Regarding His saying: "He frowned and turned away, because there came to him the blind man" (i.e., because the blind man came to him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) was with a man from the polytheists, one of their prominent figures and leaders, and he was inviting him to Islam, hoping that he would believe, and that people from his tribe would follow him. He was speaking to him, having developed an expectation of that from him, when Ibn Umm Maktum came; he was blind. The Prophet (peace be upon him) turned away from him, and Ibn Umm Maktum began to show restless concern because the Prophet had turned away from him, fearing that something might have occurred regarding him. So Allah revealed: "He frowned and turned away, because there came to him the blind man."
قَوْلُهُ: ﴿عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّى أَنْ جَاءَهُ الْأَعْمَى﴾ أَيْ: لِأَنْ جَاءَهُ الْأَعْمَى؛ كَانَ النَّبي ﷺ مَعَ رجلٍ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ مِنْ وُجُوهِهِمْ وَأَشْرَافِهِمْ وَهُوَ يَدْعُوهُ إِلَى الإِسْلامِ وَرَجَا أَنْ يُؤْمِنَ؛ فَيَتَّبِعَهُ ناسٌ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ فَهُوَ يُكَلِّمُهُ، وَقَدْ طَمِعَ فِي ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ؛ إِذْ جَاءَ ابنُ أمِّ مَكْتُومٍ وَكَانَ أعمى؛ فَأَعْرض النَّبي ﷺ عَنْهُ، فَجَعَلَ ابْنَ أُمِّ مَكْتُومٍ لَا يتقارُّ لِمَا أَعْرَضَ عَنْهُ النَّبِيَّ مَخَافَةَ أَنْ يَكُونَ حَدَثَ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ: ﴿عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّى أَنْ جَاءَهُ الأَعْمَى﴾.
