80‘AbasaHe Frownedسُورَةُ عبس

He [Muhammad] frowned and turned away

As he was approached by a blind man.

Yet, for all you know, he [the blind man] may be seeking to improve his moral self,

Or he may be seeking a higher consciousness — a consciousness that may benefit him.

Now, as for he who is affluent,

You would [rather] engage him!?

For it harms you not if he does not improve [himself, by listening to you].

But as for he [the blind man] who has made an effort to come to you,

With an attitude of devoutness,

Him you distract yourself away from?

No, [no] — this is a moral lesson:

Whoever wishes to, may take note of it.

[This moral lesson is] in a venerable script,

Elevated and pristine;

[Well kept] in the care of [angelic] emissa- ries —

[Angels who are] honored and well-mannered.

Death becomes man! [And in life] how ungrateful he is!

[Does a person ever consider] out of what material [and in what manner] he was created?

From seminal fluid He created him and quantified his [life-sustaining] proportion(s),

And then [He] facilitated the course [of life’s mobility] for him,

And then [He] made him die and be buried;

And then, should He so will, He shall revive him.

No, [no] — he [the social being] still falls short of what he was [divinely] ordered to do.

Let the social being, then, take a long hard look at his food:

How We have inundated [the earth] with downfalls [and rainfalls of] water,

And then fractured [and fissured] the earth,

And thereupon caused [food] grain to sprout in it,

And [the upswing of] vineyards and seasonal produce,

And [the growth of] olive trees [and evergreens] and date palms [and sweet fruits],

And gardens compact [with flowers and edibles],

And edible fruits and green produce —

For you and your livestock to enjoy.

And so, when the deafening blast erupts,

On a Day when a person shall walk out on his brother,

His mother and his father,

His [lifelong] spouse and his [generational] offspring:

Every one of them will be preoccupied with his own affair.

Faces on that Day will be radiant;

Expressing joy, and anticipating a good outcome.

Whereas [other] faces on that Day shall be covered with dust.

Exhausted by the fume of gloom:

Those are the heinous deniers [of Allah’s power and authority].