سُوْرَةُ عَبَسَ
Surah Abasa (80) — Ayah 1
عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّىٰٓ ﴿1﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
(The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم) frowned and turned away.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
عَبَسَ
ʿabasa
He frowned
وَتَوَلَّىٰٓ
watawallā
and turned away
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
1. He (the Prophet) frowned [1] and turned away.
[1] Once, several Qurayshi chiefs were sitting in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he ﷺ was inviting them to Islam. In the narrations, their names are mentioned as Utbah, Shaybah, Abu Jahl, Umayyah bin Khalaf, and Ubayy bin Khalaf. These people later proved to be the worst enemies of Islam and the Prophet of Islam, which shows that this surah was revealed at a time when the Qurayshi chiefs had not yet reached the extreme of enmity towards Islam. During this time, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umm Maktum came to him. Abdullah bin Umm Maktum was blind. He was the cousin of Sayyidah Khadijah ؓ and among the early converts to Islam. As soon as he arrived, he asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the meaning of a verse. And he could not see those who were sitting in the gathering of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at that time. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ felt displeased. And the effects of this displeasure appeared on his face. He ﷺ did not pay any attention to Sayyiduna Abdullah ؓ and silenced him. The reason for this was that he ﷺ was satisfied with Sayyiduna Abdullah ؓ that he was a sincere believer and could be explained to later. For the time being, if even one of these chiefs came close to Islam, it could greatly strengthen Islam. For this reason, you remained engaged in conversation with the Qurayshi chiefs. At that moment, this surah was revealed, which Imam Tirmidhi has briefly mentioned as follows:
Abdullah bin Umm Maktum and the Sincere Seeker of Guidance:
Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa ؓ says that the initial verses of this surah were revealed about Abdullah bin Umm Maktum. He came to the Prophet ﷺ and kept saying, "O Messenger of Allah, show me the way of the religion." At that time, a prominent man from among the polytheists was sitting with him. And you ﷺ were turning away from the first (i.e., Abdullah) and turning towards the other (the polytheist). And Abdullah ؓ would say, "Is there anything wrong in what I am saying?" and you ﷺ would say, "No." Regarding this, this surah was revealed. [ترمذي، ابواب التفسير]
From the style of address in this surah, it apparently seems that the reproach is directed towards the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, although most of this reproach is actually directed towards the Qurayshi chiefs. Then, the manner in which the reproach was revealed to you ﷺ is also remarkable. In the first verse, the third person masculine singular form is used. Then, in the third verse, you ﷺ are addressed directly, which both adds beauty to the speech and makes the tone of reproach extremely gentle. In this reproach, the method of his propagation of the true message is critiqued, that in principle, the one most deserving of attention for this invitation is the one who himself seeks guidance. After this incident, you ﷺ treated Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umm Maktum with great honor and respect and used to say: ﴿مرحبا بمن عاتبني فيه ربي﴾ (Welcome to the one about whom Allah reproached me). Also, you ﷺ appointed him several times as your deputy and governor in Madinah during your absence for jihad and other matters. Despite being blind, he used to participate practically in jihad. During the era of Umar Farooq, he was martyred while fighting in the Battle of Qadisiyyah.
[1] Once, several Qurayshi chiefs were sitting in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he ﷺ was inviting them to Islam. In the narrations, their names are mentioned as Utbah, Shaybah, Abu Jahl, Umayyah bin Khalaf, and Ubayy bin Khalaf. These people later proved to be the worst enemies of Islam and the Prophet of Islam, which shows that this surah was revealed at a time when the Qurayshi chiefs had not yet reached the extreme of enmity towards Islam. During this time, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umm Maktum came to him. Abdullah bin Umm Maktum was blind. He was the cousin of Sayyidah Khadijah ؓ and among the early converts to Islam. As soon as he arrived, he asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the meaning of a verse. And he could not see those who were sitting in the gathering of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at that time. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ felt displeased. And the effects of this displeasure appeared on his face. He ﷺ did not pay any attention to Sayyiduna Abdullah ؓ and silenced him. The reason for this was that he ﷺ was satisfied with Sayyiduna Abdullah ؓ that he was a sincere believer and could be explained to later. For the time being, if even one of these chiefs came close to Islam, it could greatly strengthen Islam. For this reason, you remained engaged in conversation with the Qurayshi chiefs. At that moment, this surah was revealed, which Imam Tirmidhi has briefly mentioned as follows:
Abdullah bin Umm Maktum and the Sincere Seeker of Guidance:
Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa ؓ says that the initial verses of this surah were revealed about Abdullah bin Umm Maktum. He came to the Prophet ﷺ and kept saying, "O Messenger of Allah, show me the way of the religion." At that time, a prominent man from among the polytheists was sitting with him. And you ﷺ were turning away from the first (i.e., Abdullah) and turning towards the other (the polytheist). And Abdullah ؓ would say, "Is there anything wrong in what I am saying?" and you ﷺ would say, "No." Regarding this, this surah was revealed. [ترمذي، ابواب التفسير]
From the style of address in this surah, it apparently seems that the reproach is directed towards the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, although most of this reproach is actually directed towards the Qurayshi chiefs. Then, the manner in which the reproach was revealed to you ﷺ is also remarkable. In the first verse, the third person masculine singular form is used. Then, in the third verse, you ﷺ are addressed directly, which both adds beauty to the speech and makes the tone of reproach extremely gentle. In this reproach, the method of his propagation of the true message is critiqued, that in principle, the one most deserving of attention for this invitation is the one who himself seeks guidance. After this incident, you ﷺ treated Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umm Maktum with great honor and respect and used to say: ﴿مرحبا بمن عاتبني فيه ربي﴾ (Welcome to the one about whom Allah reproached me). Also, you ﷺ appointed him several times as your deputy and governor in Madinah during your absence for jihad and other matters. Despite being blind, he used to participate practically in jihad. During the era of Umar Farooq, he was martyred while fighting in the Battle of Qadisiyyah.
