In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

1. He frowned and turned [his face] away,

2. When the blind man approached him.

3. For all you know, he might have grown in purity [because of meeting and talking with you],

4. Or might have received an admonition, and the teaching might have benefitted him.

5. As for the one who considers himself self-sufficient [and is indifferent to the truth],

6. You give him your attention,

7. Even though you are not responsible if he will not purify himself.

8. But as for the one who came to you earnestly and speedily,

9. And with fear [of God in his heart],

10. Of him you are unmindful (and pay no attention).

11. By no means [can this be considered acceptable], for it [the Qur’an] is surely a Reminder.

12. Let whosoever desires, pay heed to it.

13. [Recorded] on honored pages,

14. [Pages] exalted and pure,

15. [Written] by the hands of scribes,

16. Noble and virtuous.

This chapter’s main message is to remind people to beware of even the most subtle aspect of their conduct while interacting with others. In Nahj-ul-Balāghah, Ali says, “Oh God, forgive me if I have scorned anyone by the subtlest allusion of my eye.” There are times when we use body language, a condescending attitude, or a certain tone of voice to show our disdain and contempt. Ali continues, imploring God to forgive him for words uttered before giving them due consideration. Of course people have different degrees of awareness, and that is why God’s expectation, which is based on this standard of measurement, of each person differs. The Prophet says, “An act accepted as a good deed from a pious and highly righteous person would be considered sinful if performed by one who is nearest to God.” Thus God has a much higher degree of expectation of those who are “close” to Him, namely, those who possess a higher degree of God-consciousness, guard their words, and hold themselves accountable for their actions, than He does of those who are highly pious.

This chapter begins with God reproaching the Prophet for frowning when a blind man interrupted his conversation with a fellow Makkan. Some of the Shi‘i exegetes, among them Sayyid Murtadā Alam al-Hodā (d. 1044) and Allāmah Tabātabā’ī (d. 1981), believe that the Prophet was not the intended subject here; however, other Shi‘i and all Sunni exegetes believe that he was. As we shall see later on, the second group is correct.

It is important to study the occasion of this chapter’s revelation before we delve into it. Muhammad was under tremendous pressure to find a way to protect his small Muslim community from its foes’ constant harassment and duress. He had thought he could accomplish this by assembling Makkah’s powerbrokers and introducing them to Islam, thereby turning them into friends and enlisting their help in propagating Islam. Thus he approached his paternal uncle Abbas ibn Abd-ul-Muttalib, who belonged to this group, and asked him to act as his emissary and invite the community leaders to a meeting. This was a political assembly of the utmost importance, because the Muslims could not attain even a modicum of tranquility if these arrogant and haughty men refused to extend their support. They viewed the Muslim community as a bunch of adventurous foes who were threatening the status quo, as well as their financial standing and existing tribal arrangements. Although these leaders viewed the Prophet’s Message with contempt and his so-called heterodox teachings as anathema to their long-held traditions and customs, Muhammad hoped that it would bring forth some kind of reconciliation that would usher in a new era.

This was the very sensitive context within which the blind man asked in a very loud voice, “Oh Muhammad, teach me what God has taught you.” The Prophet turned to see who had rudely interrupted the meeting and, seeing who it was, frowned, turned his head, and continued talking with Makkah’s leaders because the blind man wielded little or no influence in the society.

We can put this incident into perspective with the following example: Imagine that you had invited prominent people to your home for a sensitive meeting and then, right in the middle of your negotiations, your child walks in and starts talking. The natural reaction would be to tell the child to leave and be quiet. Of course you would be very surprised if somebody criticized your reaction. This is the why this chapter was revealed and why it starts with a reminder and a reprimand.

[80:1] He frowned and turned [his face] away,
It is interesting to note here that the Prophet is addressed in the third person. This is usually done to show displeasure with or to lower the interlocutor’s status. However, starting with the third verse he is addressed directly.

