Surah Yaseen: Reading and Tafsir and Download

Commentary

The Merits of Surah Ya Sin

Sayyidna Ma'qil Ibn Yasar ؓ narrates that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: یٰسٓ قَلبُ القُرآن (Surah Ya Sin is the heart of the Qur'an) and some words of this Hadith tell us that a person who recites Surah Ya Sin exclusively for the sake of Allah and the 'Akhirah is forgiven, and that it should be recited over the dead among us (reported by Ahmad and Abu Dawud and an-Nas'i and Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim and others - as in Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani and al-Mazhari).

Imam al-Ghazzali said that one reason for calling Surah Ya Sin the heart of the Qur'an could be that, in this Surah, themes relating to the Day of Judgment and the Resurrection have appeared with particular details and eloquent presentation. Then, out of the principles of faith, there is the belief in the Hereafter, something on which depends the soundness of human deeds. The fear of the Hereafter makes one ready for good deeds and this is what stops one from indulging in desires that are impermissible and things that are unlawful. So, the way soundness of the body depends on the soundness of the heart, similarly the soundness of the faith ('Iman) depends on the concern for the Hereafter (Ruh). And the way Ya Sin is a well recognized name of this Surah, it is named in a Hadith also as ` Azimah (reported by Abu Nasr as-Sajazi from Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ . And according to another Hadith the name of this Surah has appeared in Torah as مُعِمَّۃ (Mu'immah), that is, a Surah that universalizes its blessings in worldly life and in the Hereafter for its readers, and the name of its reader has been given as Ash-Sharif, and it was said that his intercession on the Day of Judgment will be accepted for a number of people that would exceed the number of people in the tribe of Rabi'ah (reported by Said Ibn Mansur and al-Baihaqi from Hassan Ibn ` Atiyyah) and in some narrations, its name has also been cited as مُدَافَعَۃ (mudafiah) that is, it removes misfortunes from its readers, while some others mention it by the name قاضِیۃ (Qadiyah) that is, the caretaker of needs (Ruh-ul- Ma’ ani).

And narration of Sayyidna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari ؓ says: The reciting of Surah Ya Sin near a dying person makes the ordeal of death easy on him (reported by ad-Dailami and Ibn Hibban - Mazhari).

And Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Zubayr ؓ said: Whoever puts Surah Ya Sin ahead of his need, his need is fulfilled (reported by al-Mahamili in his 'Amali - Mazhari)

And Yahya Ibn Kathir said: Whoever recites Surah Ya Sin in the morning will remain happy until evening and whoever recites it in the evening will be happy until morning and he said that this thing was confided to him by a person who had experienced it (reported by Ibn al-Faris - Mazhari).

Ya Sin (يس): According to the well-known position concerning this word, it is one of the 'isolated letters' (al-huruf-ul-muqatta’ at) the knowledge of which rests with Allah alone. Hower, Ibn-ul- ` Arabi has reported that Imam Malik has said that it is one of the names of Allah. And a narration from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ also says that it is one of the Divine Names. And according to another narration, this is a word from the Ethiopian language that means: '0 human person' and denotes the person of the noble Prophet ﷺ . And, it is gathered from a saying of Sayyidna Ibn Jubayr ؓ that the word: Ya Sin is the name of the noble Prophet ﷺ . It appears in Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani that giving the Holy Prophet ﷺ a name composed of these two elegant letters - Ya and Sin - has great secrets behind it.

About Giving someone the name: (Ya Sin: written as Yasin):

Imam Malik (رح) does not like to name a person as Yasin for the reason that, according to him, it is one of the Divine Names and its exact meaning remains unknown. Therefore, it is possible that it may have some meaning that is exclusive to Allah Ta’ ala, and nobody is allowed to have that name, for example: اَلخَالق (al-khaliq: The Creator), اَلرَّازِق (ar-raziq: The Provider-Sustainer) and other names of this nature. Still, if this word is written with a script that reads: (Yasin), it is permissible to give that name to a human being, because the Qur'an says: سَلَامٌ عَلَىٰ إِلْ يَاسِينَ (Peace on Ilyasin or Al Yasin) (Ibn al-'Arabi). The well recognized rendering (qira'ah) of this verse is: إِلْ يَاسِينَ (ilyasin) but, in some renderings, it also appears as: اٰلِ یَاسِین (al-yasin).

