Surah Abasa 80:1-42 - Quran Translation Commentary

1. It is widely reported by the commentators (Tirmidhi has classified it as hasan, and Ibn Marduwayh as Sahih: Shawkani) that once the Prophet (saws) was engrossed in a conversation with `Utba b. Rabi`a, Abu Jahal b. Hisham, `Abbas b. `Abdul Muttalib (and some others, who were all important Makkan pagans). He coveted their Islam because of their influence on the Makkans, (and because, they were the people - in the words of Sayyid Qutb - who had “managed to freeze Islam in Makkah and hinder its progress elsewhere”). At that moment `Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum, a blind Muslim, appeared and repeatedly sought elucidation of certain earlier revelation of the Qur’an. But the Prophet (saws) did not appreciate the “interruption of what he momentarily regarded as a more important endeavor (Asad).” The disapproval showed itself on his face in the form of a frown. He did not answer him and continued to speak to the Makkan chieftains. When he had concluded his talk with them and was on his way back home, these verses were revealed. He returned to Ibn Umm Maktum and spoke to him kindly.

According to another version, Ibn Umm Maktum was led by another man to whom the Prophet (saws) gestured that he keep Ibn Umm Maktum quiet for a while, but Ibn Umm Maktum, being blind, did not notice and persisted in seeking his attention.

Some versions say that after this incident the Prophet (saws) would “greet Ibn Umm Maktum with these words of humility: 'Welcome to him on whose account My Sustainer rebuked me’” (Asad).

It is also said that when Ibn Umm Maktum visited the Prophet, he would ask him: “Is there anything that I can do for you?” Or, “Do you need anything from me?” etc. But Ibn Kathir says this additional portion of the hadith has come down through unreliable narrators.

Nevertheless, records show that after the hijrah the Prophet twice appointed Ibn Umm Maktum as his deputy in Madinah in his own absence. Anas b. Malik adds that he saw him in the battle of Qadisiyyah wearing a coat of mail and holding aloft a black flag (Au.).

Sayyid Qutb adds: “The use of the third person form here (in verses 1-2) is significant. It suggests that the subject-matter is so distasteful to Allah that He does not like to confront His beloved messenger with it. This in itself is a gesture of mercy and kindness to the Prophet. Thus, the action which necessitated the reproof has been disguised with great subtlety.”

Thanwi and Shafi` Deobandi have expressed similar views.

Asad writes: “Indirectly, the sharp Qur’anic rebuke... implies, firstly, that what would have been a minor act of discourtesy on the part of an ordinary human being, assumed the aspect of a major sin, deserving a divine rebuke, when committed by a prophet; and, secondly, it illustrates the objective nature of the Qur’anic revelation: for, obviously, in conveying God’s reproof of him to the world at large, the Prophet ‘does not speak out of his own desire; (cf. 53: 3).”

Zamakhshari remarks: Our scholars have learned the lesson well. It is said that in the assemblies of Sufyan Thawri, the poorest of the pupils were treated like kings.

Alusi adds: It has been wrongly alleged by some commentators that Ibn Umm Maktum was a Madinan (and not Makkan). He was very much a Makkan (and related to the Prophet: Au.).

Ibn Hajr has also ascertained that he was an early Makkan Muslim (Mawdudi).

2. “I.e., who does not feel the need of divine guidance: a reference to the arrogant pagan chieftains” (Asad).

What the verses told the Prophet is: Although the disease of the others was more serious and required greater and immediate attention than that of the latter, who did not require immediate attention because of the mildness of his maladies, the former lost the right of immediate attention because of a lack of interest in the healing measures, and the other earned it because of the seriousness with which he treated his minor afflictions (Thanwi).

3. "The Qur’an is described here, as in many other places, as 'a reminder' because it is meant to bring man’s instinctive - though sometimes hazy or unconscious - realization of God’s existence into the full light of consciousness" (Asad).

Nevertheless, Ibn `Abbas’ interpretation of the verse is: “So He (Allah) will send the revelation to whom He will” (Qurtubi).

4. It is Al-Lawh al-Mahfuz that is meant by suhuf-im-mukarramah of the text (Ibn Jarir).

5. The reason why the adjective “elevated” has been employed is because Al-Bayt al-Ma`mur, in which Al-Lawh al-Mahfuz is preserved, is directly under the `Arsh (Ma`arif: from Durr al-Manthur, surah Al-Buruj).

6. That is, this is an honored message in response to which the haughty Makkans ought to go down on their knees and accept it. Otherwise, it can do without them, and their pride will be smashed to pieces (Mawdudi, abridged).

