YA SIN【Quran commentary】Surah 36 Ya Sin

Commentary By Maulana Wahiduddin khan

1-6. The Quran itself is the proof of Muhamm…

The Quran itself is the proof of Muhammad being the Prophet of God. TheQuran calls mankind towards the right path, i.e. the path of righteousness. Noneof its contents clash with reason and nature. Even fifteen hundred years after theQuran was first revealed, nothing has been detected in it which can be called asirrational or unnatural. This distinct characteristic of the Quran is the greatestproof of its being the book of God.

‘So that you may warn a people.’ Here, ‘people’ refers to the Children of Isma‘il.Every prophet is raised primarily to address his contemporaries. Accordingly, thefirst addressees of the Prophet Muhammad were his own tribesmen. But althoughthe institution of prophethood ended with him, the Prophethood of Muhammadshall continue until Doomsday?the difference being that, with the Children ofIsma‘il, he personally and directly fulfilled his mission, while in respect of all othernations after him, the task of giving the call and fulfilling the mission shall haveto be performed by his followers.

7-12. If a man’s neck is encircled by chains…

If a man’s neck is encircled by chains, his head will stay raised and he will not be able to see anything below. This is the picture of those proud individuals who are so engrossed in self-aggrandisement that they are unable to see any reality beyond themselves. Such people never admit the Truth.

It is very important for a man to be inclined to admit the Truth in order to avail of guidance; he should always be conscious and fearful of having to appear before God; he should never settle for anything less than the whole and absolute Truth. People who are so inclined towards the Truth as soon as it appears, consequently receive the greatest reward from God.

Modern research has established that whatever a man utters remains preserved in the atmosphere in the form of vibrations or waves. Similarly, the image of the actions which a man performs remains preserved in the form of light waves. In other words, every individual in this world is being constantly video-recorded. It should be borne in mind that in this world, without a man’s knowledge and quite independent of his will, his utterances and actions, being completely recorded and preserved, could be replayed any time later.

13-19. The township referred to in these verses…

The township referred to in these verses was perhaps a settlement in Egypt where two prophets, Moses and Aaron were sent to admonish the people. But they rejected both of them. Then, a third person from amongst their own community came forth to support the Prophets, but this angered His fellow-men so much that they threatened to stone him, if he did not stop.

At all times, the bitterest pill for a man to swallow is the piece of advice which is not to his liking. He flares up as soon as he hears it. Consequently, he cannot consider it with a balanced mind and does not assess it in the light of reason. Swayed by obstinacy and hatred, he goes on saying irrelevant things against it. Making assessments in the light of reason is to remain within reasonable limits but irrational opposition amounts to transgressing those limits.

20-21. Both the prophets at that time were pow…

Both the prophets at that time were powerless. Nevertheless, this third man associated himself with them. In the struggle between truth and untruth, man has to take the side of the truth, even if it amounts to supporting the weak against the strong.

The third man urged the people of his community to pay heed to the words of the earlier Prophets who were on the straight path and who did not seek any return for guiding rightly. This shows that in spite of a man being selfless and well intentioned, his words will be examined in the light of reason, and will be deemed to be of value only if they measure up to the standard of reason.

22-27. The believer had risked his own life to…

The believer had risked his own life to support the call of the prophets before him. This action of his was of such great worth that he was sent to Paradise. After entering Paradise he did not speak ill of his people, although they were transgressors. On the contrary, he felt that, had they seen his reward, they would not have opposed the truth. This is the picture of a true believer. He is the well wisher of others under all circumstances, even if he is oppressed by them.

28-32. When a decision is taken by Almighty G…

When a decision is taken by Almighty God to destroy a community, it is enough for Him to direct the forces of nature against it: He does not need to utilise heavenly forces for the purpose.

People always mock or ridicule the one who appears to them to be of a low status. This was the case with the prophets. The prophets’ personalities were underestimated by the people and they were considered of too low a standing to represent the Divine Truths.

33-36. The accumulation of fertile soil on the…

The accumulation of fertile soil on the surface of the earth; the provision of water, sun and air and the potential in the seed to germinate and grow – these and other such innumerable known and unknown factors combine to produce the food grains, fruits and vegetables which nourish human beings. This entire system of nature is not the handiwork of man. Its existence and sustenance clearly illustrate the grace of the Creator. Thoughtfully pondering over these facts would overwhelm man with gratitude towards God.

Studies show that the ‘principle of pairing’ is in operation in all the things of this world. When the system of this universe is based on the principle that all objects achieve completion by way of pairing, the present world by this logic should also have its counterpart. This crucial insight establishes the possibility of a Hereafter.

37-40. The earth, the moon and the sun have the…

The earth, the moon and the sun have their fixed orbits, in which they move with the utmost precision, and due to which different celestial phenomena take place: for instance, the occurrence of day and night on the earth and the waxing and waning of the moon, serve as a heavenly calendar. This system has been in existence for millions of years now, and there is still no deviation of any kind in it.

