Ya-Sin

Yā sīn: God knows best what He means by these [letters].

By the Definitive Qur’ān, made definitive by its marvellous arrangement and unique meanings,

you, O Muhammad (s), are indeed of those sent [by God],

on a (‘alā is semantically connected to the preceding [statement]) straight path, that is, [you follow] the way of the prophets before you, [enjoining] the affirmation of God’s Oneness and guidance (the emphasis expressed by the oath [in ‘by the definitive Qur’ān’] and the remainder [of the statement] is a response to the disbelievers’ saying to him, ‘You have not been sent [by God]!’ [Q. 13:43].

A revelation from the Mighty, in His kingdom, the Merciful, to His creatures (tanzīla’l-‘azīzi’l-rahīm is the predicate of an implicit subject, namely, al-qur’ān),

that you may warn, therewith, a people (qawman, connected to tanzīla, ‘a revelation’) whose fathers were not warned, in the period of the interval (al-fatra), so they, this people, are oblivious, to faith and right guidance.

The word, for chastisement, has already proved true, it has become due, for most of them, for they, in other words, most of them, will not believe.

Indeed We have put fetters around their necks, to bind to them their hands (because ghull [is a fetter that] shackles the hands to the neck), such that they, the hands, are, bound, up to the chins (adhqān is the plural of dhaqan, which is where the two sides of the beard meet) so that their heads are upturned, they are unable to lower them: this [statement] is figurative and is meant to indicate their inability to yield to faith or to lower their heads to it.

And We have set before them a barrier (read saddan or suddan in both instances) and behind them a barrier; so We have covered them, so they do not see — this is also figurative, depicting the way in which the paths of faith are closed to them.

And it is the same to them whether you warn them (read a-andhartuhum, pronouncing both hamzas; or by substituting an alif for the second one; or by not pronouncing the second one but inserting an alif between the one not pronounced and the other one, or without [the insertion]) or do not warn them, they will not believe.

You can only warn, in other words, your warning will only benefit, him who follows the Remembrance, the Qur’ān, and fears the Compassionate One in secret, who fears Him despite not having seen Him; so give him the good tidings of forgiveness and a noble reward, namely, Paradise.

Truly it is We Who bring the dead to life, for the resurrection, and record, in the Preserved Tablet, what they have sent ahead, during their lives, of good or evil, that they may be requited for it, and their vestiges, what conduct was followed after them as good practice. And everything (kulla shay’in is in the accusative because of the verb that governs it [and is the following]) We have numbered, We have recorded precisely, in a clear register, a clear Book, namely, the Preserved Tablet.

And strike for them as a similitude (mathalan is the first direct object) the inhabitants (ashāba is the second direct object) of the town, [of] Antioch (Antākya), when the messengers, namely, Jesus’s disciples, came to it (idh jā’ahā’l-mursalūna is an inclusive substitution for ashāba’l-qaryati, ‘the inhabitants of the town’).

When We sent to them two men, and they denied them both (from idh arsalnā ilayhim ithnayni fa-kadhdhabūhumā to the end is a substitution for the previous idh, ‘when’), so We reinforced [them] (read fa-‘azaznā or fa-‘azzaznā, in other words, We reinforced the two men) with a third, and they said, ‘We have indeed been sent to you [by God]’.

They said, ‘You are nothing but humans like us, and the Compassionate One has revealed nothing. You are only lying!’

They said, ‘Our Lord knows (qālū rabbunā ya‘lamu functions like an oath. Emphasis is intensified by this [oath] and also by the [addition of the] lām to what was before [simply, mursalūna, ‘we have been sent’] to counter their intensified denial) that we have indeed been sent to you [by Him]!

And our duty is only to communicate in clear terms’, to deliver the Message clearly and manifestly with plain proofs, such as the curing of the blind, the leper and the diseased and the bringing of the dead back to life.

They said, ‘We augur ill of you, for we have been deprived of rain because of you. If (la-in: the lām is for oaths) you do not desist, we will surely stone you and there shall befall you, at our hands, a painful chastisement’.

