بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ
عَبَسَ وَتَوَلّىٰ
He frowned and turned away.
EXEGESIS
ʿAbasa (he frowned) means frowning and scowling; an ʿābis is a person with a scowling face. The name Abbas comes from the same root,
however, possibly with the nuanced meaning of soberness and seriousness. It can be used in an abstract sense as well for inanimate things, such as in the verse, Indeed we fear from our Lord a day, frowning and fateful (76:10), meaning a day that causes concern, frustration, trepidation, and other such emotions.
[1] Tibyan, 10/268; Tabari, 30/32.
[2] Or because people will frown on that day (Munyah, 30/47).