Surah ‘Abasa (He Frowned) Full Text — 42 Ayahs (Hafs)

عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّىٰٓ﴿١﴾أَن جَآءَهُ ٱلْأَعْمَىٰ﴿٢﴾وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّهُۥ يَزَّكَّىٰٓ﴿٣﴾أَوْ يَذَّكَّرُ فَتَنفَعَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰٓ﴿٤﴾أَمَّا مَنِ ٱسْتَغْنَىٰ﴿٥﴾فَأَنتَ لَهُۥ تَصَدَّىٰ﴿٦﴾وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلَّا يَزَّكَّىٰ﴿٧﴾وَأَمَّا مَن جَآءَكَ يَسْعَىٰ﴿٨﴾وَهُوَ يَخْشَىٰ﴿٩﴾فَأَنتَ عَنْهُ تَلَهَّىٰ﴿١٠﴾كَلَّآ إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌۭ﴿١١﴾فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُۥ﴿١٢﴾فِى صُحُفٍۢ مُّكَرَّمَةٍۢ﴿١٣﴾مَّرْفُوعَةٍۢ مُّطَهَّرَةٍۭ﴿١٤﴾بِأَيْدِى سَفَرَةٍۢ﴿١٥﴾كِرَامٍۭ بَرَرَةٍۢ﴿١٦﴾قُتِلَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مَآ أَكْفَرَهُۥ﴿١٧﴾مِنْ أَىِّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقَهُۥ﴿١٨﴾مِن نُّطْفَةٍ خَلَقَهُۥ فَقَدَّرَهُۥ﴿١٩﴾ثُمَّ ٱلسَّبِيلَ يَسَّرَهُۥ﴿٢٠﴾ثُمَّ أَمَاتَهُۥ فَأَقْبَرَهُۥ﴿٢١﴾ثُمَّ إِذَا شَآءَ أَنشَرَهُۥ﴿٢٢﴾كَلَّا لَمَّا يَقْضِ مَآ أَمَرَهُۥ﴿٢٣﴾فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِهِۦٓ﴿٢٤﴾أَنَّا صَبَبْنَا ٱلْمَآءَ صَبًّۭا﴿٢٥﴾ثُمَّ شَقَقْنَا ٱلْأَرْضَ شَقًّۭا﴿٢٦﴾فَأَنۢبَتْنَا فِيهَا حَبًّۭا﴿٢٧﴾وَعِنَبًۭا وَقَضْبًۭا﴿٢٨﴾وَزَيْتُونًۭا وَنَخْلًۭا﴿٢٩﴾وَحَدَآئِقَ غُلْبًۭا﴿٣٠﴾وَفَٰكِهَةًۭ وَأَبًّۭا﴿٣١﴾مَّتَٰعًۭا لَّكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَٰمِكُمْ﴿٣٢﴾فَإِذَا جَآءَتِ ٱلصَّآخَّةُ﴿٣٣﴾يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ ٱلْمَرْءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ﴿٣٤﴾وَأُمِّهِۦ وَأَبِيهِ﴿٣٥﴾وَصَٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَبَنِيهِ﴿٣٦﴾لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ شَأْنٌۭ يُغْنِيهِ﴿٣٧﴾وُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ مُّسْفِرَةٌۭ﴿٣٨﴾ضَاحِكَةٌۭ مُّسْتَبْشِرَةٌۭ﴿٣٩﴾وَوُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَلَيْهَا غَبَرَةٌۭ﴿٤٠﴾تَرْهَقُهَا قَتَرَةٌ﴿٤١﴾أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْكَفَرَةُ ٱلْفَجَرَةُ﴿٤٢﴾

About Surah ‘Abasa

Surah ‘Abasa is the 80th surah in the order of the mushaf, and one of the Meccan surahs — revealed to the Prophet ﷺ before the migration to Madinah. It contains 42 ayahs, and it is the third surah of Juz ‘Amma, the final part of the Quran that most Muslims begin their memorisation with.

The surah takes its name from its opening words — «‘abasa wa tawalla» (“He frowned and turned away”). As related in Tirmidhi and others from Aisha, the blind companion Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum came to the Prophet ﷺ sincerely asking to be taught while the Prophet ﷺ was occupied inviting the leaders of Quraysh to Islam; the Prophet ﷺ frowned and turned away, and Allah revealed these opening verses as a gentle correction. Afterwards the Prophet ﷺ would honour Ibn Umm Maktum, who later served as one of the muezzins of Madinah and was left in charge of the city during some of the Prophet’s absences. From that reproach the surah widens out: to the honoured pages in which the reminder is recorded, to man’s creation and death, to the food he eats, and to the deafening blast of the Day when every soul stands alone.

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, the reading used in most of the Muslim world, in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf. The audio recitation is by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi.