This observation is purely an introduction to the fathomless and unlimited powers of God. If man learns lessons from these phenomena, the majesty of the One God will prevail over his mind to such an extent that all other impressions of greatness will be automatically erased from it.

41-44. God has created vast possibilities in this…

God has created vast possibilities in this world, so that man may travel by land, sea and air.

All these forms of travel are possible due to the grace of God and if man consciously reflected, he would prostrate himself before God and never develop an attitude of arrogance.

45-47. Behind a man are his actions and before…

Behind a man are his actions and before him lies the Day of Reckoning. Life, in other words, is a journey from the world of actions towards the world of results. This is a very crucial state of affairs. If a man actually realises his position, he will start trembling. But he does not consider this; nor does any sign open his eyes. He tries to justify his actions by false interpretations until the day he dies.

48-53. Those who do not believe in the Hereafter…

Those who do not believe in the Hereafter pay scant attention to it and remain heedless of it as if it were a faraway thing. Among them, those who are of a frivolous nature will even go to the extent of mocking the concept of the Hereafter. People such as these will remain reckless until the arrival of Doomsday. Then Doomsday will seize them suddenly and in such a way that they will be unable to save themselves.

It has been recorded in the Hadith that the Angel Israfil is looking towards the throne (‘arsh) of God with the trumpet (sur) to his mouth awaiting His orders, ready to carry out the command instantly. The blowing of the trumpet will be like the ringing of a bell which signals the end of the examination. Immediately thereafter, the system of the world will change: the stage of the appearance of results will commence, leaving behind the stage of actions (the present world).

54-58. The final result of man’s deeds (in the pre…

The final result of man’s deeds (in the present world) will be declared in the Hereafter. One who remained immersed in the pursuance of his petty interests here, will enter the eternal world of the Hereafter empty-handed, unlike those who lived a life of high purpose and who will be very pleased with the good results they achieve.

59-60. In the present life, good people and bad…

In the present life, good people and bad people live in the same world. But in the life of the Hereafter, these two groups will be separated; the followers of Satan will be with Satan and the subjects of the Most Beneficent God will be with God. Nobody worships Satan per se, but the worshipper of anybody other than God is in fact indirectly the worshipper of Satan.

61-65. Modern research has proved that a man’s…

Modern research has proved that a man’s skin is a form of record on which his utterances are recorded and from where they can also be reproduced. This is a sign which makes it understandable that in the Hereafter man’s entire being would bear witness to his deeds.

66-68. Man has been endowed with eyes, hands…

Man has been endowed with eyes, hands and legs and numerous such blessings, but instead of being thankful, he takes these blessings for granted. It is a fact that these features were not created by man himself, instead his Creator blessed him with them. He must therefore realize their importance, for what would man do, if the Creator decided to withdraw His blessings.

Man gets a glimpse of this possibility at the onset of old age. When a man grows very old, all his powers are taken away from him, so much so that he becomes as weak and helpless as he was as a small child. But, man is so foolish that he does not learn a lesson from this.

66-70. The miraculous literary style of the Qu…

The miraculous literary style of the Quran also attracted listeners. The opponents of the Prophet used this to deride the importance of the Quran by referring to it as a poetic work and not a Divine Discourse.

This was a baseless assertion. The extremely serious tone of the Quran; the unveiling of hidden facts; its teachings concerning the realisation of God; its rare unity of thought from the beginning till the end and the indescribable glimpses of God that it provides?all these firmly indicate that it is much more than a work of man-made poetry.

The Quran’s veracity will be evident only to those whose souls are truly alive, and only such people will admit the Truth.

71-76.Cattle and other domestic animals are…

Cattle and other domestic animals are living examples which show that this material world has been created by its Creator in such a way that man should be able to harness it according to his needs. On this amenability of the material world stands the entire structure of human civilization. If horses and bulls were to be as wild as bears and wolves, or if iron and petroleum were to be as uncontrollable as volcanic lava, the evolution of human civilization would become impossible.

Therefore, man should be extremely grateful to his Gracious Creator. But, he worships beings other than God and when he is advised to desist, he pays no heed. Undoubtedly, this is the worst type of disobedience to the divine rule, the aftermath of which nobody can escape.

77-83.Man has not created himself. This calls…

Man has not created himself. This calls for man to possess the quality of humility or modesty. But, instead of being realistic, he indulges in discussions which are not in accordance with his humble position.

The creation of man and the universe for the first time itself furnishes ample proof of the fact that such creation for the second time is also possible. But ignoring this, man argues about how a dead man can come back to life. The changing of the dead into the living, will no doubt occur on the Day of Judgement, but this possibility is seen in other things even today. One may take the example of a tree. The tree is apparently green and fresh, but when it is cut up and burnt as sticks, it takes on a completely different shape, that of fire.

The metamorphosis of one thing into another is an established fact. God makes this possible today with regard to different things. As for man, however, He will make it possible on the Day of Judgement, but this will not be for the purpose of making the people admit this fact. It will be in order to punish them for their insubordination.