Setting
Surah He Frowned [Abasa] in English
عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّىٰٓ ﴿١﴾
He frowned and turned away
أَن جَآءَهُ ٱلْأَعْمَىٰ ﴿٢﴾
when the blind man approached him.
وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّهُۥ يَزَّكَّىٰٓ ﴿٣﴾
And how do you know, maybe he would purify himself,
أَوْ يَذَّكَّرُ فَتَنفَعَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰٓ ﴿٤﴾
or take admonition, and the admonition would benefit him!
أَمَّا مَنِ ٱسْتَغْنَىٰ ﴿٥﴾
But as for someone who is wealthy,
فَأَنتَ لَهُۥ تَصَدَّىٰ ﴿٦﴾
you attend to him,
وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلَّا يَزَّكَّىٰ ﴿٧﴾
though you are not liable if he does not purify himself.
وَأَمَّا مَن جَآءَكَ يَسْعَىٰ ﴿٨﴾
But as for someone who comes hurrying to you,
وَهُوَ يَخْشَىٰ ﴿٩﴾
while he fears [Allah],
فَأَنتَ عَنْهُ تَلَهَّىٰ ﴿١٠﴾
you are neglectful of him.
كَلَّآ إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌۭ ﴿١١﴾
No indeed! These [verses of the Quran ] are a reminder
فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُۥ ﴿١٢﴾
—so let anyone who wishes remember—
فِى صُحُفٍۢ مُّكَرَّمَةٍۢ ﴿١٣﴾
in honoured scriptures,
مَّرْفُوعَةٍۢ مُّطَهَّرَةٍۭ ﴿١٤﴾
exalted and purified,
بِأَيْدِى سَفَرَةٍۢ ﴿١٥﴾
in the hands of envoys,
كِرَامٍۭ بَرَرَةٍۢ ﴿١٦﴾
noble and pious.
قُتِلَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مَآ أَكْفَرَهُۥ ﴿١٧﴾
Perish man! How ungrateful is he!
مِنْ أَىِّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقَهُۥ ﴿١٨﴾
From what did He create him?
مِن نُّطْفَةٍ خَلَقَهُۥ فَقَدَّرَهُۥ ﴿١٩﴾
He created him from a drop of [seminal] fluid; then proportioned him.
ثُمَّ ٱلسَّبِيلَ يَسَّرَهُۥ ﴿٢٠﴾
Then He made the way easy for him;
ثُمَّ أَمَاتَهُۥ فَأَقْبَرَهُۥ ﴿٢١﴾
then He made him die and buried him;
ثُمَّ إِذَا شَآءَ أَنشَرَهُۥ ﴿٢٢﴾
and then, when He wished, resurrected him.
كَلَّا لَمَّا يَقْضِ مَآ أَمَرَهُۥ ﴿٢٣﴾
No indeed! He has not yet carried out what He has commanded him.
فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِهِۦٓ ﴿٢٤﴾
Let man consider his food:
أَنَّا صَبَبْنَا ٱلْمَآءَ صَبًّۭا ﴿٢٥﴾
We pour down plenteous water [from the sky],
ثُمَّ شَقَقْنَا ٱلْأَرْضَ شَقًّۭا ﴿٢٦﴾
then We split the earth making fissures in it
فَأَنۢبَتْنَا فِيهَا حَبًّۭا ﴿٢٧﴾
and make the grain grow in it,
وَعِنَبًۭا وَقَضْبًۭا ﴿٢٨﴾
as well as vines and vegetables,
وَزَيْتُونًۭا وَنَخْلًۭا ﴿٢٩﴾
olives and date palms,
وَحَدَآئِقَ غُلْبًۭا ﴿٣٠﴾
and densely-planted gardens,
وَفَٰكِهَةًۭ وَأَبًّۭا ﴿٣١﴾
fruits and pastures,
مَّتَٰعًۭا لَّكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَٰمِكُمْ ﴿٣٢﴾
as a sustenance for you and your livestock.
فَإِذَا جَآءَتِ ٱلصَّآخَّةُ ﴿٣٣﴾
So when the deafening Cry comes—
يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ ٱلْمَرْءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ ﴿٣٤﴾
the day when a man will evade his brother,
وَأُمِّهِۦ وَأَبِيهِ ﴿٣٥﴾
his mother and his father,
وَصَٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَبَنِيهِ ﴿٣٦﴾
his spouse and his sons—
لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ شَأْنٌۭ يُغْنِيهِ ﴿٣٧﴾
each of them will have a task to keep him preoccupied on that day.
وُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ مُّسْفِرَةٌۭ ﴿٣٨﴾
Some faces will be bright on that day,
ضَاحِكَةٌۭ مُّسْتَبْشِرَةٌۭ ﴿٣٩﴾
laughing and joyous,
وَوُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَلَيْهَا غَبَرَةٌۭ ﴿٤٠﴾
and some faces on that day will be covered with dust,
تَرْهَقُهَا قَتَرَةٌ ﴿٤١﴾
overcast with gloom.
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْكَفَرَةُ ٱلْفَجَرَةُ ﴿٤٢﴾
It is they who are the faithless, the vicious.