ابن أم مكتوم
Ibn Umm Maktūm
Person
A blind Companion of the Prophet who served as a muezzin and as his deputy in Medina.
What it means
Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum, a relative of Khadija, was early to accept Islam. He gave the call to prayer in Medina alongside Bilal, and it is reported that the Prophet left him in charge of Medina when he went on expeditions. Surah 80, ‘Abasa, is traditionally linked to him: it begins with a rebuke that the Prophet turned from the blind man who came to him while he was speaking to the leaders of Quraysh.
What the sources say
The Quran presents the correction without softening it, and the Prophet is reported to have honoured Ibn Umm Maktum afterwards. Scholars have taken it as a sign that revelation is not the Prophet’s own composition, and as a lesson that the poor and disabled come first.