They said, ‘May your augury of ill be with you!, [as punishment] for your disbelief. What! [Even] if (a-in: the interrogative hamza has been added to the conditional in, ‘if’, the hamza may be pronounced or elided, but in both cases add an alif between it and the other one) [it be that] you are being reminded?, [even if] you are being admonished and made to fear [God’s chastisement]? (the response to the conditional has been omitted, that is to say, ‘do you augur ill and disbelieve [even if it be that you are being admonished]?’ and this [response] constitutes the object of the interrogative, which is meant [rhetorically] as a rebuke). Nay, but you are a profligate people!’, who transgressing the bounds [set by God] with your [practice of] idolatry.

And there came a man from the furthest part of the city — this was Habīb the carpenter, who had believed in these messengers and whose house lay at the far end of the city — hastening, with a hurried pace, after he had heard that the people had denied the messengers. He said, ‘O my people, follow the messengers!

Follow (ittabi‘ū, this reiterates the preceding [ittabi‘ū]) them who do not ask you for any reward, in return for [delivering to you] the message, and who are rightly guided. And so he was asked, ‘Do you follow their religion?’ So he replied:

And why should I not worship Him Who originated me, [Him Who] created me — in other words: there is nothing to prevent me from worshipping Him when the necessitating factors for this exist, and the same applies to you — and to Whom you shall be returned?, after death, whereupon He will requite you for your disbelief.

Shall I take (a-attakhidu: regarding the two hamzas here, the same applies as mentioned with regard to a-andhartuhum above; this is an interrogative meant as a denial) besides Him, in other words, other than Him, [other] gods, idols, whose intercession, [that intercession of theirs] which you assert, if the Compassionate One should wish me any harm, will not avail me in any way, nor will they [be able to] save me? (wa-lā yunqidhūn is an adjectival qualification of ālihatan, ‘gods’).

Truly then, in other words, in the case of me worshipping [gods] other than God, I would be in manifest error.

Lo! I believe in your Lord. So listen to me!’, in other words, hear what I have to say; but they stoned him and he died.

It was said, to him upon his death: ‘Enter Paradise!’ — but it is also said that he entered it while he was [still] alive. He said, ‘O (yā is for calling attention [to something]), would that my people knew

with what [munificence] my Lord has forgiven me, [would that they knew] of His great forgiveness, and made me of the honoured ones!’

And We did not send (mā here is for negation) down on his people, namely, Habīb’s, after him, after his death, any host from the heaven, that is, any angels to destroy them, nor do We [ever] send down, any angels to destroy anyone.

It, their punishment, was but one Cry — Gabriel gave a cry to them — and lo! they were extinguished, silent, dead.

Ah, the anguish for servants, [such as] these and their like from among those who denied the messengers and were destroyed (this [word, hasra] denotes ‘extreme agony’; the vocative here is being used metaphorically, in other words, ‘It is time for you [O anguish], so come now!’). Never did a messenger come to them but that they mocked him (this [statement] is given as an explanation of the cause thereof [of the ‘agony’] since it [the statement] entails their mockery which itself results in their being destroyed and which in turn is the cause of the ‘anguish’).

Have they — that is, those inhabitants of Mecca who said to the Prophet, ‘You have not been sent [by God]!’ [Q. 13:43] — not seen, [not] come to know (the interrogative is meant [rhetorically] as an affirmative) how many (kam here is predicative [as opposed to interrogative], in other words [it is to be understood as] kathīran, ‘many’; it is operated by the statement that comes next [below] and it comments on the operative clause for the statement that preceded it); the meaning then is as follows: indeed, many, generations, communities, We have destroyed before them, [how] that they, the ones destroyed, never return?, to those deniers [who are now alive]? So will they not learn from their example? (from annahum, ‘[how] that they’, to the end [of the verse] is a substitution for the preceding clause [kam ahlaknā qablahum mina’l-qurūni], bearing in mind the aforementioned general meaning).

