preserved the Word of God in its original purity, recorded in writing.

The divine representative entities are either angels, prophets or the Imams. (A.P.)

Verse 16

The quality of the scribes. There can never be any other than those whom God Himself purified16, i.e., the Holy Ahl Al-Bayt.

Verse 17

The trend of the address, which is to those who disbelieve the Holy Qur’an, clearly indicates that the matter of this Surah is an admonition to the disbelievers or those half-hearted converts who still, even after embracing the faith, lacked conviction, as one of them proved and himself declared to be the doubter about bonafide of the Holy Prophet’s position as the apostle of God on the day of Hudaibiyya.

Verse 18-22

Man is reminded of his humblest origin as a life germ and the ultimate and as the dust, to be raised again at the will of the Lord. About the origin of man17 - About man’s rising again18.

Verse 23

Refers to man’s deviating from the right path of the faith and the prescribed conduct of life.

Verse 24-32

Man is reminded of the bounties of God, showered on him, upon which rests his life and the life of all the creatures serving Him.

About the provision made for man, of the cattle19.

The Sixth Holy Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq says concerning verse 24: ‘‘Man should also look at the knowledge which he obtains and not to see from what source he gets it” The Creator who was so careful about providing man with physical sustenance undoubtedly will be much more careful about providing proper nourishment for his mental and spiritual development. (A.P.)

Verse 33-37

This verse repeats the warning to man against the great Day of Judgment, which is sure to come, relating how violent will be the dawn of the day and in what agony and tumult will be mankind that everyone will be for himself forgetting the closest ties of even the nearest relations, his own parents, spouses and issues. No friend will even enquire about a friend20.

Verse 38-39

This will be the state of the happiness and the joy of the faithful and the righteous ones.

Verse 40-42

This refers to the fate of the disbelievers and the wicked ones.

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