يس
Ya-Sin
Ya Sin • makkah • 83 Verses
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يسٓ
Commentary:
In the combined abbreviated letters یاسین the word سین according to Ibn ‘Abbas stands for الانسان meaning, man or perfect man, or for سید i.e. chief or leader. Thus the expression یاسین would mean, "O Perfect Man!" or "O Perfect Leader!" According to the consensus of scholarly opinion, the reference in these combined letters is to the Holy Prophet. The Prophet has been addressed as "Perfect Man" because humanity found its best and most perfect specimen in him. He has also been called "the Perfect Leader," because after his advent great religious Reformers and divine teachers were to rise only from among his followers. The door of revelation has been closed to the followers of all other Prophets. He is therefore "the perfect man" or the "leader par excellence."
In the combined abbreviated letters Ya Sin, the letter Sin according to Ibn-e-‘Abbas stands for al-Insan meaning, man or perfect man; or for Sayyid (chief or leader). Thus the expression Ya Sin would mean, 'O Perfect Man!' or 'O Perfect Leader!' According to consensus of scholarly opinion, the reference is to the Holy Prophet. He was 'the perfect man' because humanity found its best and most perfect specimen in him and he was 'the perfect leader,' because after his advent great religious Reformers and Divine Teachers were to rise only from among his followers, the door of revelation having been closed to the followers of all other Prophets.
وَٱلْقُرْءَانِ ٱلْحَكِيمِ
Commentary:
The Quran has been adduced here as an argument to prove and establish the Holy Prophet’s claim as a Messenger of God. In fact, the most effective and convincing argument to prove the truth of the Holy Prophet’s mission is the Quran. There could be no greater testimony to the Holy Prophet’s truth than the fact that being himself unlettered he gave to the world a Book which is full of wisdom and which far excels all other revealed Scriptures in its multifarious and multitudinous beauties and excellences and is a complete code of laws meant for the moral uplift and spiritual regeneration of humanity for all time. The Quran is indeed a standing miracle and an incontrovertible testimony to the truth of the Holy Prophet.
The most effective and convincing argument to prove the truth of the Holy Prophet’s mission is the Qur’an itself. There could be no greater testimony to his truth than the fact that being himself unlettered he gave to the world a Book which is full of wisdom and which far excels all other revealed Scriptures in its multifarious and multitudinous beauties and excellences and is a complete code of laws, meant for the moral uplift and spiritual regeneration of humanity for all time.
إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ
عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
Commentary:
The Holy Prophet’s path now is the only right and straight path that leads to God. All other paths that formerly led to Him have now been closed and shall remain closed till the end of time. The fact that after the advent of the Holy Prophet there has not appeared among the followers of any other religion a single claimant to Divine revelation, while there have been living among the followers of Islam in every age, persons to whom God spoke and revealed Himself, is a proof positive of the Holy Prophet’s path being now the only right and straight path, and of the Quran being the only revealed Book which can lead man to God.
The verse makes a fine distinction between a Prophet and a philosopher. A philosopher takes a long time to find out truth and often gets lost in the quest, but a Prophet of God discovers it by the shortest route and in the shortest period of time. Unlike philosophers he is guided to it direct by Divine revelation without wandering in the labyrinth of abstract and abstruse ideas.
The Holy Prophet’s path now is the only right and straight path that leads to God. The verse makes a fine distinction between a Prophet and a philosopher. A philosopher takes long time to find out truth and often gets lost in the quest, but a Prophet of God discovers it by the shortest route and in the shortest time. Unlike philosophers he is guided to it direct by Divine revelation without wandering in the labyrinth of abstract and abstruse ideas.
تَنزِيلَ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
20:5; 32:3; 40:3; 41:3; 45:3; 46:3.
20:5; 32:3; 40:3; 41:3; 45:3; 46:3.
لِتُنذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّآ أُنذِرَ ءَابَآؤُهُمْ فَهُمْ غَٰفِلُونَ
28:47; 32:4.
Commentary:
The Arabs were the immediate addressees of the Holy Prophet and among them no Divine Messenger had appeared for a long time. But in His infallible wisdom God selected them for preaching to mankind the last Divine Message. The Quran has incontestibly laid claim to being that Message. The following verses of the Quran speak of its finality and universality: "Say, O mankind, truly I am a Messenger to you all from Allah" (7:159); "And We have sent thee not but as a mercy for all peoples" (21:108); "Blessed is He Who has sent down the Discrimin-ation to His servant, that he may be a Warner to all the worlds" (25:2); "And We have not sent thee but as a Bearer of good news and as a Warner to all mankind" (34:29).
28:47; 32:4.
