Surah Yaseen (36): Read Online and Download - English Translation

The Life of the People of Paradise

Allah tells us that on the Day of Resurrection, when the people of Paradise have reached the arena of judgement, and have settled in the gardens of Paradise, they will be too preoccupied with their own victory and new life of eternal delights to worry about anyone else. Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Isma`il bin Abi Khalid said, "They will be too busy to think about the torment which the people of Hell are suffering. Mujahid said:

(will be busy with joyful things.) "With the delights which they are enjoying." This was also the view of Qatadah. Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "This means that they will be rejoicing."

(They and their wives) Mujahid said, "Their spouses,

(will be in pleasant shade,) means, in the shade of trees."

(reclining on thrones.) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Muhammad bin Ka`b, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Khusayf said:

(throne) means beds beneath canopies.

(They will have therein fruits) means, of all kinds.

(and all that they ask for.) means, whatever they ask for, they will find it, all kinds and types.

("Salam (Peace!)" -- a Word from the Lord (Allah), Most Merciful.) Ibn Jurayj said, "Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, concerning this Ayah, Allah Himself, Who is the Peace (As-Salam) will grant peace to the people of Paradise. This view of Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, is like the Ayah:

(Their greeting on the Day they shall meet Him will be "Salam") (33:44).

The Isolation of the Disbelievers and Their Rebuke on the Day of Resurrection

Allah tells us what the end of the disbelievers will be on the Day of Resurrection, when He commands them to get apart from the believers, i.e., to stand apart from the believers. This is like the Ayat:

(And the Day whereon We shall gather them all together, then We shall say to those who did set partners in worship with Us: "Stop at your place! You and your partners." Then We shall separate them) (10:28).

(And on the Day when the Hour will be established -- that Day shall they be separated.) (30:14)

(On that Day they shall be divided) (30:43) which means, they will be divided into two separate groups.

((It will be said to the angels): "Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions and what they used to worship, instead of Allah, and lead them on to the way of flaming Fire (Hell).") (37:22-23).

(Did I not command you, O Children of Adam, that you should not worship Shaytan Verily, he is a plain enemy to you.) This is a rebuke from Allah to the disbelievers among the sons of Adam, those who obey the Shaytan even though he was a plain enemy to them, and they disobeyed Ar-Rahman Who created them and granted them provision. Allah says:

(And that you should worship Me. That is the straight path.) meaning, `I commanded you in the world to disobey the Shaytan, and I commanded you to worship Me, and this is the straight path, but you followed a different path and you followed the commands of the Shaytan.' Allah says:

(And indeed he did lead astray a great multitude of you.) meaning, a large number of people. This was the view of Mujahid, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Sufyan bin `Uyaynah.

(Did you not then understand) means, `did you not have any understanding, when you went against the command of your Lord to worship Him alone, with no partner or associate, and you preferred to follow the Shaytan'

(This is Hell which you were promised!) meaning, `this is what the Messengers warned you about, and you did not believe them.'

(Burn (enter) therein this Day, for that you used to disbelieve). This is like the Ayah:

(The Day when they will be pushed down by force to the fire of Hell, with a horrible, forceful pushing. This is the Fire which you used to belie. Is this magic or do you not see) (52:13-15)

The Mouths of the Disbelievers will be sealed on the Day of Resurrection

(This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they used to earn.) eThis will be the state of the disbelievers and hypocrites on the Day of Resurrection, when they deny the sins they committed in this world and swear that they did not do that. Allah will seal their mouths and cause their limbs to speak about what they did. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "We were with the Prophet and he smiled so broadly that his molar could be seen, then he said:

(Do you know why I am smiling) We said, `Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said:

(Because of the way a servant will argue with his Lord on the Day of Resurrection. He will say, "O Lord, will You not protect me from injustice" Allah will say, "Of course." He will say, "I will not accept any witness against me except from myself." Allah will say, "Today you will be a sufficient witness against yourself, and the honorable scribes will serve as witnesses against you." Then his mouth will be sealed, and it will be said to his faculties, "Speak!" So they will speak of what he did. Then he will be permitted to speak, and he will say, "May you be doomed! It was for you that I was fighting.")" This was recorded by Muslim and An-Nasa'i. Ibn Jarir narrated that Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The believer will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection, and his Lord will show him his deeds, just between him and His Lord. He will admit it and will say, `Yes, O Lord, I did do that.' Then Allah will forgive him his sins and conceal them, and no creature on earth will see any of those sins, but his good deeds will be seen, and he will want all the people to see them. Then the disbeliever and the hypocrite will be brought to account, and his Lord will show him his deeds and he will deny them, saying, `O Lord, by Your glory, this angel has written down things that I did not do.' The angel will say to him, `Did you not do such and such on such a day and in such a place' He will say, `No, by Your glory, I did not do that.' When he says this, Allah will seal his mouth." Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I think that the first part of his body to speak will be his right thigh." Then he recited:

(This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they used to earn).

(And if it had been Our will, We would surely have wiped out their eyes, so that they would struggle for the path, how then would they see) `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, explained it: "Allah says, `If We willed, We could have misguided them all away from true guidance, so how could they be guided" And on one occasion he said, "`We could have blinded them."' Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "If Allah willed, He could have covered their eyes and made them blind, stumbling about." Mujahid, Abu Salih, Qatadah and As-Suddi said, "So that they would struggle for the path, i.e., the right way." Ibn Zayd said, "The meaning of path here is the truth -- `How could they see when We have covered their eyes"' Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him said:

(how then would they see) "They would not see the truth."

(And if it had been Our will, We could have transformed them in their places.) Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said; "`We could have destroyed them." As-Suddi said, "`We could have changed their form." Abu Salih said, "`We could have turned them to stone." Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Qatadah said, "`We could have caused them to sit on their feet." Allah says:

(Then they would have been unable to go forward) meaning, move to the front,

(nor they could have turned back.) meaning, move backwards. They would have remained static, unable to move forwards or backwards.

Allah tells us that the longer the son of Adam lives, the more he becomes weak after being strong, and incapable after being able and active

This is like the Ayah:

(Allah is He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave weakness and gray hair. He creates what He wills. And it is He Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.) (30:54). And Allah says:

(And among you there is he who is brought back to the miserable old age, so that he knows nothing after having known) (22:5). The meaning here -- and Allah knows best -- is that Allah is telling us that this world is transient and will come to an end, it is not eternal and lasting. Allah says:

(Will they not then understand) meaning, will they not think about how they were created, then they become gray-haired, then they become old and senile, so that they may know that they were created for another world that is not transient and will not pass away, and from which there is no way out, which is the Hereafter.

Allah does not teach His Messenger Poetry

(And We have not taught him poetry, nor is it suitable for him.) Allah tells us that He has not taught His Prophet Muhammad poetry.

(nor is it suitable for him.) means, he did not know how to compose it, he did not like it and he had no natural inclination towards it. It was narrated that he never memorized a stanza of poetry with the correct meter or rhyme -- he would transpose words or memorize it incompletely. In Ad-Dala'il, Al-Bayhaqi recorded that the Messenger of Allah said to Al-`Abbas bin Mirdas As-Sulami, may Allah be pleased with him:

(You are the one who said: "Do you distribute my booty and the booty of the servants between Al-Aqra` and `Uyainah.") He said, "It is `Uyainah and Al-Aqra`." He said:

(It is all the same.) i.e., it means the same thing. And Allah knows best. This is because Allah taught him the Qur'an, which

(Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it; sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise.) (41:42). This is not poetry, as some of the ignorant disbelievers of the Quraysh claimed; neither is it sorcery, a fabrication or a magic spell, as the misguided and ignorant people variously suggested. The Prophet was naturally disinclined to compose verse, and was forbidden to do so by Divine Law.

(This is only a Reminder and a plain Qur'an.) means, it is clear and self-explanatory to the one who ponders and comprehends its meanings, Allah says:

(That he or it may give warning to him who is living,) meaning, so that this plain Qur'an might warn every living person on the face of the earth. This is like the Ayat:

(that I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach) (6:19).

(but those of the sects that reject it, the Fire will be their promised meeting place) (11:17). Those who will benefit from his warning will be those whose hearts are alive and who have enlightened insight, as Qatadah said, "Alive of heart and alive of insight." Ad-Dahhak said, "This means wise."

(and that Word may be justified against the disbelievers.) means, it is a mercy to the believers and evidence against the disbelievers.