And indeed (in, is either for negation or is in its softened form) every one of them, that is, every single creature (kullun is the subject) will be gathered (jamī‘un is the predicate of the subject) before Us, at the Scene, following their resurrection, arraigned (muhdarūna is a second predicate) for the Reckoning (read lammā with the sense of illā, or lamā with the lām functioning as a separator and the mā being extra).

And a sign for them, of the [truth of] resurrection (wa-āyatun lahum is a preceding predicate) is the dead earth (read maytatu or mayyitatu) which We revive, with water (ahyaynāhā is the subject) and out of which We bring forth grain, such as wheat, so that they eat thereof;

and We have placed therein gardens, orchards, of date-palms and vines, and We have caused, a number of, springs to gush forth therein,

that they might eat of its fruits (read thamarihi or thumurihi) in other words, [of] the fruits of the mentioned date-palms and otherwise; but it was not their hands that made it, namely, they did not cultivate the fruits. Will they not then give thanks?, for His favours to them, exalted be He?

Glory be to Him Who created all the pairs, the specimens, of what the earth produces, of seeds and other things, and of themselves, of males and females, and of what they do not know, of marvellous and strange creatures.

And a sign for them, of the tremendous power [of God], is the night, from which We strip, We separate, the day and, behold, they find themselves in darkness, passing into the darkness [of the night].

And the sun [which] runs (from wa’l-shamsu tajrī to the end [of the statement] is subsumed by [the introductory] wa-āyatun lahum, ‘and a sign for them’; alternatively, it constitutes another sign [for them]; similar is the case with wa’l-qamara, ‘and the moon’ [further below]) to its resting-place, in other words, it does not overstep it. That, namely, its running, is the ordaining of the Mighty, in His kingdom, the Knower, of His creation.

And the moon — (read wa’l-qamaru, in the nominative, or wa’l-qamara, in the accusative; and it may be in the accusative because of a following verb that governs it) We have determined it, with respect to its course, [to run] in phases — twenty eight phases in twenty eight nights of every month; it becomes concealed for two nights when the month has thirty days, and for one night when it has twenty nine days — until it returns, during its final phase seeming to the [human] eye, like an aged palm-bough, in other words, like the stalk with a date cluster when it ages, becoming delicate, arched and yellowish.

It does not behove — it is [neither] facilitated nor is it right for — the sun to catch up with the moon, and so appear together with it at night, nor may the night outrun the day, and thus it [the night] never arrives before the latter ends and each (kullun: the nunation compensates for the [missing] genitive annexation [that would have been constructed] with al-shams, ‘the sun’, al-qamar, ‘the moon’, and al-nujūm, ‘the stars’) [of these] is in an orbit, swimming, moving — these [celestial bodies] are being treated as [though they were] rational beings.

And a sign for them, of Our power, is that We carried their seed (dhurriyatahum: a variant reading has dhurriyyātihim), that is to say, their original ancestors, in the laden Ark, that is, Noah’s fully-loaded ship,

and We have created for them the like of it, that is, the like of Noah’s Ark, namely, the small and large ships resembling it which they have made, by the instruction of God, exalted be He, in which they ride.

And if We will, We drown them, despite the existence of ships [for them to ride safely in], whereat they have no one to call to, [none] to succour [them], nor are they rescued, delivered —

except by a mercy from Us and for an enjoyment until some time, in other words, they can only be saved by Our showing them mercy and Our permitting them to enjoy those pleasures of theirs until their terms [of life] are concluded.

And when it is said to them, ‘Beware of that which is before you, of the chastisement of this world, as [it is said] to others, and that which is behind you, of the chastisement of the Hereafter, that perhaps you might find mercy’, they turn away [in aversion].

And never did a sign of the signs of their Lord come to them, but that they turned away from it.

And when it is said, that is, [when] the poor ones from among the Companions [of the Prophet] say, to them: ‘Expend, on us, of what God has provided you’, of wealth, those who disbelieve say to those who believe, in mockery of them: ‘Are we to feed those whom, if God willed, He would feed?, as you are wont to believe? You, in saying this to us, together with this believe of yours, are only in manifest error!’ — as an explicit declaration of their disbelief this [statement] is very effective [in the way that it has been expressed].