The word: آباء (fathers) in verse 6: لِتُنذِرَ‌ قَوْمًا مَّا أُنذِرَ‌ آبَاؤُهُمْ (so that you may warn a people whose fathers were not warned) means the Arabs. The sense is that no warner, that is, a prophet, has come to their ancestors since a long time, the reference being to the ones nearer among them.

Since the coming of their patriarch, Sayyidna Ibrahim علیہ السلام and with him, Sayyidna Isma'il (علیہ السلام) no prophet had appeared among the Arabs for several centuries, even though, the work of calling people to the true faith with warnings and glad tidings kept going on as mentioned in the verse of the Qur'an:' وَإِن مِّنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلَّا خَلَا فِيهَا نَذِيرٌ‌ (and there was no community without a warner having passed among them - 35:24) also confirms the same truth - that Divine mercy has never kept any nation or community deprived of the essential call and warning at any time and in any region. But, it is obvious that teachings of prophets when communicated by their deputies do not bring about the same effect as it is witnessed when the prophets do it in person. Therefore, in the present verse, it was said about the Arabs that no warner came to them. As fall out of this situation, there was no regular system of education in Arabia where people could learn and teach which was why they came to be called: أُمِّيِّينَ (ummiyyun: the unlettered ones).

Verses 7 and 8 لَقَدْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَىٰ أَكْثَرِ‌هِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ أَغْلَالًا (The word has indeed come true about most of them, so they will not believe. Surely We have placed iron collars on their necks, so they are reaching up to their chins, and their heads are forced to remain upraised.) mean that Allah Ta’ ala has already placed before human beings two alternate ways of life - the way of kufr (disbelief) and 'Iman (faith) and the way of Jannah (Paradise) and Jahannam (the Hell) - and to give direction and substance to this call of faith, He also sent prophets and Books. In fact, He went further ahead by giving human beings the choice to first identify what is good or bad for one and then take to either of the two ways. Now if there is that unfortunate person who does neither think, nor ponders over proofs spread throughout nature, nor listens to the call of the prophets, nor deliberates in the Book of Allah, then, once this person has made a choice and has taken to a way thus chosen, Allah Ta’ ala assembles for him everything he needs to achieve that end. One who embraces the wont of disbelief, for him the supply of things and circumstances that would increase his disbelief never run short. This is what has been expressed as: لَقَدْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَىٰ أَكْثَرِ‌هِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ (7) which means that against most of these people, because of their choice of the evil, the decisive verdict of Allah - that they are not going to believe - already stands pronounced.

Given next is a similitude of their condition by saying that they look like people whose necks have been shackled in a manner that causes their faces and eyes stay upraised rendering them totally unable to see their way on the ground. If so, it is obvious that one cannot remain safe against the likelihood of falling down into some ditch or abyss.

Then comes another similitude. It was said that it is like a wall having been placed as a barrier all around someone. Thus surrounded, this person becomes unaware of what is going on outside. Similarly, these infidels are surrounded by their ignorance and, on top of it, by their hostility and doggedness. Under these conditions, it is as if the truth present elsewhere simply does not reach them.

Imam Razi (رح) has said that there are two kinds of barriers against perception. One barrier is of the kind that prevents one from seeing even himself. The second barrier is the inability to see one's surrounding. For the disbelievers, both kinds of barriers against seeing the truth were present. Therefore, the first example is that of the first barrier, that is, one who cannot bend his neck to lower his eyes cannot see even his own self or the state in which he exists. Then the second example is that of the second barrier that stops one from seeing his surroundings. (Ruh-ul- Ma’ ani)

The majority of commentators have declared the present verse to be a similitude of their disbelief and hostility only. And some commentators, on the basis of some narrations, have taken it to be the description of an event, that is, Abu Jahl and some others, bent on killing or hurting the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، lunged towards him but Allah Ta’ ala cast curtain over their eyes. Thus, rendered helpless, they went back. Many similar events have been reported in books of Tafsir, such as, Ibn Kathir, Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani, al-Qurtubi, Mazhari and others. But, most of these are weak narrations. The Tafsir of the verse cannot be based on such sources.

