CHAPTER 80: ABASA (THE FROWNED)

It was revealed in the Mecca period. It consists of 42 verses. Abasa means "he frowned." It took its name from the same word in its first verse. (H. T. FEYIZLI, 1/584)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

80/1-10 HE FROWNED AND TURNED AWAY

Translation

1- He frowned and turned away

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

3- But what would make you perceive, [O Muhammad], that perhaps he might be purified

4- Or be reminded and the remembrance would benefit him?

5- As for he who thinks himself without need,

6- To him you give attention.

7- And not upon you [is any blame] if he will not be purified.

8- But as for he who came to you striving [for knowledge]

9- While he fears [Allah],

10- From him you are distracted.

Commentary

(1, 2) ‘(The Prophet while explaining Islam to a group of disbelievers) frowned and turned away because the blind man came.’ One day, while the Prophet (pbuh) was busy inviting several prominent figures of the Quraish to Islam, a blind Muslim, Abdullah b. Umm Maktum (ra.), came to him and, unaware of them, repeated several times, "O Messenger of Allah! Teach me what Allah has taught you." Our Master the Messenger of Allah did not show him attention and slightly frowned his face, whereupon this surah was revealed (Jalalayn). This is also a warning to all believers. (H. T. FEYIZLI, 1/584)

The Messenger of Allah respected him after this, and when he saw him, he would say: "Welcome! The one concerning whom my Lord rebuked me," and would ask if he had any needs. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) left him as his deputy in Medina, and this person led the prayer for the people there thirteen times. (S. HAWWA, 16/44)

(3, 4) ‘(O Messenger!) What do you know, perhaps he (with what he learns from you) would be purified (cleansed from the filth of sin) or would take heed and that heed would benefit him!’ That is, even if he cannot be purified immediately, he will learn by taking heed, learn good and evil, and by remembering according to the situation and trying to act accordingly, he will benefit from then on by being protected from sin and performing rewards. (ELMALILI, 8/530)

(…) Although some people (…) have weight within society, an Islamic inviter (da'i) does not need to run after them. Because it is clearly evident that they are not seeking guidance. Therefore, there is no need for an Islamic inviter to waste time running after them. If they do not accept Islam, it is they who are at a loss, and you are not responsible for such people. (MAWDUDI, 7/39)

(5-7) ‘As for the (disbelieving) one who feels no need, you turn to him (and show interest). However, there is no responsibility upon you if he is not purified.’ No responsibility comes to you from the fact that the person who considers himself self-sufficient and does not want to benefit from you and the Qur'an is not purified or does not enter Islam. However, there is responsibility in turning away from a Muslim who says he has a need and wants to learn. (ELMALILI, 8/530)

(8-10) ‘But as for the (believer) who comes to you running, while he is fearing (Allah), you are distracted from him (as if unaware).’ Here, Allah Almighty commanded His Messenger Muhammad (pbuh) not to give special treatment to anyone regarding warnings; on the contrary, to treat the prominent and the weak, the rich and the poor, the masters and the slaves, the men and the women, the small and the large equally. Furthermore, it is Allah who guides whomever He wills to the straight path. To Him belongs the inaccessible wisdom and the overwhelming proof. (From Ibn Kathir; S. HAWWA, 16/34)

Nasafi says here: "It is narrated that after this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) never frowned his face at any poor person and never took any rich person opposite him to show special interest. It is also narrated that in consultation councils, the poor were the advisors." (S. HAWWA, 16/34)

80/11-16 NO! DO NOT DO SO

Translation

11- No! Indeed, these [verses] are a reminder;

12- So whoever wills may remember it.

13- [It is recorded] in honored sheets,

14- Exalted and purified,

15- [Carried] by the hands of messenger-angels,

16- Noble and dutiful.

Commentary

(11, 12) ‘No!’ Do not do so; do not ignore the one who comes to you eagerly and with respect, and do not persist with the one who feels no need. ‘Because it’—this Qur'an which contains those advices that one person desires and another feels no need for— ‘is a reminder.’ It is an admonition to call to mind Allah Almighty, to prompt reflection on truth and duty, and to teach what is good and beneficial. ‘So whoever wills may think of it, whoever wills may learn it,’ because the benefit and harm ultimately belong to the person themselves. (ELMALILI, 8/531)

In the 12th verse, attention is drawn to these two points: (a) This warning is directed not only to the Messenger of Allah but, through his person, to his entire Ummah and humanity. (b) To heed the warning and correct one's mistake, or to disregard it and persist in errors, depends on the person's own will; they will receive the result accordingly. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/556)

(13-16) ‘It is in highly honored sheets.’ This Qur'an is an admonition found in highly honored pages. It is contained in sheets written in the Preserved Tablet (Lawh-i Mahfuz). (S. HAWWA, 16/36)