[80:2] When the blind man approached him.
Al-a‘mā (الْأَعْمَىٰ) is in the definite form denoting that the Prophet knew the blind man.

[80:3] For all you know, he might have grown in purity [because of meeting and talking with you],
The main purpose of the Message is to invite people to a lifestyle that purifies them and helps them grow in spiritual perfection. Yazzakka (to purify; يزّكّىٰ) comes from the root Z-K-Y, which in this context signifies “cleansing” or healthy growth. One of Islam’s pillars is zakāh (almsgiving; to purify) and thus is mandated by the Shari‘ah to purify the bounties that God has granted us and to encourage its robust growth. Funds collected from this religious tax are used to help the poor and indigent as well as to fund community projects (e.g., public clinics). This is similar to pruning a tree so that it can grow in a healthy manner and defend itself from various diseases.

[80:4] Or might have received an admonition, and the teaching might have benefitted him.
The verb yadhdhakkaru (يَذَّكَّرُ) is form V, denoting acceptance but its root DH-K-R (to remember) is the opposite of N-S-Y (to forget). Therefore, either the Prophet’s words would have caused him to cleanse himself and grow in spiritual perfection, or they might have affected him and awakened him from forgetfulness. Either way, he would have benefited.

[80:5] As for the one who considers himself self-sufficient [and is indifferent to the truth],

[80:6] You give him your attention,
But instead you gave your full attention to one who thinks he is self-sufficient. He will not listen to you because he thinks that he already knows everything.

[80:7] Even though you are not responsible if he will not purify himself.
A prophet is not responsible for cleansing people, but only for delivering the Message. God has given human beings the ability to learn and has made them needy. Human beings are just like children who learn slowly and methodically; however, as soon as they feel that they know enough and that there is nothing else to learn, they lose their longing for learning and stop pursuing knowledge. Muhammad says, “Poverty is my pride.” In this context, poverty has a specific meaning: It is necessary for people to know that they were born with innate abilities that can be actualized through constant cleansing in order to remove all obstacles to their spiritual growth.
People are weak and easily fooled by the material world’s trappings, and therefore are easily duped into seeing themselves as powerful, complete, and independent when they become rich. Those who live a privileged life grounded in their wealth or power imagine that they are independent and in charge of other people’s affairs, while those who live on a lower socio-economic level are easily ignored. Qur’an 35:15 proclaims that only God is truly and absolutely self-sufficient and worthy of praise. All human beings need Him; they do not need one another. This is the need about which the Prophet says, “My poverty is my honor,” for it prods human beings to embark upon a spiritual journey of growth and perfection.
The Prophet was meeting with these important Makkans in the hope that they would either accept his Message or at least stop harassing his followers. He thought that even if this blind man were virtuous, he could not do anything to reduce the existing tension. Anyone in this situation would have come to the same conclusion.
God contrasts two groups of people here. Regarding the blind man, He says: “For all you know, he might have grown in purity.”Maybe the Prophet’s words would have awakened his conscience and caused him to start cleansing himself, but Muhammad chose to ignore him. Regarding the second group, God says: “that it is a waste of time to teach those who were not seeking his Message and considered themselves self-sufficient.” God does not judge people based on their social standing, but on how they respond to the fundamental choice presented to them: Realize your need to be cleansed or continue believing that you are self-sufficient. In reality, each human being is born totally dependent upon God.