In verse 12, by saying: وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا وَآثَارَ‌هُمْ (and We are recording whatever (deeds) they send ahead and whatever effects they leave behind.), the doing of deeds has been equated with 'sending ahead' to point out that good or bad deeds done in the mortal world have not gone the way of all flesh right here. Instead of that, these were their wherewithal, their baggage that has gone ahead of them to their destination in the next world that they have to confront. Now, if these deeds were good, they will make them look handsome in Paradise, and if they were bad, the embers of Hell will be their fate. The real purpose of 'recording' these deeds is to keep them preserved. Writing too is a means of doing that, so that there remains no probability of error, forgetfulness, increase or decrease.

The effects of deeds are also recorded like the deeds themselves

The terse statement: وَآثَارَ‌هُمْ (wa 'atharahum: and their effects) in Verse 12 means that the way deeds done by them are written, so are their effects too. The word: آثَارَ‌ (athar: traces, or effects) denotes fruits, outcomes and consequences that show up later and keep surviving. For example, someone helped people learn their religion, told them about its injunctions or wrote a book for to enable them to get the best out of their faith, or instituted some sort of endowment that turned out to be beneficial for people after him and, for that matter, did something that brought benefit to common Muslims, then, as far as the effects of this good deed remain, and as long as they bring fruits, they all will continue to be written in his Book of Deeds. Similar is the case of bad deeds, the evil fruits and effects of which continue to remain in the world. For example, someone instituted oppressive laws, or institutions that tend to corrupt the human deeds and morals, or made people follow the way of evil outcomes of his deed keep taking shape, these will continue to be recorded in his Book of Deeds - as it has been said by the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself while explaining this verse. Narrates Sayyidna Jarir Ibn ` Abdullah al-Bajali ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said:

مَن سَنَّ سُنَّۃً حَسَنَۃً فَلہ، اَجرُھَا وَاَجرُ مَن عَمَلَ بِھَا مِن م بَعدِہٖ مِن غَیرِ اَن یُنقَصَ مَن اُجُورِھِم شَیٔاً وَّمن سَنَّ سُنَّۃً کَانَ عَلَیہِ وزرُھا وَ وِزرُ مَن عَمِل بِھَا مِن م بَعدِہٖ لَا یُنقَصُ مِن اَوزَارِھِم شَیٔاً ، ثُمَّ تَلَا وَ نَکتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا وَ آثارَھُم،

Whoever started a good practice, he will have its reward, and the reward of whoever acts in accordance with it after him, without the least decrease in the reward of others acting upon it. And whoever started a bad practice, on him shall be its sin along with the sin of whoever acts in accordance with it after him, without the least decrease in the sins of others acting upon it" - Ibn Kathir from Ibn Abi Hatim.

۔

The word: آثارَ (athar: traces or effects) is also used in the sense of footprints. As in Hadith, when one walks to the Masjid, one good deed is recorded at every step he takes. Some Hadith narrations seem to indicate that the word: آثارَ (athar: traces) appearing in this verse refers to these very footprints. The way the reward of Salah is written down, similarly, on every step taken while going for Salah, one good deed is recorded. At this stage in his Tafsir, Ibn Kathir has put together all narrations that mention that there were many people in Madinah whose homes were at some distance from the Prophet's Masjid. They thought of setting up their homes closer to the Masjid. The Holy Prophet ﷺ told them not to do that. He advised them: Live where you do. When you walk in from afar, do not take this time to have been wasted. The more your steps, the more shall be your reward.

There could be a possible doubt here in that the present Surah is Makki, while the event mentioned in these Hadith belongs to Madinah. This could be answered by saying that the verse might as well be in its general sense - that is, the traces of deeds are also written - and that this verse may have been revealed in Makkah. But thereafter, when this event came to pass in Madinah, he mentioned this verse in support. Then he counted footprints too within the effects and traces the writing of which has been mentioned in this verse of the Qur'an. This way the apparent contradiction between these two explanations also stands removed (as explicated and preferred by Ibn Kathir).