Surah Abasa ayat 2 Tafsir Quran 80:2

﴿أَن جَاءَهُ الْأَعْمَىٰ﴾
[ عبس: 2]

80:2 Because there came to him the blind man, [interrupting].

because the blind man came to him ‘Abd Allāh son of Umm Maktūm who interrupted him while he was busy with those notables of Quryash whose submission to God he was very eager for. The blind man was not aware that he was busy with these and so he called out to him ‘Teach me of what God has taught you’. However the Prophet s went off to his house. He was then reproached for this with what was revealed in this sūra. Afterwards whenever he came to him the Prophet would say to him ‘Greetings to him on whose account God reproached me!’ and would lay down his cloak for him.

When the blind man came in (and interrupted his exhortation to some of the Qurashite nobilities who tried to suppress his mission and stood in his way)

Which was revealed in Makkah بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ (In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Prophet being reprimanded because He frowned at a Weak Man More than one of the scholars of Tafsir mentioned that one day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was addressing one of the great leaders of the Quraysh while hoping that he would accept Islam.
While he was speaking in direct conversation with him, Ibn Umm Maktum came to him, and he was of those who had accepted Islam in its earliest days.
He ( Ibn Umm Maktum ) then began asking the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about something, urgently beseeching him.
The Prophet hoped that the man would be guided, so he asked Ibn Umm Maktum to wait for a moment so he could complete his conversation.
He frowned in the face of Ibn Umm Maktum and turned away from him in order to face the other man.
Thus, Allah revealed, عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّى - أَن جَآءَهُ الاٌّعْمَى - وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّهُ يَزَّكَّى ( He frowned and turned away.
Because there came to him the blind man.
And how can you know that he might become pure ) meaning, he may attain purification and cleanliness in his soul. أَوْ يَذَّكَّرُ فَتَنفَعَهُ الذِّكْرَى ( Or he might receive admonition, and the admonition might profit him ) meaning, he may receive admonition and abstain from the forbidden. أَمَّا مَنِ اسْتَغْنَى - فَأَنتَ لَهُ تَصَدَّى ( As for him who thinks himself self-sufficient.
To him you attend; ) meaning, `you face the rich person so that perhaps he may be guided.' وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلاَّ يَزَّكَّى ( What does it matter to you if he will not become pure ) meaning, `you are not responsible for him if he does not attain purification.' وَأَمَّا مَن جَآءَكَ يَسْعَى - وَهُوَ يَخْشَى ( But as for him who came to you running.
And is afraid. ) meaning, `he is seeking you and he comes to you so that he may be guided by what you say to him.' فَأَنتَ عَنْهُ تَلَهَّى ( Of him you are neglectful and divert your attention to another. ) meaning, `you are too busy.' Here Allah commands His Messenger to not single anyone out with the warning.
Rather, he should equal warn the noble and the weak, the poor and the rich, the master and the slave, the men and the women, the young and the old.
Then Allah will guide whomever He chooses to a path that is straight.
He has the profound wisdom and the decisive proof.
Abu Ya`la and Ibn Jarir both recorded from `A'ishah that she said about, عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّى ( He frowned and turned away. ) was revealed." At-Tirmirdhi recorded this Hadith but he did not mention that it was narrated by `A'ishah.
I say it is reported like this in Al-Muwatta' as well. The Characteristics of the Qur'an Allah says, كَلاَّ إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ ( Nay; indeed it is an admonition. ) meaning, this Surah, or this advice in conveying knowledge equally among people, whether they are of noble or low class.
Qatadah and As-Suddi both said, كَلاَّ إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ ( Nay; indeed it is an admonition. ) "This means the Qur'an." فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُ ( So, whoever wills, let him pay attention to Him (it ).) meaning, so whoever wills, he remembers Allah in all of his affairs.
The pronoun could also be understood to be referring to the revelation since the conversation is alluding to it.
Allah said: فَى صُحُفٍ مُّكَرَّمَةٍ - مَّرْفُوعَةٍ مُّطَهَّرَةٍ ( In Records held in honor, exalted, purified. ) meaning, this Surah or this admonition.
Both meanings are connected to each other.
Actually, all of the Qur'an is in honored pages, meaning respected and revered. مَّرْفُوعَةٍ ( exalted ) meaning, elevated in status. مُّطَهَّرَةٍ ( purified ) meaning, from impurity, additions and deficiency.
Concerning Allah's statement, بِأَيْدِى سَفَرَةٍ ( In the hands of ambassadors (Safarah ),) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, and Ibn Zayd, all said, "These are the angels." Al-Bukhari said, "Safarah ( ambassadors ) refers to the angels.
They travel around rectifying matters between themselves.
The angels when they descend with the revelation of Allah, bringing it like the ambassador who rectifies matters between people." Allah said, كِرَامٍ بَرَرَةٍ ( Honorable and obedient. ) meaning, they are noble, handsome, and honorable in their creation.
Their character and their deeds are righteous, pure and perfect.
Here it should be noted that it is necessary for one who carries the Qur'an ( i.e., the angel ) to be following righteousness and guidance.
Imam Ahmad recorded from `A'ishah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ وَهُوَ مَاهِرٌ بِهِ، مَعَ السَّفَرَةِ الْكِرَامِ الْبَرَرَةِ، وَالَّذِي يَقْرَؤُهُ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِ شَاقٌّ، لَهُ أَجْرَان»
( He who recites the Qur'an proficiently, will be with the noble, righteous, ambassador angels, and the one who recites it with difficulty will receive two rewards. ) This Hadith was reported by the group.