[80:8] But as for the one who came to you earnestly and speedily,
The blind man had endured much discomfort and hardship to reach the Prophet. The Qur’an uses a very subtle language here: It employs the verb sa‘ā (سعىٰ), which is applied to Ishmael (37:102) when he was old enough to run and strive for things, and in 20:20, which recounts Moses’ staff being transformed into a swiftly moving serpent. And yet despite this, the Prophet ignored him so he could continue talking with those who had no sincere interest in what he had to say.
Qur’an 36:14 highlights the story of two prophets whom God had sent to Antioch (in present-day Turkey). After they were rejected, God sent a third prophet to strengthen them. But this made no difference, for the people continued to oppose and ignore their Message. Ironically, a person living in the farthest part of the town came running to encourage them to follow it (36:20), for these prophets were expecting nothing in return. The people attacked and then murdered him.
A remarkable point in this story deserves attention: God sent three prophets to convey the same Message, and yet the only person (viz., the true seeker) who accepted it was soon murdered. And yet their mission was deemed successful even though only one person had accepted it and died shortly thereafter. The point is that true seekers can be found among those living a humble life with meager means and facing difficulties, and that scoffers and deniers can be found among the rich and powerful who have so many opportunities to hear it and be guided.
This verse stresses that the blind person took the initiative and endured much hardship to visit the Prophet as quickly as he could. He did not seek this knowledge to set himself up as a learned person to improve his status in the community, but because he was worried about his future and had wondered: “Am I making the right decisions regarding my relationship with God?” He came eagerly of his own volition to ensure that he was on the right path.

[80:9] And with fear [of God in his heart],
Qur’an 35:28 notes that only those endowed with knowledge stand in awe of God, for only they choose to reflect upon their fate and are concerned about the afterlife. The blind man was clearly one of these people. The Qur’an contrasts these subtleties in a very delicate manner: The low-status blind man sought the truth because he possessed the “eye of the heart,” whereas people with physical eyesight, power, and leadership roles ignored the Message and, as a result, were truly the blind ones.

[80:10] Of him you are unmindful (and pay no attention).
Some exegetes believe that someone else was being addressed here; however, only the Prophet is responsible for propagating the Message, and only he is addressed in the Qur’an and told what to do and what not to do. These verses clearly show that the person being addressed here is none other than the Prophet.
Ali Shariati (d. 1977) opined that although these verses criticize the Prophet, they were not revealed to lower his status but rather to remind people of how God measures one’s performance. Historians have recorded that after these verses were revealed, whenever the Prophet saw the blind man he would say, “I am grateful to you because God criticized me for the way I treated you.” This incident actually raised the blind man’s social status because people thought God must love him so much that He was willing to criticize the Prophet for not treating him properly. These verses show the falsity of our assumptions that a society’s powerbrokers and wealthy are God’s beloved.
Prophet Muhammad tried to change his society’s long-established discriminatory and unjust cultural norms. For example, he chose Bilāl al-Habashī, a black emancipated Ethiopian slave, as one of his most trusted and loyal Companions; twice chose him as his representative while he was out of town; and chose him as the one to call people to the congregational prayers. This last position was highly prized at that time. The Prophet also had a keen interest in engaging the youth in community affairs. For example, in one of the battles he chose a nineteen-year-old man to lead the army despite the presence of many senior officers.
God also kept a close watch on the Prophet’s behavior, even though He had imbued him with a high degree of God-consciousness. In the words of the late Ayatollah Tāleghānī, God revealed these verses just because the Prophet frowned.
This is a good place to evaluate the views of some scholars who claim that the Qur’an is the Prophet’s words. If they contemplate on the above verses, they will realize that his words, just like those of any other human being, would have been affected by his emotions and state of mind. For example, when he was in a good mood they would have been eloquent and beautiful; when he was tired and sad they would have been dull and devoid of persuasion. Given that God was aware of even the Prophet’s most subtle facial expressions, why would He have allowed him to choose his own words based on the surrounding cultural milieu? God even states that if the Prophet were to attribute some of his own words to Him, He would have seized him and cut his jugular (69:44–46). Thus how can one claim that the Qur’an’s verses come from the Prophet?

[80:11] By no means [can this be considered acceptable], for it [the Qur’an] is surely a Reminder.
We should appreciate the Prophet’s situation at this time. He and his few followers were facing a strong and virulent opposition from the Makkan leaders. Thus he was worried about their future, wondering if his mission would bear any fruit, and how he was supposed to transform his spiritually ignorant and backward tribal society. God reminded him that his duty was only to disseminate the Message. A revolution had begun that would fundamentally change the status quo and shake his society’s foundation.

