English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Chapter 36: Ya Sin — Ya Sin (Revealed at Makkah: 5 sections, 83 verses)

Section 1 (Verses 36:1–36:12): Truth of the Quran

Translation:

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

یٰسٓ ۚ﴿۱﴾

36:1 O man,1

وَ الۡقُرۡاٰنِ الۡحَکِیۡمِ ۙ﴿۲﴾

36:2 By the Quran, full of wisdom!

اِنَّکَ لَمِنَ الۡمُرۡسَلِیۡنَ ۙ﴿۳﴾

36:3 Surely you are one of the messengers,

عَلٰی صِرَاطٍ مُّسۡتَقِیۡمٍ ؕ﴿۴﴾

36:4 on a right way.

تَنۡزِیۡلَ الۡعَزِیۡزِ الرَّحِیۡمِ ۙ﴿۵﴾

36:5 A revelation of the Mighty, the Merciful,

لِتُنۡذِرَ قَوۡمًا مَّاۤ اُنۡذِرَ اٰبَآؤُہُمۡ فَہُمۡ غٰفِلُوۡنَ ﴿۶﴾

36:6 that you may warn a people whose fathers were not warned,2 so they are heedless.

لَقَدۡ حَقَّ الۡقَوۡلُ عَلٰۤی اَکۡثَرِہِمۡ فَہُمۡ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ ﴿۷﴾

36:7 The word has indeed proved true of most of them, so they do not believe.3

اِنَّا جَعَلۡنَا فِیۡۤ اَعۡنَاقِہِمۡ اَغۡلٰلًا فَہِیَ اِلَی الۡاَذۡقَانِ فَہُمۡ مُّقۡمَحُوۡنَ ﴿۸﴾

36:8 Surely We have placed on their necks chains reaching up to the chins, so they have their heads raised aloft.4

وَ جَعَلۡنَا مِنۡۢ بَیۡنِ اَیۡدِیۡہِمۡ سَدًّا وَّ مِنۡ خَلۡفِہِمۡ سَدًّا فَاَغۡشَیۡنٰہُمۡ فَہُمۡ لَا یُبۡصِرُوۡنَ ﴿۹﴾

36:9 And We have set a barrier before them and a barrier behind them, thus We have covered them, so that they do not see.5

وَ سَوَآءٌ عَلَیۡہِمۡ ءَاَنۡذَرۡتَہُمۡ اَمۡ لَمۡ تُنۡذِرۡہُمۡ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ ﴿۱۰﴾

36:10 And it is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them — they do not believe.

اِنَّمَا تُنۡذِرُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الذِّکۡرَ وَ خَشِیَ الرَّحۡمٰنَ بِالۡغَیۡبِ ۚ فَبَشِّرۡہُ بِمَغۡفِرَۃٍ وَّ اَجۡرٍ کَرِیۡمٍ ﴿۱۱﴾

36:11 You can warn only him who follows the Reminder and fears the Beneficent in secret; so give him good news of forgiveness and a generous reward.

اِنَّا نَحۡنُ نُحۡیِ الۡمَوۡتٰی وَ نَکۡتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوۡا وَ اٰثَارَہُمۡ ؕؑ وَ کُلَّ شَیۡءٍ اَحۡصَیۡنٰہُ فِیۡۤ اِمَامٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ ﴿٪۱۲﴾

36:12 Surely We give life to the dead, and We write down what they send on ahead and their footprints,6 and We record everything in a clear writing.

Commentary:

  1. According to the compa­nion Ibn Abbas Yā Sīn means yā insān: “O man”. There is almost a consensus of opinion that the reference in this abbrevia­tion is to the Holy Prophet himself. ↩
  2. The first warning of the Prophet was for the Makkans, but he was a warner for all nations as well; see 25:1. ↩
  3. The word which proved true is that Truth is always opposed first but it wins in the end. ↩
  4. This is a description of the proud attitude of the disbelievers towards the Prophet’s preaching. The chains of pride and stubbornness are really the things which prevent them from listening to and accepting the message of the Prophet. ↩
  5. These were the barriers of their own stubbornness. The barriers before them prevented them from looking forward to the eminence to which they could rise by following the Truth, and those behind them prevented them from looking back to the history of nations destroyed on account of their rejection of the Truth. ↩
  6. What they send on ahead are their deeds, and their footprints are the marks they leave behind for others to follow. ↩

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