7. An alternative meaning is, “How ungrateful he is.”

Ibn al-Mundhir has reported from `Ikrimah that the cause of revelation of these verses was `Utbah b. Abu Lahab who quarreled with his father and in anger embraced Islam. Later he made peace with his father who gave him lots of money and sent him to Syria along with a trade caravan. `Utbah renounced Islam saying, as a pretext, that he was an unbeliever in “the Lord of the star when it plunges (53: 1).” (In his fury during an argument, he also spat in the direction of the Prophet: Au.) The Prophet (saws) prayed against him and he was torn to pieces by a lion in the desert (Qurtubi, Alusi). However, there seems to be some confusion with regard to the name. It was perhaps `Utaybah and not `Utbah who had renounced Islam. Alusi has himself quoted two pieces of poetry which praise `Utbah and Mu`tab for having embraced Islam, even if somewhat lately. See ch. 111, note 8 (Au.).

A variant interpretation should render the translation as: “Man be destroyed. How ungrateful of him!?” Zamakhshari prefers this meaning.

8. The words in parenthesis are based on the interpretation of Ibn `Abbas, Abu Saleh, Suddi and Qatadah. There have been other opinions also (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).

Razi adds: The infant’s emergence, head first, from the norm which is head up legs down - safe, sound and alive - through a passage so difficult and constricted, is a great miracle.

9. That is, He honored him by sanctioning that he be buried after death and not thrown away as carcass of animals for vultures and wild animals to feed on (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi).

10. Ibn Abi Hatim reports Abu Sa`id as saying that the Prophet (saws) said:

عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَأْكُلُ التُّرَابُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ مِنْ الْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا عَجْبَ ذَنَبِهِ قِيلَ وَمِثْلُ مَا هُوَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ مِثْلُ حَبَّةِ خَرْدَلٍ مِنْهُ تَنْبُتُونَ

“The earth eats off everything of a man except his tail end.” It was asked: “What is it, O Messenger of Allah.” He answered: “It is the size of an atom. You’ll be resurrected from it.”

The hadith is also in Bukhari and Muslim but without the latter part, (Ibn Kathir) i.e., without the words “What is it ...” to the end (Au.).

11. That is, he did not obey his Lord.

Asad comments: “In other words, man has failed to make adequate use of the intellectual and spiritual endowment referred to in verse 20. Whereas some commentators are of the opinion that this relates only to the type of man spoken of in verse 17 above, others maintain, with greater plausibility, that it is a reference to man in general - thus: 'No human being has ever fulfilled all that was imposed on him as a [moral] duty' (Mujahid, as quoted by Tabari, with a similar statement attributed by Baghawi to Al-Hasan al-Busri); or '“From the time of Adam to this time, no human being has ever been free of shortcomings' (Zamakhshari, Baydawi). This is in tune with the Qur’anic doctrine that perfection is an attribute of God alone."

12. Sayyid Qutb comments: “Pouring down the rain is a fact known to every human being... As man’s knowledge has increased, he is now able to appreciate the meaning of this verse more fully. He knows that something happened a long time before the daily phenomenon of rain came to be established... A contemporary scientist says on this subject: 'If it is true that the temperature of the earth at the time of its separation from the sun was about 12,000 degrees, or that of the surface of the sun, then all the elements were free and, therefore, no chemical combination of importance could exist. Gradually, as the earth, or the earth-forming fragments, cooled, combinations would take place and a nucleus of the earth as we know could be formed. Oxygen and hydrogen could not combine until the temperature was reduced to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. At this point these elements would combine together to form water. What we know as the atmosphere must have been enormous at that time. All the oceans were in the sky and all those elements not combined were in the air as gases...’ (A. Cressy Morrison, Man Does Not Stand Alone, London, 1962, pp. 25-6).”

The creation and retention of large amounts of water on earth is a special characteristic of the earth and seems to have a complicated story behind it. Hydrogen and helium are the most common elements in the Universe. In the earlier stages, hydrogen would have combined with oxygen to form water vapors. While that gave birth to the early atmosphere (that was replete with other gaseous combinations), quite some of it would have got trapped in the dust and gas, cooling off and condensing into a planetary body, just as air gets trapped in snowballs. Thus, water could also have got trapped in the interior of the earth, to be later emitted through volcanic eruptions. In fact, even now, volcanic eruptions are accompanied by steam.

Thus, the water that is there now in oceans, could have its origin from the early thick atmosphere raining down torrents of water as the earth cooled, (as alluded to here), as well as that which came sweeping out from its interiors, to which verse 31 of surah 79 is perhaps alluding (Au.).