[80:12] Let whosoever desires, pay heed to it.
Whoever takes this Message to heart will be awakened. The Prophet was not tasked with forcing his people to accept it, because only those gifted with penetrative minds can accept admonition (39:9). Such people set limits (halāl vs. harām) on their conduct and take counsel, whereas those who live a superficial life do not and thus will remain in their ignorance.

[80:13] [Recorded] on honored pages,
God assures the Prophet that his Message will not be forgotten because it is recorded on “honored pages.” Suhuf (صحف) means “papers” and “pages,” and mukarramah (مكرّمة) means “honorable.” Interestingly, paper had not yet appeared in the Arabian Peninsula and so people mostly wrote on animal skins, bones, or wood. Moreover, the culture was largely oral due to overwhelming rates of illiteracy. Furthermore, it does not make sense to ascribe honor to pages of paper. It can be concluded, therefore, that “pages” does not necessarily mean pages of paper but may refer to the “pages” of human memory that hold our collective thoughts and the knowledge that resides in our expansive hearts. The Prophet would immediately recite what had been revealed to him, and the Companions who were there would “record” them in the “pages” of their memories. Thus “honored pages” could well be understood in the above esoteric sense. Of course, this verse could also mean that sometime in the future these verses would be recorded on pages of paper.

[80:14] [Pages] exalted and pure,
These pure pages, uncontaminated by human beings, contain truths that only people of understanding and insight can comprehend. Throughout history many emperors, monarchs, and political leaders have used and abused Islam’s name and Message to further their own selfish and corrupt ends. This situation has been exacerbated in our time, for Islamists who aspire to establish a so-called “Islamic State” are sullying Islam’s noble Message and denigrating the Prophet’s character by their words and actions. Despite the many violent acts perpetrated by a few “Muslims,” all of the movies and publications that supposedly expose the “truth” about Islam, as well as the onslaught of attacks by social media, Islam is just as authentic today as it was during the Prophet’s time, and its Message is just as pure and uncorrupted, suggesting that their adverse propaganda will fail in the long run. How appropriate it is, then, that 15:9 emphatically asserts that God has bestowed this Message from on high and will protect it from all corruption.
One might wonder how the Qur’an, which was revealed to an illiterate people, was spread. Initially it was memorized by Muslims who acted as its keepers, and their bodies became channels of its transmission. As Islam grew and the number of those who had memorized it increased, the Prophet felt at ease and his anxiety subsided because he could see that the word of God was safe and would be preserved for posterity. Today, after fifteen centuries have elapsed, the Qur’an is the best-selling book in the world and continues to attract enormous attention for study purposes. In addition, Muslims are obliged to study it and recite its verses during their daily prayers. Thus “honored pages” could also point to those honorable people who, over time, have preserved and safeguarded these pure, lofty truths in their hearts.

[80:15] [Written] by the hands of scribes,
Here the Qur’an uses “messengers” as opposed to “messenger.” The Arabic word safarah (سفرة) comes from the root S-F-R, which has many meanings, one of them being “to unveil.” It is used in 74:34 to indicate that morning has been unveiled, as if the cover of darkness is gone and morning’s face is shining. Some scholars consider the word tafsīr (exegesis) to belong to the same root because it explains and unveils the text’s hidden meaning. God’s emissaries are exegetes, religious authorities, preachers, teachers, and all those who accept this Message and disseminate it. Indeed, its recipients are its genuine seekers. These benevolent and noble emissaries will make the Qur’an’s truth clear to those who truly seek it.

[80:16] Noble and virtuous.
Some exegetes have suggested that these attributes are ascribed only to angels. However, as angels do not relay the truth to humanity, it is more appropriate to ascribe these attributes to the Qur’an itself and, of course, to those people who become well-versed in it, take its Message to heart, and implement its teachings in their daily lives. They are the ones who become endowed with these attributes.

Translator: Mohammad Fani
Editor: Hamid Mavani