‘Exalted in value and purified.’ That is, it is pure and sincere. Corruptive and false thoughts cannot mix into this book. For the Qur'an is not like other religious books; it is protected from human and satanic whispers and thoughts. (MAWDUDI, 7/39)

Nasafi says: "It is in sheets purified from the touch of anyone other than angels or from things that are not the word of Allah." (S. HAWWA, 16/36, 37)

‘By the hands of scribes.’ That is, it is written by the hands of the angels who write in the Preserved Tablet. (S. HAWWA, 16/37)

‘Honorable and righteous ones.’ "Their creation is valuable, beautiful, and honorable; their morals and behaviors are good, pure, and flawless." (From Ibn Kathir; S. HAWWA, 16/37)

80/17-23 ACCURSED IS MAN! HOW UNGRATEFUL HE IS!

Translation

17- Accursed is man; how ungrateful is he!

18- From what substance did He create him?

19- From a sperm-drop He created him and destined for him,

20- Then He eased the way for him;

21- Then He causes his death and provides a grave for him.

22- Then when He wills, He will resurrect him.

23- No! Man has not yet accomplished what He commanded him.

Commentary

(17, 18) ‘Accursed is the (disbelieving) man; how ungrateful is he!’ (…) Like the expression "kahrolası" (may he be accursed) in Turkish, this is a metaphor for condemnation and shaming in the form of an imprecation showing anger and reproach. It means he is in such a bad state that "to the extent that he will have no right to life." (ELMALILI, 8/536)

‘How ungrateful/denying he is.’ How rigid is his disbelief and denial. How much he rejects and refuses to recognize the requirements of his creation and development. If he had observed these requirements, he would have thanked his Creator, been humble in the world, and remembered his hereafter. (S. KUTUB, 10/373)

Another meaning of this verse is, "For what reason do they cling to disbelief, that is, what do they rely on?" The word kufr (disbelief) is used in the sense of denying the Truth and being ungrateful to the one who bestows favors. It also means the rebellion of man against his Creator and Sustainer. (MAWDUDI, 7/39)

The verses were revealed concerning Utba, the son of Abu Lahab. Therefore, the "man" in the 17th verse refers to Utba and those in his situation. Utba, who married the Prophet's daughter Ruqayya, first believed but apostatized when Surah An-Najm was revealed. Almighty Allah condemns this apostate and disbelieving man. ‘Qutila / let him be accursed’ is an imprecatory sentence meaning "may he be cursed" or "may punishment be deserved." (I. KARAGOZ,8/415)

(19-22) ‘From what thing did (Allah) create him?’ From what worthless thing is his creation? (..) Then, to explain this worthless thing, He says: (S. HAWWA) ‘From a drop of fluid He created him and set him in proportion.’ He created him from a sperm-drop and put him into the most beautiful form by passing him through many stages from the embryo state until birth. (ELMALILI) ‘Then He made the way easy for him.’ He has explained the ways of good and evil to him. (S. HAWWA) ‘Then He caused him to die and put him in a grave.’ That is, as an honor to him, He had him placed in a grave and buried there. He did not throw him out and leave him on the earth to be food for predatory animals and birds like other animals. (I. H. BURSEVI, 23/77) ‘Then, when He wills, He will resurrect and raise him.’ (..) He will not leave him in that grave after his death. When He wills, He will resurrect him after death and give him life again. However, the time for this is not certain; He will resurrect him when He wills. (ELMALILI, 8/536)

(23) ‘Indeed, (the disbelieving man) has still not fulfilled what (Allah) commanded.’ He has not performed the things made obligatory upon him for his Lord. (S. HAWWA, 16/38)

Here, what is meant by ‘ma amarah’ (what He commanded) is everything Allah has commanded. That is, although so many years and centuries have passed from the beginning of responsibility until burial in the grave, or from the creation of Adam until this time, the human species has not reached the maturity expected and desired of its creation. It has not fully fulfilled Allah's commands. Because "Very few of My servants are grateful" (Saba 34/13), and there is almost no individual without some kind of flaw. (ELMALILI, 8/537)

80/24-32 LET MAN LOOK AT HIS FOOD!

Translation

24- Then let man look at his food:

25- How We poured down water in abundance,

26- Then We cracked the earth open [with sprouts],

27- And caused to grow within it grain

28- And grapes and herbage

29- And olive and palm trees

30- And gardens of thick foliage

31- And fruit and grass—

32- [As] enjoyment [provision] for you and your grazing livestock.

