80: 1 He frowned and turned away
80: 2 because the blind man came to him.
80: 3 What should make you know? He might be purified,
80: 4 or he might be admonished, and the admonition might benefit him.
80: 5 As for him who considers himself in no need of guidance,
80: 6 you gave him attention.
80: 7 And it is not up to you if he should not be purified.
80: 8 And as for him who came to you eagerly
80: 9 and fearfully,
80: 10 you paid no attention to him.
Relationship with the Previous Part
According to the written copy of the Quran, al-Mushaf, surah Abasa comes after surah an-Nazi’at. At the end of surah an-Nazi’at, a warning of the horrors of the Day of Judgment is mentioned. Then, surah Abasa begins by referring to those who will benefit from the warning. Besides, both surahs refer to the horrors of the Day of Judgment and confirm that Allah, who created this universe with its amazing creation, is able to resurrect people for reckoning on the Day of Judgment.
Tafsir
80: 1 He frowned and turned away
80: 2 because the blind man came to him.
Cause of Revelation
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said, ‘[He frowned and turned away because the blind man came to him.] This ayah is revealed about ibn Umm Maktum. This man came to Messenger Muhammad and said, ‘Guide me.’ However, Messenger Muhammad was busy with some noble leaders of the disbelievers. So, he turned away from ibn Umm Maktum, and gave his attention to those noblemen.’ Ibn Umm Maktum’s name was Abdul Allah bin Umru bin Qays. He was one of those who embraced Islam early and emigrated to al-Madinah.
Messenger Muhammad frowned and turned away because the blind man, Abdul Allah ibn Umm Maktum, came to him while he was busy inviting some noble disbelievers to Islam. Messenger Muhammad disliked that ibn Umm Maktum interrupted him; however, this man had a valid excuse since he was blind and could not see that Messenger Muhammad was busy.
80: 3 What should make you know? He might be purified,
80: 4 or he might be admonished, and the admonition might benefit him.
O noble Messenger, What should make you know? You do not know the condition of this blind man to whom you frowned. After learning from you, he might be purified from his sins and become more fearful of Allah. Furthermore, this blind man might be admonished by hearing from you what makes him close to Allah and then the admonition might benefit him.
In fact, Messenger Muhammad did not make a mistake when he acted in such a manner. He hoped that some noble disbelievers would embrace Islam, which would strengthen Muslims. However, Allah mildly reproached him because he left what was more beneficial for the sake of another matter that was less beneficial.
After revealing the ayat in surah Abasa, Messenger Muhammad used to welcome Abdul Allah ibn Umm Maktum, saying, ‘Welcome! O man, whom my Lord reproached me for his sake. [Tafsir al-Qurtubi]’
80: 5 As for him who considers himself in no need of guidance,
80: 6 you gave him attention.
As for him, who considers himself in no need of your guidance, is indifferent to the faith, and believes that he is self-sufficient, you gave him attention. You carefully listened to his speech and treated him kindly, hoping that he might embrace Islam and then other noble disbelievers might embrace Islam.
80: 7 And it is not up to you if he should not be purified.
O noble Messenger, it is not up to you if this indifferent person should not be purified from disbelief. It would not be your fault if he remained a disbeliever. Your duty is only to covey the Islamic message, and it is to Allah that He would call him to account. Indeed, you cannot guide whom you want to Islam, but Allah guides whomever He wants to the right path.
80: 8 And as for him who came to you eagerly
80: 9 and fearfully,
80: 10 you paid no attention to him.
O noble Messenger, as for the blind man, who came to you eagerly seeking to learn and acquire knowledge, fearing Allah’s punishment, and hoping for His reward, you paid no attention to him. You gave your attention to the noble leaders among the disbelievers hoping that they might embrace Islam.
In sum, Allah commanded Messenger Muhammad to invite all people to Islam equally without distinguishing between the noble and the weak, the rich and the poor, men and women, and young and old. Allah would guide whom He wants to Islam.
Learned Lessons from Surah Abasa Ayah 1-10
• Messenger Muhammad has a high rank with Allah. Therefore, Allah reproached him mildly and used ‘he’, which is a pronoun that is used to refer to a third person.
• Allah, Exalted be He, mildly reproached Messenger Muhammad for turning away from the blind man, Abdul Allah ibn Umm Maktum. Messenger Muhammad was busy inviting some noble leaders among the disbelievers to Islam; however, ibn Umm Maktum kept on asking him to teach him because he was blind and could not see that Messenger Muhammad was busy.
• It is obligatory to invite all people equally to Islam without distinguishing between the rich and the poor, the young and the old, and the noble and the weak. Allah will guide whom He wants to Islam.
• Messenger Muhammad has not hidden anything from the revelation that Allah revealed to him. He conveyed to people all that Allah revealed to him. Abdur ar-Rahman bin Zayd said, ‘It is said that if Messenger Muhammad would hide some of the revelation that Allah revealed to him, he would hide the ayat in which Allah reproached him for turning away from the blind man, Abdul Allah ibn Maktum. He did so because he hoped that some noble disbelievers might embrace Islam.’
• Faith and piety are the bases of superiority among people in Islam.
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