Virtues and place of Surah ‘Abasa

1. An enduring lesson in humility and da‘wah

The surah opens with a gentle correction from Allah to His own beloved Prophet ﷺ — a lesson preserved in the Quran for every generation. Guidance is for the sincere seeker, whatever his standing in society: the one who comes striving and fearing Allah deserves full attention, while the self-sufficient who turns away is not the believer’s burden. It is a foundational text in the ethics of teaching and calling to Allah.

2. A surah of Juz ‘Amma memorisation

As the third surah of Juz ‘Amma — the final juz of the Quran, where most Muslims begin their memorisation — Surah ‘Abasa is among the surahs believers learn early and recite often in their prayers. Its short, rhythmic ayahs and clear five-part structure make it a natural next step for anyone working through the juz.

3. A vivid reminder that every soul stands alone

The surah closes with one of the Quran’s most striking scenes of the Last Day: at the deafening blast, a man flees from his own brother, mother, father, spouse and children — every person that Day has enough to occupy him. It leaves the reader with the contrast of two kinds of faces, bright and rejoicing or covered in dust and darkness, and the question of which his deeds are preparing.

Themes of the Surah

1. The blind man who came seeking (ayahs 1–10)

The reproach that names the surah: the Prophet ﷺ frowned and turned away when the blind man came to him. The one who came striving and fearing Allah deserves full attention, while the self-sufficient who turns away — it is not the believer’s burden if he does not purify himself.

Read from ayah 1 →

2. The honoured pages of the Quran (ayahs 11–16)

“No indeed — it is a reminder”, and whoever wills may take heed of it: recorded in honoured, exalted, purified pages, by the hands of noble and dutiful scribes — «safarah kiram bararah», the angels.

Read from ayah 11 →

3. The creation and death of man (ayahs 17–23)

How ungrateful is man! From a sperm-drop He created him and proportioned him, then eased his way, then causes him to die and be buried — then resurrects him when He wills. Yet man has not fulfilled what his Lord commanded him.

Read from ayah 17 →

4. Let man look at his food (ayahs 24–32)

A sign laid on every table: the rain poured down in abundance, the earth split open, and from it grain, grapes and herbs, olives and palms, dense gardens, fruit and pasture — enjoyment for you and your livestock.

Read from ayah 24 →

5. The deafening blast (ayahs 33–42)

When «as-sakhkhah» — the deafening blast — comes, a man flees from his own brother, his mother and father, his spouse and children: every person that Day has enough to occupy him. Faces that Day are bright, laughing and rejoicing — and faces are covered with dust and darkness: those are the disbelieving wicked.

Read from ayah 33 →

Tips for reading and memorising

It is a short surah with short ayahs — well suited to the early stages of Quran memorisation.
A simple plan is about seven ayahs a day over six days.
Listen to the recitation above by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi and repeat after him.
Learn it section by section — the five parts above each form a complete scene that is easy to hold together.
Use the “font size” buttons at the top of the page for a comfortable read.
You can print the surah from your browser (Ctrl+P) for a clean paper copy.

Frequently asked questions

How many ayahs are in Surah ‘Abasa?

Surah ‘Abasa has 42 ayahs. It is the 80th surah in the order of the mushaf, and it is a Meccan surah.

Why is it called Surah ‘Abasa?

It is named after its opening word «‘abasa» (“he frowned”). The blind companion Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum came to the Prophet ﷺ sincerely asking to be taught while he was occupied inviting the leaders of Quraysh to Islam; the Prophet ﷺ frowned and turned away, and Allah revealed these opening verses as a gentle correction — as related in Tirmidhi and others from Aisha.

Who was Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum?

A blind companion of the Prophet ﷺ who came to him sincerely seeking to be taught. After the revelation of this surah the Prophet ﷺ would honour him; he later served as one of the muezzins of Madinah and was left in charge of the city during some of the Prophet’s absences.

What is as-sakhkhah?

«As-sakhkhah» — “the deafening blast” — is a name of the Day of Resurrection, mentioned in ayah 33. It is the piercing cry at which a man flees from his own brother, mother, father, spouse and children.

What does Surah ‘Abasa teach about the Day of Judgment?

That every soul stands alone on that Day: a man flees from his closest family, and every person has enough to occupy him — no soul bears another’s burden. Faces that Day are bright, laughing and rejoicing, while other faces are covered with dust and darkness: the disbelieving wicked.

Where does Surah ‘Abasa fall in the Quran?

It is the third surah of Juz ‘Amma — the 30th and final juz of the Quran, which is the part most Muslims begin their memorisation with.

How long does it take to read the full surah?

A complete recitation of Surah ‘Abasa takes about 4 minutes at a moderate pace. Its verses are short, which makes it well suited to daily reading and memorisation.

Which recitation is the text on this page based on?

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim — the most widely used reading in the Muslim world — written in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf. The audio recitation on this page is by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi.

How can I memorise Surah ‘Abasa easily?

Because its ayahs are short, a good plan is about seven ayahs a day over six days. Listen to the recitation above repeatedly, recite from memory in your prayers, and review what you have learnt regularly. Use the font-size buttons to read it comfortably.

Surah ‘Abasa (He Frowned) — Full Text in Clear Arabic Script

Listen to the recitation