Commentary

(24) ‘Let man look at his food.’ Let him look at how the blessings he eats are raised by ascending slowly with such power and wisdom. Thus, let him reflect on how many blessings he is surrounded by—both within himself and outside—and how he must strive to benefit from them by giving them their due through gratitude. (ELMALILI, 8/537)

The command ‘let them look’ expresses a necessity. The term "nazar" (to look/observe) in the verse means to examine, to see, to perceive with the mind, to contemplate how Allah created, to know the One who brought these blessings into existence, and to confess this truth. (I. KARAGOZ,8/417)

(25) ‘Indeed, We poured down water (rain) in abundance.’ That is, for the cultivation of the food necessary for physical life on earth, the primary cause is water, as shown in the verse "We made every living thing from water" (Anbiya 21/30). This is, above all, a grace from Allah. It is Allah who created the water and caused those rains to pour down and fall. (ELMALILI, 8/537)

(26) ‘Then We split the earth thoroughly.’ As stated in Surah Al-Hajj, "And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it water, it quivers and swells" (Hajj 22/5); this splitting is the movement and swelling of that lifeless, bone-dry earth upon the descent of rains, which then begins to crack and sprout plants. It is Allah who performs this as well. (ELMALILI, 8/538)

(27-31) ‘In this way, We caused crops to grow there. Grapes, herbage, olive groves, date palms, gardens with large and dense trees, fruits, and meadows.’ While human labor in tilling the soil and caring for vineyards and grains has value, it is always Almighty Allah who awakens the swelling, vitality, and maturation in that dark soil to the extent of producing such grains and grapes. (ELMALILI, 8/538)

(32) And We did all of this ‘for you and your livestock’ so that all your needs are met and you may ‘live’ in comfort and peace in this world (cf. Nazi'at 79/33).

Surely Allah, who knows everything and is capable of everything, is certainly capable of resurrecting you and calling you to account as well. (M. KISA, 1/623)

It is Almighty Allah who created everything man eats and drinks. Man must know this, confess it, and be grateful; and in order to be grateful, he must believe, obey Allah and His Prophet, and avoid haram and sins. (I. KARAGOZ,8/417)

80/33-42 THAT DAY

Translation

33- But when there comes the Deafening Blast,

34- That Day a man will flee from his brother

35- And his mother and his father

36- And his wife and his children,

37- For every man, that Day, will be a matter adequate for him.

38- [Some] faces, that Day, will be bright—

39- Laughing, rejoicing at good news.

40- And [other] faces, that Day, will have upon them dust.

41- Blackness will cover them.

42- Those are the disbelievers, the wicked ones.

Commentary

(33) ‘When that sound which deafens the ears arrives.’ This verse describes the moment the Horn is blown for the final time. When the Horn is blown for the last time, all people will be resurrected. (MAWDUDI, 7/42)

‘(Behold!) On that day, a person will flee from his brother, his mother, his father, his spouse, and his sons.’ On that day, the human being turns away from these close relatives we have listed and does not stay with them. He does not ask about their state or condition as he did in the world. Because he has fallen into his own troubles. Because he knows that they can provide him with no benefit. (I. H. BURSEVI, 23/90)

(34-36) ‘On that day, every one of them has a matter (a concern) that is sufficient for him.’ Hadith: When the Prophet (pbuh) said that on the Day of Resurrection people would be gathered naked and soaked in sweat up to their throats, his wife Sawda (ra) asked, "Will people look at each other's private parts?" The Prophet (pbuh) said, "People are too preoccupied for that," and recited the above verse. (Bukhari, Anbiya 8, 48; Muslim, Jannah 56; from H. DONDUREN, 2/954)

(38, 39) ‘On that day, there are some faces that are luminous.’ Nasafi says: "As a result of worshipping at night or performing ablution, some faces will shine on that day." ‘They are laughing and joyful.’ They are joyful because of the cheer in their hearts. Happiness can be read from their faces. These are the ones who belong in Paradise. (S. HAWWA, 16/42)

Hadith: "On the Day of Resurrection, there will be a mark of prostration on the foreheads of my Ummah and a brightness caused by ablution." (Tirmidhi, Taharah 422; Muslim, Taharah 35; I. KARAGOZ,8/421)

(40, 41) ‘Some faces on that day will be covered with dust. Furthermore, a darkness will envelop them.’ The coming together of such dust and blackness on the faces is the most terrifying manifestation of fear and humiliation along with pain and punishment. (ELMALILI, 8/542)

(42) ‘These are the very ones who are the disbelievers, those who have strayed from the Truth / reality.’ Ibn Kathir says: "These are the people with no faith in their hearts and whose deeds are corrupt." Nasafi says: "When they added sin to their disbelief, Allah brought together dust and blackness on their faces." (S. HAWWA, 16/43)