لَقَدْ حَقَّ ٱلْقَوْلُ عَلَىٰٓ أَكْثَرِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا فِىٓ أَعْنَٰقِهِمْ أَغْلَٰلًا فَهِىَ إِلَى ٱلْأَذْقَانِ فَهُم مُّقْمَحُونَ
13:6; 76;5.
Important Words:
مقمحون (their heads are forced up) is derived from قمح. They say قمح البعیر i.e. the camel raised his head from the water and refused to drink, his thirst being satisfied or by reason of his dislike of water. أقمح means, he raised his head and contracted his eyes. أقمحه الغل means, the collar caused his (the captive’s) head to be raised by reason of the straitness thereof. أقمح بأنفهmeans, he was proud; behaved proudly; or elevated his nose from pride. إقماح also signifies the elevating of the head by means of pride (Aqrab & Lane).
Commentary:
The reference in the word أغلال (chains) may be to the "shackles" of customs, usages, and prejudices, by which disbelievers are fettered and which prevent them from accepting the truth. The word مقمحون (their heads are forced up) may also refer to disbelievers’ notion of false superiority and pride which leads to the same result. The verse may have reference also to the Battle of Badr or to the Fall of Mecca. After the Battle of Badr the Meccan chiefs were brought in chains, and at the Fall of Mecca they were seized with utter confusion, the word مقمحون (see root meaning of the word under "Important Words" above) giving a graphic description of their bewilderment and consternation when all of a sudden they found the Holy Prophet at the very gates of Mecca, at the head of an army of ten thousand strong. Their eyes remained fixed in a stare and they ran about with heads raised in bewilderment.
13:6; 76:5.
Shackles of customs, usages and prejudices, by which disbelievers are fettered and which prevent them from accepting the truth and smother all efforts at reform.
Even when a person tries to use his intelligence and to get away from the stranglehold of customs, etc. he is under pressure from various quarters, and he can scarcely see aright.
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنۢ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدًّا وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ سَدًّا فَأَغْشَيْنَٰهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُبْصِرُونَ
Commentary:
The barriers referred to in the verse may be the barriers of usages, prejudices, and pride of disbelievers. They could not look forward to the great and bright future which lay before them if they accepted Islam, and they did not look back to the histories of past peoples who rejected the truth and were seized with Divine punishment. The result of the barriers placed before and behind them was that they themselves became totally devoid of all spiritual light.
On account of the barriers of usages, prejudices and pride the disbelievers could not have looked forward to the great and bright future which lay before them if they accepted Islam, and they did not look back to the histories of past peoples who rejected the truth and were seized with Divine punishment.
وَسَوَآءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
2:7.
Commentary:
The verse means to say that the inevitable result of disbelievers’ deliberately shutting their eyes and ears to the truth to which reference has been made in the preceding verse was that the timely warning did not benefit them and by their persistent rejection of the Truth they rendered themselves deserving of Divine punishment.
إِنَّمَا تُنذِرُ مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَخَشِىَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ ۖ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِمَغْفِرَةٍ وَأَجْرٍ كَرِيمٍ
35:19.
Commentary:
The expression بالغیب (in secret) may mean that (1) a believer fears God while he does not see Him; (2) he behaves as a righteous and God-fearing person even when other people are not seeing him, i.e. he is sincere and honest in his belief and actions.
35:19.
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْىِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا۟ وَءَاثَٰرَهُمْ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَىْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَٰهُ فِىٓ إِمَامٍ مُّبِينٍ
18:50; 72:29.
Important Words:
إمام (Book) is derived from أم. They say أم القوم او أم بالقوم i.e. he led the people; he took precedence of them. إمام means, a leader of a people or army; a model or an example; the religious scripture of any people; a road or way, a tract of land, etc. (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:125; 17:72 & 25:75.
آثارھم (that which they leave behind). آثار is the plural of أثر which is infinitive noun from أثر (athara). They say أثر خف البعیرi.e. he made an incision in the foot of the camel. أثر means, a relic; a trace remaining of a thing; a sign or mark or trace; a foot-print (Lane). See also 20:97.
Commentary:
The verse means to say that with the exception of those unfortunate people who by their persistent rejection of Truth have shut upon themselves the door of God’s mercy and for whom no admonition is of any avail, the spiritually dead Arabs will be brought to life through the teachings of the Quran and they will set such a noble example of righteousness and godliness that the footprints they will leave behind for others to follow will be made to endure and will be remembered with respect and serve as a source of inspiration for generations yet unborn.
18:50; 72:29.
Imam means, a leader of a people or army; a model or an example; the religious Scripture of any people; a road or way, etc. (Lane).
وَٱضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلًا أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ إِذْ جَآءَهَا ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ
Important Words:
القریة (the town) is infinitive-noun from قری. They say قری الضیف i.e. he entertained the guest. قری الماء فی الحوض means, he collected the water in the pond. قریة means, a town, a central town. It is so called because people from all quarters gather there and also because they are entertained there. The word also means, gathering of men (Aqrab).