(80:2) that the blind man came to him. *1

Because there came to him the blind meaning

*1) The style of this first sentence is elegant and subtle.
Although in the following sentences the Holy Prophet ( upon whom be peace ) has been directly addressed, which by itself shows that the act of frowning and turning aside had issued forth from him, the discourse has been opened in a manner as though it was not he but some one else who had so acted.
By this style the Holy Prophet ( upon whom be peace ), by a subtle method, has been made to realize that it was an act unseemly for him.
Had somebody familiar with his high morals witnessed it, he would have thought that it was not he but some other person who had behaved in that manner.
The blind man referred to here implies, as we have explained in the Introduction, the well-known Companion, Hadrat Ibn Umm Maktum.
Hafiz Ibn 'Abdul Barr in Al-Isti'ab and Hafiz Ibn Hajar in AI-Isbah have stated that he was a first cousin of the Holy Prophet's wife, Hadrat Khadijah.
His mother, Umm Maktum, and Hadrat Khadijah's father, Khuwailid, were sister and brother to each other.
After one knows his relationship with the Holy Prophet, there remains no room for the doubt that he had turned away from him regarding him as a poor man having a low station in life, and attended to the high-placed people, for he was the Holy Prophet's brother-in-law and a man of noble birth.
The reason why the Holy Prophet had shown disregard for him is indicated by the word a ma ( blind man ), which Allah Himself has used as the cause of the Holy Prophet's inattention.
That is, the Holy Prophet thought that even if a single man from among the people whom he was trying to bring to the right path, listened to him and was rightly guided, be could become a powerful means of strengthening Islam.
On the contrary, Ibn Umm Maktum was a blind man, who could not prove to be so useful for Islam because of his disability as could one of the Quraish elders on becoming a Muslim.
Therefore, he should not interrupt the conversation at that time; whatever he wanted to ask or learn, he could ask or learn at some later time.

 

