He Frowned (‘Abasa)
Verses 1-16 GROUP_1560 80.1-16
1
عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّى
He frowned and turned away
2
أَن جَاءهُ الْأَعْمَى
when the blind man approached him,
3
وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّهُ يَزَّكَّى
for how can you know that he might seek to purify himself,
4
أَوْ يَذَّكَّرُ فَتَنفَعَهُ الذِّكْرَى
or take heed and derive benefit from [Our] warning?
5
أَمَّا مَنِ اسْتَغْنَى
As for him who was indifferent,
6
فَأَنتَ لَهُ تَصَدَّى
you eagerly attended to him—
7
وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلَّا يَزَّكَّى
though you are not to be blamed if he would not purify himself—
8
وَأَمَّا مَن جَاءكَ يَسْعَى
but as for one who comes to you, eagerly
9
وَهُوَ يَخْشَى
and in awe of God
10
فَأَنتَ عَنْهُ تَلَهَّى
you pay him no heed.
11
كَلَّا إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ
Indeed, this [Quran] is an admonition.
12
فَمَن شَاء ذَكَرَهُ
Let him who will, pay heed to it.
13
فِي صُحُفٍ مُّكَرَّمَةٍ
It is set down on honoured pages,
14
مَّرْفُوعَةٍ مُّطَهَّرَةٍ
exalted and purified,
15
بِأَيْدِي سَفَرَةٍ
by the hands of
16
كِرَامٍ بَرَرَةٍ
noble and virtuous scribes.
No class discussions published for this verse group yet.
Commentary
(a) The Prophet Muhammad was once preaching to the chiefs of the Quraysh in Makkah, when a blind man, ‘Abdullah ibn Umm al-Maktum, arrived at the gathering and said, ‘O, Prophet of God ! Please teach me something of what God has taught you.’ The arrival of a blind person at this juncture displeased the Prophet. These verses were revealed on that occasion. In these verses the apparent addressee is the Prophet Muhammad, but actually it has been clarified with reference to this incident that, in the eyes of God, those prominent people who have turned away from religion have no value. Before God, the valued person is the one who is imbued with the God-fearing spirit, though apparently he may be a ‘blind’ person.