Abdullah ibn Umm-Maktum () (died 636) was, according to

Ibn Kathir Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (; ), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic Exegesis, exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on (Quranic exegesis), (history) and (Islamic jurisprudence), he is considered a lea ...

(d.1373), a companion of Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. In some traditions his name has also appeared as `Amr ibn Umm-Maktum. The first verses of '' He Frowned'', the 80th

chapter Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

, are considered to be revealed in an incident connected to him.

Biography

Abdullah Ibn Umm-Maktum was the son of Qays Ibn Zayd and Aatikah Bint Abdullah. He was blind by birth and hence his mother was called ''Umm-Maktum'' (Mother of the concealed one). Ibn Umm-Maktum was a cousin of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Muhammad's first wife. Abdullah Ibn Umm-Maktum was among the first converts to Islam. Muhammad sent him and

Mus`ab ibn `Umair Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr () also known as Muṣʿab al-Khayr ("the Good") was a '' sahabi'' (companion) of Muhammad. From the Banū ʿAbd al-Dār branch of the Quraysh, he embraced Islam in 614 CE and was the first ambassador of Islam. He died in ...

to Medina for teaching Qur'an to the inhabitants before the

Hijra Hijra, Hijrah, Hegira, Hejira, Hijrat or Hijri may refer to: Islam * Hijrah (also ''Hejira'' or ''Hegira''), the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE * Migration to Abyssinia or First Hegira, of Muhammad's followers in 615 CE * L ...

took place. He and

Bilal Ibn Rabah Bilal ibn Rabah (; ), also known as Bilāl al-Ḥabashī or simply Bilal, was a sahabah, close companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born in Mecca, he was of Abyssinian people, Abyssinian (modern-day Ethiopia) descent and was formerly ensl ...

were chosen as

muezzin The muezzin (; ), also spelled mu'azzin, is the person who proclaims the call to the daily prayer ( ṣalāt) five times a day ( Fajr prayer, Zuhr prayer, Asr prayer, Maghrib prayer and Isha prayer) at a mosque from the minaret. The muezzin ...

s in

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

by Muhammad. When Muhammad left Medina for participating in battles, he was given the responsibility of leading the

prayers File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

. Abdullah Ibn Umm-Maktum requested

Umar Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Mu ...

, the second

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

of Islam, to let him take part in

Jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

in spite of his blindness. Umar allowed him to take part in the

Battle of al-Qādisiyyah The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah ( ; ) took place between the Rashidun Caliphate and the Sasanian Empire in November 636. It resulted in a decisive victory for the Rashidun army and is considered to be one of the most significant engagements of the ...

in 636 C.E. He served in the battle as the standard bearer for the Muslim side, and he was martyred in the fighting.

Qur'anic verses

According to traditional

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

narration, the story behind the revelation of the first ten verses of Abasa is as follows : Muhammad was preaching Islam to

Walid ibn al-Mughira Al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; 550 – 622 AD) was the chief of the Banu Makhzum clan of the Quraysh tribe. Family He was the son of al-Mughīra ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn Makhzūm. Sons: # Khālid ibn al-Walīd. His mother was ...

and other

Quraysh The Quraysh () are an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe who controlled Mecca before the rise of Islam. Their members were divided into ten main clans, most notably including the Banu Hashim, into which Islam's founding prophet Muhammad was born. By ...

chieftains in

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

. Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum came along and asked Muhammad about something. Muhammad did not want to turn his attention away from the chieftains and frowned at ibn Umm Maktum.

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

admonished Muhammad for this action via the first ten verses of Abasa : After this incident, Muhammad used to greet Abdullah ibn Umm-Maktum thus : However,

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

s do not agree that the verses were admonishing Muhammad. They do not accept the authenticity of the Hadith either. Another verse based on an incident involving ibn Umm-Maktum is the 95th verse of

An-Nisa An-Nisa' (, ; The Women) is the List of chapters in the Quran, fourth chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 176 verses (āyāt). The title derives from the numerous references to women throughout the chapter, including An-Nisa, 34, verse 34 and ve ...

. As related by Ibn Kathir in his exegesis of the Qur'an, Al-Bukhari recorded that Sahl bin Sa`d As-Sa`di said, "I saw Marwan bin Al-Hakam sitting in the Masjid. I came and sat by his side. He told us that Zayd bin Thabit told him that Allah's Messenger dictated this Ayah to him, ''Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and those who strive and fight in the Cause of Allah.'' Ibn Umm Maktum came to the Prophet as he was dictating that very Ayah to me. Ibn Umm Maktum said, `O Allah's Messenger! By Allah, if I had power, I would surely take part in Jihad.' He was a blind man. So Allah sent down revelation to His Messenger while his thigh was on mine and it became so heavy for me that I feared that my thigh would be broken. That ended after Allah revealed, ''... except those who are disabled and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abd-Allah ibn Umm-Maktum Blind people Year of birth unknown 636 deaths Companions of the Prophet Khadija bint Khuwaylid