Which was revealed in Makkah بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ (In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Prophet being reprimanded because He frowned at a Weak Man More than one of the scholars of Tafsir mentioned that one day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was addressing one of the great leaders of the Quraysh while hoping that he would accept Islam.
While he was speaking in direct conversation with him, Ibn Umm Maktum came to him, and he was of those who had accepted Islam in its earliest days.
He ( Ibn Umm Maktum ) then began asking the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about something, urgently beseeching him.
The Prophet hoped that the man would be guided, so he asked Ibn Umm Maktum to wait for a moment so he could complete his conversation.
He frowned in the face of Ibn Umm Maktum and turned away from him in order to face the other man.
Thus, Allah revealed, عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّى - أَن جَآءَهُ الاٌّعْمَى - وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّهُ يَزَّكَّى ( He frowned and turned away.
Because there came to him the blind man.
And how can you know that he might become pure ) meaning, he may attain purification and cleanliness in his soul. أَوْ يَذَّكَّرُ فَتَنفَعَهُ الذِّكْرَى ( Or he might receive admonition, and the admonition might profit him ) meaning, he may receive admonition and abstain from the forbidden. أَمَّا مَنِ اسْتَغْنَى - فَأَنتَ لَهُ تَصَدَّى ( As for him who thinks himself self-sufficient.
To him you attend; ) meaning, `you face the rich person so that perhaps he may be guided.' وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلاَّ يَزَّكَّى ( What does it matter to you if he will not become pure ) meaning, `you are not responsible for him if he does not attain purification.' وَأَمَّا مَن جَآءَكَ يَسْعَى - وَهُوَ يَخْشَى ( But as for him who came to you running.
And is afraid. ) meaning, `he is seeking you and he comes to you so that he may be guided by what you say to him.' فَأَنتَ عَنْهُ تَلَهَّى ( Of him you are neglectful and divert your attention to another. ) meaning, `you are too busy.' Here Allah commands His Messenger to not single anyone out with the warning.
Rather, he should equal warn the noble and the weak, the poor and the rich, the master and the slave, the men and the women, the young and the old.
Then Allah will guide whomever He chooses to a path that is straight.
He has the profound wisdom and the decisive proof.
Abu Ya`la and Ibn Jarir both recorded from `A'ishah that she said about, عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّى ( He frowned and turned away. ) was revealed." At-Tirmirdhi recorded this Hadith but he did not mention that it was narrated by `A'ishah.
I say it is reported like this in Al-Muwatta' as well. The Characteristics of the Qur'an Allah says, كَلاَّ إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ ( Nay; indeed it is an admonition. ) meaning, this Surah, or this advice in conveying knowledge equally among people, whether they are of noble or low class.
Qatadah and As-Suddi both said, كَلاَّ إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ ( Nay; indeed it is an admonition. ) "This means the Qur'an." فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُ ( So, whoever wills, let him pay attention to Him (it ).) meaning, so whoever wills, he remembers Allah in all of his affairs.
The pronoun could also be understood to be referring to the revelation since the conversation is alluding to it.
Allah said: فَى صُحُفٍ مُّكَرَّمَةٍ - مَّرْفُوعَةٍ مُّطَهَّرَةٍ ( In Records held in honor, exalted, purified. ) meaning, this Surah or this admonition.
Both meanings are connected to each other.
Actually, all of the Qur'an is in honored pages, meaning respected and revered. مَّرْفُوعَةٍ ( exalted ) meaning, elevated in status. مُّطَهَّرَةٍ ( purified ) meaning, from impurity, additions and deficiency.
Concerning Allah's statement, بِأَيْدِى سَفَرَةٍ ( In the hands of ambassadors (Safarah ),) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, and Ibn Zayd, all said, "These are the angels." Al-Bukhari said, "Safarah ( ambassadors ) refers to the angels.
They travel around rectifying matters between themselves.
The angels when they descend with the revelation of Allah, bringing it like the ambassador who rectifies matters between people." Allah said, كِرَامٍ بَرَرَةٍ ( Honorable and obedient. ) meaning, they are noble, handsome, and honorable in their creation.
Their character and their deeds are righteous, pure and perfect.
Here it should be noted that it is necessary for one who carries the Qur'an ( i.e., the angel ) to be following righteousness and guidance.
Imam Ahmad recorded from `A'ishah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, «الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ وَهُوَ مَاهِرٌ بِهِ، مَعَ السَّفَرَةِ الْكِرَامِ الْبَرَرَةِ، وَالَّذِي يَقْرَؤُهُ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِ شَاقٌّ، لَهُ أَجْرَان» ( He who recites the Qur'an proficiently, will be with the noble, righteous, ambassador angels, and the one who recites it with difficulty will receive two rewards. ) This Hadith was reported by the group.

( Because the blind man came unto him ) when ’Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum came to him. His real name is ’Abdullah Ibn Shurayh. Umm Maktum was his father’s mother. What happened is that the Prophet ( pbuh ) was sitting with a group of men among the nobles of Quraysh, among whom were his uncle al-’Abbas Ibn ’Abd al-Muttalib, Umayyah Ibn Khalaf al-Jumahi and Safwan Ibn Umayyah, who were at that time disbelievers. The Prophet ( pbuh ) was admonishing and inviting them to Islam when Ibn Maktum came to him and said: O Messenger of Allah! Teach me of that which Allah has taught you. The Prophet ( pbuh ) turned his face from him because he was busy with these people. When this happened Allah revealed: he frowned and turned away because the blind man came unto him.

Because there came to him the blind man (i.e. 'Abdullah bin Umm-Maktum, who came to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) while he was preaching to one or some of the Quraish chiefs).

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