And they say, ‘When will this promise, of resurrection, be [fulfilled], if you are being truthful?’, therein.

God, exalted be He, says: They await but a single Cry, namely [the cry of] Isrāfīl’s First Blast, that will seize them while they are disputing (read yakhassimūna, which is actually yakhtasimūna, where the vowel of the tā’ has been moved to the khā’ and it [the tā’] has been assimilated with the sād, in other words: while they are oblivious to it, busily engaged in disputes, concluding bargains, eating and drinking and so on; a variant reading has yakhsimūna similar [in pattern] to yadribūna, in which case the meaning is: while they dispute with one another).

Then they will not be able to make any testament, that is, to make a bequest, nor will they return to their folk, from their markets and their businesses, rather they will die then and there.

And the Trumpet is blown — this is the Horn — at the second Blast for the Resurrection [to take place]; between the two Blasts is an interval of forty years; and lo! they, those interred, will be scrambling out of their graves towards their Lord, emerging therefrom hurriedly.

They, the disbelievers among them, will say, ‘O (yā is for calling attention [to something]) woe to us! (waylanā means halākanā, ‘[O] our destruction!’, and it is a verbal noun which has no [regular] verbal conjugation) Who has raised us from our place of sleep?, [they say this] because they will have been asleep in the interval between the two blasts and will not have been punished [yet]. This, that is, [this] raising, is that which the Compassionate One had promised and, regarding which, the messengers had spoken the truth’: they affirm [this truth] when such affirmation is no longer of any benefit to them — but it is also said that this is said to them.

It is but a single Cry, and, behold, they will all be arraigned before Us!

So today no soul shall be wronged in any way, and you shall not be requited, except, the requital of, what you used to do.

Indeed today the inhabitants of Paradise are busy (read fī shughlin or fī shughulin), [oblivious] to what the inhabitants of the Fire are suffering, [busy] delighting in pleasures such as deflowering virgins — not busy with anything wearisome, as there is no toil in Paradise — rejoicing, blissful (fākihūna is a second predicate of inna, the first being fī shugulin, ‘busy’);

they (hum, the subject) and their spouses, beneath the shade (zilāl is the plural of zulla or zill, and is the predicate) in other words, no [blinding] sunlight affects them, reclining upon (muttaki’ūna is a second predicate, connected to ‘alā, ‘upon’) couches (arā’ik is the plural of arīka, which is a bed inside a curtained canopy, or the bedding therein).

They have fruits therein and, therein, they have whatever they call for, [whatever] they wish for.

“Peace!” (salāmun is a subject) — the word (qawlan is its predicate), that is, [peace] by way of a word, from a Lord [Who is] Merciful, to them, in other words, He says to them, ‘Peace be on you!’

And, He says: ‘Stand apart, O you sinners, on this day!, in other words, separate yourselves from the believers — [said to them] upon their mingling with the latter.

Did I not charge you, command you, O children of Adam, by the tongues of My messengers, that you should not worship Satan, [that you should] not obey him; truly he is a manifest enemy to you, one whose enmity is evident,

and that [you should] worship Me, [and that you should] affirm My Oneness and obey Me — that is the straight path?

For verily he has led astray from among you many a creature (jibillan is the plural of jabīl, similar [in pattern] to qadīm, ‘old’; a variant reading has jubulan). Did you not use to comprehend?, his enmity and his misguidance, or the chastisements that befell them and so believe? And it will be said to them in the Hereafter:

This is Hell, which you were promised!

Burn therein today [as chastisement] for that which you used to reject!’

Today We shall seal up their mouths, namely, [the mouths of] the disbelievers for their saying: By God, our Lord, we were never idolaters!’ [Q. 6:23]; and their hands shall speak to Us, and their feet shall bear witness, as will other [parts of their bodies] concerning what they used to earn, and so each limb will speak of that [sinful action] which issued from it.

