Ya-Sin 36:49
Ya Sin · Juz 23 · Page 443
مَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا صَيۡحَةٗ وَٰحِدَةٗ تَأۡخُذُهُمۡ وَهُمۡ يَخِصِّمُونَ ٤٩
They do not await except one blast1 which will seize them while they are disputing.
1 translator’s note
- Literally, "cry" or "shriek," meaning the first blast of the Horn which will strike dead every living thing on the earth without warning. ↩
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Ma'arif al-Qur'an
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Commentary on 36:49
Commentary
مَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً (They are looking for nothing but for a single Cry that will seize them - 36:49). The question of the disbelievers quoted here is the one they used to'-ask the Muslims by way of mockery, and the real purpose was to deny the Day of Judgment. It was not asked for finding out the truth, nor as a serious effort to reach the reality. It was simply a way of taunting the Muslims and making fun of them. And even if it were for finding out the true nature of the event, then, the mercy of the Lord of the universe requires that the full and precise knowledge of the year and day of the coming of Qiyamah should not be given to anyone, so much so that it was not given even to any one from among His noble prophets and messengers. Even if this question asked by these dimwit people was no more than a fact-finding exercise on their part, it was patently absurd. Therefore, rather than tell them, in response, the time when Qiyamah will come, they were admonished. They were told that reasonable people, once they become aware of something that is bound to come in all certainty, should start making necessary preparations ahead of it, and not go about wasting precious time in trying to find out its precise hour and day. Common sense required that, once they had heard the foreboding of Qiyamah, they should have believed and did what it takes to achieve success in that life to come. But, so entangled they are in their heedlessness that they virtually seem to be waiting for nothing short of the time when the day of Qiyamah comes before them - and then, they would think about it. Therefore, it was said that these people were waiting for the Qiyamah - while, Qiyamah will have a scenario of its own, for it would be just one terrible sound of the Horn صُور (Sur) that will seize everyone all of a sudden in a way that people will be busy in their businesses settling their disputes and they all, in this very condition, will lie dead.
It appears in Hadith that two men will be engaged in their activity of buying and selling cloth. Stretched before them will be the yardage of the cloth pieces while, of a sudden, Qiyamah will come - and they would be unable to complete their deal of cloth. Then, there will be someone else busy plastering his water tank who will fall dead in the same state (reported by Abu Nu'aym from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ - al-Qurtubi).
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36:41
وَءَايَةٞ لَّهُمۡ أَنَّا حَمَلۡنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡفُلۡكِ ٱلۡمَشۡحُونِ ٤١
And a sign for them is that We carried their forefathers1 in a laden ship.
1 translator’s note
- Usually meaning "descendants" or "offspring," the word "dhurriyyah" is used here to denote forefathers (their being the offspring of Noah), who were saved from the flood. ↩
36:42
وَخَلَقۡنَا لَهُم مِّن مِّثۡلِهِۦ مَا يَرۡكَبُونَ ٤٢
And We created for them from the likes of it that which they ride.
36:43
وَإِن نَّشَأۡ نُغۡرِقۡهُمۡ فَلَا صَرِيخَ لَهُمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يُنقَذُونَ ٤٣
And if We should will, We could drown them; then no one responding to a cry would there be for them, nor would they be saved
36:44
إِلَّا رَحۡمَةٗ مِّنَّا وَمَتَٰعًا إِلَىٰ حِينٖ ٤٤
Except as a mercy from Us and provision for a time.
36:45
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱتَّقُواْ مَا بَيۡنَ أَيۡدِيكُمۡ وَمَا خَلۡفَكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُرۡحَمُونَ ٤٥
But when it is said to them, "Beware of what is before you and what is behind you;1 perhaps you will receive mercy..."2
36:46
وَمَا تَأۡتِيهِم مِّنۡ ءَايَةٖ مِّنۡ ءَايَٰتِ رَبِّهِمۡ إِلَّا كَانُواْ عَنۡهَا مُعۡرِضِينَ ٤٦
And no sign comes to them from the signs of their Lord except that they are from it turning away.
36:47
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ أَنفِقُواْ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ أَنُطۡعِمُ مَن لَّوۡ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ أَطۡعَمَهُۥٓ إِنۡ أَنتُمۡ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَٰلٖ مُّبِينٖ ٤٧
And when it is said to them, "Spend from that which Allāh has provided for you," those who disbelieve say to those who believe, "Should we feed one whom, if Allāh had willed, He would have fed? You are not but in clear error."
36:48
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا ٱلۡوَعۡدُ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَٰدِقِينَ ٤٨
And they say, "When is this promise, if you should be truthful?"
36:49
مَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا صَيۡحَةٗ وَٰحِدَةٗ تَأۡخُذُهُمۡ وَهُمۡ يَخِصِّمُونَ ٤٩
They do not await except one blast1 which will seize them while they are disputing.
1 translator’s note
- Literally, "cry" or "shriek," meaning the first blast of the Horn which will strike dead every living thing on the earth without warning. ↩
36:50
فَلَا يَسۡتَطِيعُونَ تَوۡصِيَةٗ وَلَآ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهِمۡ يَرۡجِعُونَ ٥٠
And they will not be able [to give] any instruction, nor to their people can they return.
36:51
وَنُفِخَ فِي ٱلصُّورِ فَإِذَا هُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَجۡدَاثِ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمۡ يَنسِلُونَ ٥١
And the Horn will be blown;1 and at once from the graves to their Lord they will hasten.
1 translator’s note
- For the second time, signaling the Resurrection. ↩
36:52
قَالُواْ يَٰوَيۡلَنَا مَنۢ بَعَثَنَا مِن مَّرۡقَدِنَاۜۗ هَٰذَا مَا وَعَدَ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنُ وَصَدَقَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلُونَ ٥٢
They will say, "O woe to us! Who has raised us up from our sleeping place?" [The reply will be], "This is what the Most Merciful had promised, and the messengers told the truth."
36:53
إِن كَانَتۡ إِلَّا صَيۡحَةٗ وَٰحِدَةٗ فَإِذَا هُمۡ جَمِيعٞ لَّدَيۡنَا مُحۡضَرُونَ ٥٣
It will not be but one blast, and at once they are all brought present before Us.
36:54
فَٱلۡيَوۡمَ لَا تُظۡلَمُ نَفۡسٞ شَيۡـٔٗا وَلَا تُجۡزَوۡنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ ٥٤
So today [i.e., the Day of Judgement] no soul will be wronged at all, and you will not be recompensed except for what you used to do.