Commentary:
A part of the Surah deals, in metaphorical language, with the advent of a great Reformer in the Latter Days who was to represent the Second Coming of the Holy Prophet. This important subject begins with the present verse.
The word القریة may have been used here in its wider sense meaning any town or place, or speaking metaphorically, it may stand for the whole world. The whole world has been called a قریة here because in the Latter Days the means of commun-ication were to develop so extensively that the whole world was to become, as it were, one town. In this sense of the word the expression may signify humanity at large. The use of the word "parable" with regard to the account of اصحاب القریة i.e. people of the town, seems to lend further support to the view that القریة may not be a particular town that has been mentioned here. The whole account is a parable or simile.
Or the word القریة signifying a particular town may refer to Mecca, the Centre and Citadel of Islam. In that case the word المرسلون (the Messengers) will apply to the Holy Prophet in whose person all the Messengers and Prophets of God were represented. See next verse.
Qaryah may mean any town or place, or metaphorically speaking it may stand for the whole world. Thus Ashabul-Qaryah may signify humanity at large. Or, the word signifying a particular town may refer to Mecca, the Centre and Citadel of Islam. In this case the word 'the Messengers' will apply to the Holy Prophet who represented in his person all the Messengers and Prophets of God.
إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْهِمُ ٱثْنَيْنِ فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَعَزَّزْنَا بِثَالِثٍ فَقَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّآ إِلَيْكُم مُّرْسَلُونَ
Commentary:
The verse by way of introduction to the main subject makes a brief reference to two great Israelite Prophets, Moses and Jesus, one the Founder, and the other the great exponent of the Jewish Dispensation.
If the word القریة in the preceding verse may be taken as referring to Mecca, the two Messengers mentioned in the verse under comment will be Abraham and Ishmael.
The reference in the words "a third," in the expression "We strengthened them by third," seems to be to the Holy Prophet who testified to the truth of both Moses and Jesus and also to that of Abraham and Ishmael. The word ثالث (a third) has been used as a نکرة in order to signify the greatness of the third Prophet, the Holy Prophet.
The Holy Prophet "strengthened" Moses and Jesus, also Abraham and Ishmael by testifying to the truth of their missions and by fulfilling in his person the prophecies they had made about his advent (Deut. 18:18 & Matt. 21:33-46).
Moses and Jesus or Abraham and Ishmael.
The Holy Prophet 'strengthened' Moses and Jesus by fulfilling in his person the prophecies they had made about his advent (Deut.18: 18 & Matt. 21: 33-46). And he 'strengthened' Abraham and Ishmael because in his person was fulfilled their prayer referred to in 2:129, 130.
قَالُوا۟ مَآ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ مِن شَىْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا تَكْذِبُونَ
14:11; 26:155.
Commentary:
All the three great Prophets mentioned in the preceding verse were rejected on the plea that they were just ordinary "men like us" and that God never revealed anything to anybody. The pretext which disbelievers put forward in justi-fication of their rejection of God’s Prophets has elsewhere been mentioned in the Quran in the words: "We have not heard of such a thing among our forefathers" (23:25).
14:11; 26:155.
قَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا يَعْلَمُ إِنَّآ إِلَيْكُمْ لَمُرْسَلُونَ
وَمَا عَلَيْنَآ إِلَّا ٱلْبَلَٰغُ ٱلْمُبِينُ
13:41; 16:36; 24:55; 29:19.
13:41; 16:36; 24:55; 29:19.
قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا تَطَيَّرْنَا بِكُمْ ۖ لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهُوا۟ لَنَرْجُمَنَّكُمْ وَلَيَمَسَّنَّكُم مِّنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
Important Words:
نرجمنکم (We will certainly stone you) is derived from رجم. They say رجمه i.e. he pelted him with stones; he smote and killed him; he drove him and killed him; he drove him away; he cursed him; he reviled or abused him; he boycotted or excommunicated him (Lane & Aqrab). See also 19:47.
Commentary:
When as a result of their rejection of the Divine Message disbelievers are visited with heavenly punishment in the form of calamities and misfortunes, then instead of repenting and mending their ways, they seek to attribute those visitations to the "inauspicious" advent of the Prophet himself. Moses was taunted by the Israelites for having brought all the misfortunes with him in the words, "We were made to suffer before thou camest to us and even after thou camest to us (7:130). Similarly, all other Prophets were taunted and mocked by disbelievers. It is to this attitude of disbelievers that the words, "surely we augur evil fortune from you", refer.
Rajama-hu means, he stoned him; he smote and killed him; he cursed him; he excommunicated him (Lane).