Surah 80. Abasa

He frowned and turned 'his attention' away,

'simply' because the blind man came to him 'interrupting'.¹

 In a ḥadîth collected by At-Tirmiⱬi, a blind man by the name of ’Abdullâh ibn Um Maktûm, an early Muslim, came to the Prophet (ﷺ) seeking to learn more about the faith, while the Prophet (ﷺ) was in the middle of a discussion with an elite Meccan pagan, trying to convince him to abandon his idols and believe in the One True God. ’Abdullâh was so impatient that he interrupted the discussion several times. The Prophet (ﷺ) frowned and turned all his attention to the man he was already talking to. This Meccan sûrah was later revealed, telling the Prophet (ﷺ) that he should have tended to the faithful man who was eager to learn. After this sûrah was revealed, the Prophet (ﷺ) would honour ’Abdullâh, calling him ‘the man for whom my Lord rebuked me.’ He (ﷺ) even appointed him several times as his deputy over Medina.

You never know 'O Prophet', perhaps he may be purified,

or he may be mindful, benefitting from the reminder.

As for the one who was indifferent,

you gave him your 'undivided' attention,

even though you are not to blame if he would not be purified.

But as for the one who came to you, eager 'to learn',

being in awe 'of Allah',

you were inattentive to him.

But no! This 'revelation' is truly a reminder.

So let whoever wills be mindful of it.

It is 'written' on pages held in honour-

highly esteemed, purified-

by the hands of angel-scribes,

honourable and virtuous.

Condemned are 'disbelieving' humans! How ungrateful they are 'to Allah'!

From what substance did He create them?

He created them from a sperm-drop, and ordained their development.

Then He makes the way easy for them,¹

 The way to true guidance or the way out of their mothers’ wombs.

then causes them to die and be buried.¹

 Burial is perceived as a way of honouring human beings after their death.

Then when He wills, He will resurrect them.

But no! They have failed to comply with what He ordered.

Let people then consider their food:

how We pour down rain in abundance

and meticulously split the earth open 'for sprouts',

causing grain to grow in it,

as well as grapes and greens,

and olives and palm trees,

and dense orchards,

and fruit and fodder-

all as 'a means of' sustenance for you and your animals.

Then, when the Deafening Blast¹ comes to pass-

 This is the second Blast which will cause the dead to come to life for judgment. See 39:68.

on that Day every person will flee from their own siblings,

and 'even' their mother and father,

and 'even' their spouse and children.

For then everyone will have enough concern of their own.

On that Day 'some' faces will be bright,

laughing and rejoicing,

while 'other' faces will be dusty,

cast in gloom-

those are the disbelievers, the 'wicked' sinners.