13. This is the meaning given by Raghib (Abdul Rashid). However, the opinion of Ibn `Abbas, Dahhak, Maqatil and others is that it is “dates” which is meant by the qadb of the original.

14. The word in the original for “pastures” is abba. It is reported of `Umar ibn al-Khattab (by Ibn Mundhir, Bayhaqi and others, including Hakim who has declared it trustworthy: Shawkani) that when he recited this chapter and reached this verse he remarked, “We know what is fawakih. But what is abba?” Then he added, “But this is an unnecessary search.” According to another version `Umar added: “Follow what you understand, and leave alone what you do not” (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari, Qurtubi, Alusi). It is also reported that when Abu Bakr (ra) was asked about abba he said: “What heaven will shelter me and what earth will give me refuge if I say in the Qur’an what I have no knowledge of” (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi).

All the same, Ibn `Abbas, Abu Razin, Mujahid, Hasan and others have interpreted it as fodder or pasture.

Ibn Kathir adds: The report (concerning `Umar’s statement about abba is trustworthy. What he meant by saying he did not know its meaning is that he did not know what exact species of the plant was meant. Otherwise everyone knows that abba is that vegetation which is used as fodder and on which the animals feed themselves.

What he was trying to demonstrate was that so far as the primary message of the Qur’an was concerned it would not be seriously affected if one did not know the meaning of a word that did not hold any moral, legal or social implication. So why waste efforts over it? He was of course not discouraging exploration of the hidden Qur’anic meanings (Au.).

15. Ibn `Abbas has said that Saakhkhah of the original is one of the names of the Day of Judgment (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

16. Afraid that they might demand the rights he had ignored, man will flee everyone he knew in his life (Au.).

Note the ascending order in nearness of relationship: brother, parents, wife and children (Zamakhshari, Razi).

17. There are several versions of a hadith quoted by the commentators. One runs roughly as follows: `A’isha (ra) once asked the Prophet:

سألتْ عائشة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قالت: يا رسول الله بأبي أنت وأمي، إني سائلتك عن حديث أخبرني أنت به، قال:" إن كانَ عِنْدي مِنْهُ عِلْمٌ " قالت: يا نبيّ الله كيف يُحْشر الرجال؟ قال: " حفاةً عُرَاةً " ، ثم انتظرت ساعة فقالت: يا نبيّ الله كيف يُحْشر النساء؟ قال: " كَذلك حُفاةً عُرَاةً " ، قالت: واسوأتاه من يوم القيامة، قال: " وعَنْ ذلك تَسألِيني؟ إنَّهُ قَدْ نزلَتْ عليّ آيَة لا يَضُرُّكِ كانَ عَلَيْكِ ثيابٌ أمْ لا "، قالت: أيّ آية هي يا نبيّ الله؟ قال:( لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِ )

“I’d like you to answer me one or two questions.” He said: “Sure, if I have the answer.” She asked: “How will the people be resurrected?” He said: “Naked of body and feet.” (One version adds: “uncircumcised”). She was quiet for a while and then asked: “What about women?” He answered: “In the same state.” She exclaimed: “Will they not look at each other?” The Prophet answered: “The affair will be much more serious than that.” Then he recited this verse, “For every man that day will be an affair that will occupy him (wholly)” - Ibn Jarir

A similar report is in Tirmidhi (Ibn Kathir). The version in Tirmidhi has been evaluated as hasan sahih (Qurtubi).

18. It is reported of Ibn `Abbas that he said: “He who lengthened his Prayers in the night, will have a bright face in the morning” (Kashshaf).

Introductory Note

Ibn ‘Umar reports the Prophet as having said that he who wishes to see the Day of Resurrection with his own eyes may read this, the next, and the 84th chapter of the Qur’an. The hadith is hasan gharib according to Tirmidhi (Qurtubi). It is also in Ahmad (Ibn Kathir); as also in Ibn al-Mundhir, Tabarani, and Hakim who adjudicates it Sahih (Alusi, Shawkani).

Sayyid Qutb writes: “This surah may be divided into two parts, each of them treating one major principle of faith. The first is the principle of Resurrection ... and the second principle ... is that of revelation.”

“The rhythm of the surah is one of violent movement which leaves nothing in its place. Everything is thrown, smashed or scattered away. The movement is so violent that it excites and frightens. It alters every familiar situation and shakes men’s hearts violently for a long period so that they feel deprived of both shelter and reassurance. In such a violent destructive storm the human heart is no more than a little feather, blown in every direction. No protection and, indeed, no safety can then be found except what is granted by Allah the Eternal Being.”