Maktab QuranSurah Abasa preserves one of the most striking moments of divine correction in the Quran: the Prophet ﷺ, deep in conversation with Makkan chiefs, frowned and turned from the blind believer Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum — and revelation immediately took the blind man's side. Its 42 brief ayahs then widen out: the Quran is a reminder for whoever wills, man is reminded of his origin from a drop, and of the Day a man flees from his own brother, mother and father.
Surah Abasa is the 80th chapter of the Qur'an, a Meccan surah of 42 verses. Its name means “He Frowned”, from the opening account of a blind man who came seeking knowledge and was turned from. The surah corrects that, then argues for the Resurrection from man's own creation and from the food that grows for him, and closes with the Day faces divide into two.
Surah Abasa at a glance
| Surah number | 80 of 114 |
|---|---|
| Arabic name | سُورَةُ عَبَسَ |
| Name in English | Abasa — “He frowned” |
| Verses (ayahs) | 42 |
| Revealed in | Makkah |
| Juz | 30 |
| Length in the Mushaf | about 1 page |
The opening correction
The surah opens by recounting that the Prophet ﷺ frowned and turned away when a blind man came to him seeking knowledge, while he was giving his attention to a man who thought himself without need. The verses correct this directly: the one who came striving and fearing Allah was the one who deserved attention. It is widely reported that the blind man was Ibn Umm Maktum.
Man and his own creation
The surah then turns on man's ingratitude — “from what substance did He create him?” — tracing him from a drop, through the easing of his way, to death and the grave, and then to resurrection when Allah wills. The point is that a man who cannot account for his own beginning is in no position to deny his end.
The food that grows, and the Deafening Blast
It invites man to look at his food: water poured down, the earth split open, and grain, grapes, olives, palms, dense gardens, fruit and grass brought out of it. Then comes the Deafening Blast, the Day a man flees from his brother, mother, father, wife and children, and faces divide — some bright and laughing, others covered in dust and darkness.
Read Surah Abasa in full
The Arabic below is the Uthmani script, with a Roman transliteration to help you sound out each verse and the Sahih International English translation of the meaning. If you are learning to recite it, read the Arabic line first and use the transliteration only to check yourself — leaning on it slows real reading down.
Listen to Surah Abasa (Mishary Al-Afasy)
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّىٰٓ
'Abasa wa tawallaa.
The Prophet frowned and turned away
أَن جَآءَهُ ٱلْأَعْمَىٰ
An jaa-ahul 'a-maa
Because there came to him the blind man, [interrupting].
وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّهُۥ يَزَّكَّىٰٓ
Wa maa yudreeka la'allahu yaz zakkaa.
But what would make you perceive, [O Muhammad], that perhaps he might be purified
أَوْ يَذَّكَّرُ فَتَنفَعَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰٓ
Au yaz zak karu fatanfa 'ahuz zikraa.
Or be reminded and the remembrance would benefit him?
أَمَّا مَنِ ٱسْتَغْنَىٰ
Amma manis taghnaa
As for he who thinks himself without need,
فَأَنتَ لَهُۥ تَصَدَّىٰ
Fa-anta lahu tasaddaa
To him you give attention.
وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلَّا يَزَّكَّىٰ
Wa ma 'alaika allaa yaz zakka.
And not upon you [is any blame] if he will not be purified.
وَأَمَّا مَن جَآءَكَ يَسْعَىٰ
Wa amma man jaa-aka yas'a
But as for he who came to you striving [for knowledge]
وَهُوَ يَخْشَىٰ
Wahuwa yakhshaa,
While he fears [Allah],
فَأَنتَ عَنْهُ تَلَهَّىٰ
Fa-anta 'anhu talah haa.
From him you are distracted.
كَلَّآ إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌۭ
Kalla innaha tazkirah
No! Indeed, these verses are a reminder;
فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُۥ
Faman shaa a zakarah
So whoever wills may remember it.
فِى صُحُفٍۢ مُّكَرَّمَةٍۢ
Fi suhufim mukar rama,
[It is recorded] in honored sheets,
مَّرْفُوعَةٍۢ مُّطَهَّرَةٍۭ
Marfoo'atim mutah hara,
Exalted and purified,
بِأَيْدِى سَفَرَةٍۢ
Bi'aidee safara
[Carried] by the hands of messenger-angels,
كِرَامٍۭ بَرَرَةٍۢ
Kiraamim bararah.
Noble and dutiful.
قُتِلَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مَآ أَكْفَرَهُۥ
Qutilal-insanu maa akfarah.
Cursed is man; how disbelieving is he.
مِنْ أَىِّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقَهُۥ
Min aiyyi shai-in Khalaq
From what substance did He create him?
مِن نُّطْفَةٍ خَلَقَهُۥ فَقَدَّرَهُۥ
Min nutfah; khalaqahu faqad-darah.
From a sperm-drop He created him and destined for him;
ثُمَّ ٱلسَّبِيلَ يَسَّرَهُۥ
Thummas sabeela yas-sarah
Then He eased the way for him;
ثُمَّ أَمَاتَهُۥ فَأَقْبَرَهُۥ
Thumma amatahu fa-aqbarah
Then He causes his death and provides a grave for him.
ثُمَّ إِذَا شَآءَ أَنشَرَهُۥ
Thumma iza shaa-a ansharah
Then when He wills, He will resurrect him.
كَلَّا لَمَّا يَقْضِ مَآ أَمَرَهُۥ
Kalla lamma yaqdi maa amarah.
No! Man has not yet accomplished what He commanded him.
فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِهِۦٓ
Falyanzuril insanu ilaa ta-amih
Then let mankind look at his food -
أَنَّا صَبَبْنَا ٱلْمَآءَ صَبًّۭا
Anna sabab nalmaa-a sabba.
How We poured down water in torrents,
ثُمَّ شَقَقْنَا ٱلْأَرْضَ شَقًّۭا
Thumma sha qaqnal-arda shaqqa.
Then We broke open the earth, splitting [it with sprouts],
فَأَنۢبَتْنَا فِيهَا حَبًّۭا
Fa ambatna feeha habba
And caused to grow within it grain
وَعِنَبًۭا وَقَضْبًۭا
Wa 'inabaw-wa qadba
And grapes and herbage
وَزَيْتُونًۭا وَنَخْلًۭا
Wa zaitoonaw wanakh la'
And olive and palm trees
وَحَدَآئِقَ غُلْبًۭا
Wa hadaa-iqa ghulba
And gardens of dense shrubbery
وَفَٰكِهَةًۭ وَأَبًّۭا
Wa faki hataw-wa abba.
And fruit and grass -
مَّتَٰعًۭا لَّكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَٰمِكُمْ
Mata'al-lakum wa li-an'amikum.
[As] enjoyment for you and your grazing livestock.
فَإِذَا جَآءَتِ ٱلصَّآخَّةُ
Faiza jaa-atis saakhah.
But when there comes the Deafening Blast
يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ ٱلْمَرْءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ
Yauma yafir-rul mar-u min akheeh
On the Day a man will flee from his brother
وَأُمِّهِۦ وَأَبِيهِ
Wa ummihee wa abeeh
And his mother and his father
وَصَٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَبَنِيهِ
Wa sahi batihee wa baneeh.
And his wife and his children,
لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ شَأْنٌۭ يُغْنِيهِ
Likul limri-im-minuhm yaumaa-izin shaa nuy-yughneeh
For every man, that Day, will be a matter adequate for him.
وُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ مُّسْفِرَةٌۭ
Wujoo huny-yauma-izim-musfira;
[Some] faces, that Day, will be bright -
ضَاحِكَةٌۭ مُّسْتَبْشِرَةٌۭ
Dahi katum mustab shirah
Laughing, rejoicing at good news.
وَوُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَلَيْهَا غَبَرَةٌۭ
Wa wujoohuy yauma-izin 'alaiha ghabar a
And [other] faces, that Day, will have upon them dust.
تَرْهَقُهَا قَتَرَةٌ
Tarhaquha qatarah.
Blackness will cover them.
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْكَفَرَةُ ٱلْفَجَرَةُ
Ulaa-ika humul-kafa ratul-fajarah.
Those are the disbelievers, the wicked ones.
Learning Surah Abasa
Abasa's verses are short and its rhyme endings are highly regular, which makes it quicker to hold than its 42 verses suggest. The long list of growing things in the middle is where most students slip — learn that passage as one block rather than verse by verse.
Why memorize Surah Abasa?
Because its story stays with you. The surah's opening scene — heaven itself defending the sincere seeker over the powerful — gives it an emotional anchor most short surahs don't have, and emotional anchors are memorization gold.
How long does Surah Abasa take to memorize?
Honest answer: it depends on your daily portion and whether someone is correcting you. Surah Abasa is about 14 lines of mushaf text. Here is what that means at three realistic paces — each assuming you also run the revision cycle (which is what makes it permanent):
| Pace | New memorization per day | Time to finish Surah Abasa | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relaxed | ~3 lines | about 5 days | Busy adults, first-time memorizers |
| Steady | ~5 lines | about 3 days | Most students — the sweet spot |
| Focused | ~10 lines | about 2 days | Experienced memorizers, school holidays |
Add roughly a consolidation week at the end — the point where you can recite the whole surah to a listener without prompts. Our guide to how long the whole Quran takes uses the same arithmetic.
The smart way to memorize Surah Abasa
Three movements, three milestones: the correction and the blind man (1–16), man's creation and death (17–32, including the beautiful food-chain passage — the water poured, the grain grown, the orchards), and the Day of the Deafening Blast (33–42). The middle passage is a list — water, grain, grapes, olives, dates, gardens, fruit, pasture — memorize the list in meaning and the Arabic follows. Ayahs average barely three words; this is a one-to-two-week surah for most students.
A milestone plan for Surah Abasa
At the steady pace (~5 lines a day), Surah Abasa breaks into four milestones. Print our free planner PDF and mark them off:
| Portion | New-memorization time | Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone 1 | Ayahs 1–10 | ~1 day | Day 1 |
| Milestone 2 | Ayahs 11–20 | ~1 day | Day 2 |
| Milestone 3 | Ayahs 21–30 | ~1 day | Day 3 |
| Milestone 4 | Ayahs 31–42 | ~1 day | Day 4 |
The method: sabaq, sabqi, manzil
Serious memorization runs on the classic three-cycle system used in hifz institutes worldwide: sabaq (today's new portion), sabqi (the recent pages, revised daily until solid), and manzil (older material, cycled weekly so it never fades). Our Hifz course is built on exactly this cycle, and our free memorization planner PDF gives you printable sabaq–sabqi–manzil grids to track it.
Why memorize with a live teacher
Self-memorization has one fatal flaw: you cannot hear your own mistakes. A mispronounced letter or shortened madd, repeated twenty times during memorization, becomes near-permanent — teachers call it 'memorizing your mistakes'. In a live one-to-one lesson on our synchronized Quran screen, every slip is corrected the moment it happens, before it settles. Recitation is checked ayah by ayah, revision is scheduled for you, and the first lesson is a free trial.