And had We willed We would have obliterated their eyesight, We would have rendered them blind by obliterating them, then, they [would have tried to] advance towards the path, to be on their way as usual, but how would they have seen?, then. In other words, they would not have been to see.

And had We willed We would have transformed them, [into] apes or swine or stones, in their place (makānatihim, variant reading has makānātihim, the plural of makāna, meaning makān, in other words ‘in their dwellings’); then they would have neither been able to go ahead nor to return, in other words, they would not then be able to come and go.

And whomever We give long life, by prolonging his term [of life], We cause him to regress (nankushu; a variant reading has [2nd verbal form] nunakkishu, derived from al-tankīs) in creation, that is, in terms of his physical form, so that after having enjoyed strength and youth, he becomes feeble and decrepit. Will they then not understand?, that One Who is able to effect such [a state] — with which they are familiar — is also able to resurrect, that they might then become believers? (a variant reading [for ya‘qilūna, ‘they understand’] has [the second person plural] ta‘qilūna, ‘you understand’).

And We did not teach him, that is, the Prophet, poetry — this was [revealed] to refute their saying, ‘This Qur’ān that he has brought is but poetry!’ — nor is it, poetry, seemly, [nor is it] facilitated, for him. It — that which he has brought — is just Remembrance, an admonition, and a Qur’ān that clarifies, that manifests [God’s] rulings and other matters;

that he may warn (li-yundhira; or read li-tundhira, ‘that you may warn’), therewith, whoever is alive, able to comprehend what is being said to him — and such are the believers — and that the Word, of chastisement [from God], may be fulfilled against the disbelievers, who are like the dead, unable to comprehend what is said to them.

Or, have they not seen, have they [not] realised (the interrogative is meant as an affirmative, and the wāw inserted therein [in a-wa-lam] is for supplementation) that We have created for them, and for all human beings, of what Our hands worked, [of] what We have made without any partner or helper, cattle, namely, camels, cows and sheep, so that they are their owners?, masters [controlling them].

And We have subdued, We have disposed, these [cattle] for them, so that some of them provide rides for them and some of them they eat.

And there are other benefits for them therein, such as their wool, fur and hairs, and drinks, [made] from their milk (mashārib is the plural of mashrab meaning shurb, ‘a drink’; or [what is meant is] the place [from which the drink issues]). Will they not then give thanks?, to the One Who has bestowed these graces upon them and so become believers? In other words, they do not do [any of] this.

And they have taken besides God, in other words, other than Him, [other] gods, idols, which they worship, that perhaps they might be helped, protected against God’s chastisement by their gods’ interceding for them, as they are wont to claim.

They, their gods, cannot help them — they are being treated as [though they were] rational beings — and they, their idol gods, are their host, as they claim, their supporters, ever-present, [but] in the Fire, together with them.

So do not be grieved by their remarks, to you, that you have not been sent [by God] and otherwise. Assuredly We know what they conceal and what they proclaim, in this respect and otherwise, and We will requite them accordingly.

Or has man — namely, [the like of] al-‘Āsī b. Wā’il — not seen, [has he not] realised, that We created him from a drop, of sperm [and so on in stages] until We made him powerful and strong. Then lo! he is an open adversary, severely antagonistic towards Us, [openly] making this manifest by his denial of resurrection.

And he strikes for Us a similitude, in this respect, and forgets [the manner of] his creation, from a sperm-drop, a thing more curious than his similitude; he says, ‘Who will revive the bones when they are rot?’, in other words, [when they have become] withered (He does not say ramīmatun, ‘decayed’, because it [ramīmun, ‘rot’] is a noun and not an adjective). It is reported that he [al-‘Āsī] took some withered bones and crushed them into pieces and said to the Prophet (s), ‘Do you think that God can revive these [bones] after they have decayed and become rot?’ And so the Prophet (s) said, ‘Yes indeed! And He will also throw you into the Fire’.

Say: ‘He will revive them Who originated them the first time, and He is Knower of all creation, [of every single] creature, generally and in detail, before and after it has been created —