عبس
ʿAbasa
Chapter 80 of the Quran, “He frowned”, in which God rebukes the Prophet for turning away from a blind man.
What it means
The chapter opens: “He frowned and turned away because the blind man came to him” (80:1–2). Classical commentators, following a report in al-Tirmidhi, say the blind man was Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum, who interrupted the Prophet while he was speaking with leaders of Quraysh.
Often misunderstood as
That the incident casts doubt on the Prophet’s character.
What the sources say
Muslims see the opposite. A man composing a scripture to exalt himself would hardly record a rebuke to himself. Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum was afterwards honoured: the Prophet appointed him to lead the prayer in Medina in his own absence, and he was one of the Prophet’s muezzins.