In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.
Abridged by Dr. ‘Aqil ibn Salim al-Shammar.
Surah ‘Abasa.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
He frowned and turned away.
Because the blind man came to him.
“What could inform thee but that he might grow (in grace)” (80:3)
Or he might be reminded, and the reminder would benefit him.
He frowned and turned his face away in dislike because the blind man came to him.
And what would make you know, O Muhammad, perhaps this blind man, at whom you frowned,
might purify himself from his sins.
Or he might take heed, and the heed and admonition would benefit him.
As for him who considers himself self-sufficient,
to him you give attention.
“Yet it is not thy concern if he grow not (in grace).” (80:7)
“But as for him who cometh unto thee with earnest purpose” (80:8)
While he is fearful [of Allah].
From him you are distracted.
As for the one who considers himself self-sufficient due to his wealth,
you attend to him, hoping that he might accept Islam.
And what is it to you if he does not purify himself from his disbelief and accept Islam?
As for this blind man who came to you striving,
and he is fearful of Allah and mindful of Him,
you turn away from him, occupy yourself with others, and neglect him.
No! Indeed, it is a reminder.
So whoever wills may remember it.
In honored sheets,
exalted and purified,
in the hands of messengers [angels].
No!
The matter is not as you do, O Muhammad,
in frowning at the one who came to you striving while he is fearful,
and giving attention to the one who considers himself self-sufficient.
Indeed, this sermon and this Surah are an admonition and a lesson.
So whoever among the servants of Allah wills may remember it.
It means: remember the revelation of Allah and His inspiration.
This reminder is in honored sheets,
exalted and purified in the Preserved Tablet,
which is exalted and purified in the sight of Allah.
In the hands of angels,
who act as intermediaries between Allah and His messengers regarding the revelation,
noble and righteous.
Cursed is man!
How disbelieving is he!
“From what thing doth He create him?” (80:18)
“From a drop of seed. He createth him and proportioneth him,” (80:19)
Then He makes the path easy for him.
Then He causes him to die and provides a grave for him.
“Then, when He will, He bringeth him again to life.” (80:22)
No! He has not yet accomplished what He commanded him.
The disbelieving man is cursed; what is it that makes him so disbelieving?
From what thing did the disbelieving man create his Lord when he became arrogant,
and acted haughtily against obeying his Lord and acknowledging His oneness?
From a drop of fluid He created him and destined his stages.
A drop at one time, then a clot, then a lump of flesh,
until his stages were completed while he was in his mother's womb.
Then He eased the path for him to exit from his mother's womb.
Then He took his soul and caused him to die after that,
and made him one who has a grave.
Then, when Allah wills, He will resurrect him after his death and bring him back to life.
No! The matter is not as this disbelieving man says,
that he has fulfilled the right of Allah upon him regarding his self and his wealth.
He has not fulfilled the obligations his Lord imposed upon him.
“Let man consider his food:” (80:24)
That We poured down water in abundance.
“Then split the earth in clefts” (80:26)
And caused to grow therein grain,
and grapes and fresh vegetation,
and olives and palm trees,
and gardens of dense foliage,
and fruit and fodder.
Let this disbelieving, denying man look,
at the oneness of Allah, at his food, how He arranged it.
We sent down rain from the sky to the earth in abundance,
and poured it upon it in abundance.
Then We split the earth and caused it to sprout with vegetation.
We caused to grow therein the grain of crops,
which is everything the earth produces of grains,
such as wheat, barley, and other things.
And vines of grapes and fresh vegetation.
The people of Makkah call fodder 'al-qadb'.
And the olive, from which oil is derived, and palm trees,
and dense gardens.
A garden is an orchard that is enclosed.
And fruit, which is what people eat from the produce of trees,
and fodder, which is what livestock eat of grass,
and vegetation. Others said:
'Al-abb' refers to moist fruits.
We caused these things to grow, which the children of Adam eat,
as a provision for you, O people,
and a benefit that you enjoy and from which you derive utility,
and which the livestock eat, as a provision for your livestock.
But when the Deafening Blast comes,
“On the day when a man fleeth from his brother” (80:34)
and his mother and his father,
and his wife and his children.
“Every man that day will have concern enough to make him heedless (of others).” (80:37)
When the Resurrection comes on that day,
on which a person will flee from his brother,
and He means by His saying:
'He will flee from his brother',
meaning he will flee away from his brother.
Some of them said:
He flees from his brother so that he does not see him and what befalls him.
And his mother and his father,
and his wife in the world, and his children,
fearing their demand upon him
for the liabilities and injustices that existed between him and them.
For every person among the man and his brother,
and his mother and his father,
and the rest of those mentioned in this verse,
on the Day of Resurrection, there is a matter that will preoccupy him,
and distract him from the affairs of others.
Faces, that Day, will be bright,
laughing, rejoicing at good news.
“And other faces, on that day, with dust upon them,” (80:40)
Overlaid with dust.
Those are the disbelievers, the wicked.
Faces on that day will be radiant and luminous;
these are the faces of the believers with whom Allah is pleased.
Laughing with joy at the bliss and honor Allah has given them,
rejoicing at what they hope for of increase.
And faces of the disbelievers on that day will have dust upon them.
It is mentioned that the animals, which Allah will turn into dust on that day after judgment is passed between them,
that dust will turn into darkness upon the faces of the people of disbelief.
And those faces will be covered with 'qatarah', which is dust/darkness.
Those who have this description on the Day of Resurrection
are the disbelievers in Allah,
who were in the world the wicked in their religion,
not caring what they committed of the disobedience of Allah and what they engaged in of His prohibitions.
So Allah recompensed them for their evil deeds with what He informed His servants.
A summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.