Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (He frowned and turned away.
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Exegesis of His saying, the Exalted: (He frowned and turned away)
Allah the Exalted said: [Abasa:1-2] The saying of Allah the Exalted: This one who frowned and turned away is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the meaning of (frowned) is: he scowled at him,Meaning: he disapproved of something on his face,Meaning: (turned away) he turned his face away.
And the meaning of the blind man in His saying: (That the blind man came to him) This is 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn Umm Maktum (may Allah be pleased with him), for he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) before the migration while he was in Makkah, and there were with him some of the great men of Quraysh, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) hoped for their Islam. It is known that if the great men and nobles embraced Islam, that would be a cause for those behind them to embrace Islam, and the hope of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in them was intense, so this blind man came asking the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it was mentioned that he used to say: Teach me of what Allah has taught you, and he would ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to recite, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would turn away from him and frown at him, hoping and desiring the Islam of these great men, and it was as if he feared that these great men, the devils, would look down upon him if he gave his face to a man like this blind man and turned away from them, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his frowning and turning away was considering these two matters: The first matter: the hope for the Islam of these great men.
The second matter: That they not look down upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for turning his attention to this blind man who is despised in their eyes.
And there is no doubt that this was an ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and not a belittling of Ibn Umm Maktum; for we know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cared only for the spread of the call to truth among the servants of Allah, and that people are equal in his sight, rather, the one who is more eager to embrace Islam is more beloved to him. This is what we believe regarding the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
Allah the Exalted said:
He frowned and turned away, because the blind man came to him.
عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّى * أَنْ جَاءَهُ الأَعْمَىHe frowned and turned away
عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّىAnd the meaning of the blind man in His saying: (That the blind man came to him) This is 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn Umm Maktum (may Allah be pleased with him), for he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) before the migration while he was in Makkah, and there were with him some of the great men of Quraysh, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) hoped for their Islam. It is known that if the great men and nobles embraced Islam, that would be a cause for those behind them to embrace Islam, and the hope of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in them was intense, so this blind man came asking the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it was mentioned that he used to say: Teach me of what Allah has taught you, and he would ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to recite, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would turn away from him and frown at him, hoping and desiring the Islam of these great men, and it was as if he feared that these great men, the devils, would look down upon him if he gave his face to a man like this blind man and turned away from them, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his frowning and turning away was considering these two matters: The first matter: the hope for the Islam of these great men.
The second matter: That they not look down upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for turning his attention to this blind man who is despised in their eyes.
And there is no doubt that this was an ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and not a belittling of Ibn Umm Maktum; for we know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cared only for the spread of the call to truth among the servants of Allah, and that people are equal in his sight, rather, the one who is more eager to embrace Islam is more beloved to him. This is what we believe regarding the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).