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 5 (Verses 36:68–36:83): The Resurrection

Translation:

وَ مَنۡ نُّعَمِّرۡہُ نُنَکِّسۡہُ فِی الۡخَلۡقِ ؕ اَفَلَا یَعۡقِلُوۡنَ ﴿۶۸﴾

36:68 And whomever We grant long life, We cause him to deteriorate in creation.1 Do they not understand?

وَ مَا عَلَّمۡنٰہُ الشِّعۡرَ وَ مَا یَنۡۢبَغِیۡ لَہٗ ؕ اِنۡ ہُوَ اِلَّا ذِکۡرٌ وَّ قُرۡاٰنٌ مُّبِیۡنٌ ﴿ۙ۶۹﴾

36:69 And We have not taught him poetry,2 nor is it befitting for him. This is nothing but a Reminder and a plain Quran,

لِّیُنۡذِرَ مَنۡ کَانَ حَیًّا وَّ یَحِقَّ الۡقَوۡلُ عَلَی الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ ﴿۷۰﴾

36:70 to warn him who would have life, and (that) the word may prove true against the disbelievers.

اَوَ لَمۡ یَرَوۡا اَنَّا خَلَقۡنَا لَہُمۡ مِّمَّا عَمِلَتۡ اَیۡدِیۡنَاۤ اَنۡعَامًا فَہُمۡ لَہَا مٰلِکُوۡنَ ﴿۷۱﴾

36:71 Do they not see that We have created cattle for them, out of what Our hands have made, so they are their masters?

وَ ذَلَّلۡنٰہَا لَہُمۡ فَمِنۡہَا رَکُوۡبُہُمۡ وَ مِنۡہَا یَاۡکُلُوۡنَ ﴿۷۲﴾

36:72 And We have subjected them to them, so some of them they ride, and some they eat.

وَ لَہُمۡ فِیۡہَا مَنَافِعُ وَ مَشَارِبُ ؕ اَفَلَا یَشۡکُرُوۡنَ ﴿۷۳﴾

36:73 And in them they have (other) advantages and drinks. Will they not then give thanks?

وَ اتَّخَذُوۡا مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ اٰلِہَۃً لَّعَلَّہُمۡ یُنۡصَرُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۷۴﴾

36:74 And they take gods besides Allah that they may be helped.

لَا یَسۡتَطِیۡعُوۡنَ نَصۡرَہُمۡ ۙ وَ ہُمۡ لَہُمۡ جُنۡدٌ مُّحۡضَرُوۡنَ ﴿۷۵﴾

36:75 They are not able to help them, and they will be a group brought up (for judgment) before them.3

فَلَا یَحۡزُنۡکَ قَوۡلُہُمۡ ۘ اِنَّا نَعۡلَمُ مَا یُسِرُّوۡنَ وَ مَا یُعۡلِنُوۡنَ ﴿۷۶﴾

36:76 So do not let their speech grieve you. Surely We know what they do in secret and what they do openly.

اَوَ لَمۡ یَرَ الۡاِنۡسَانُ اَنَّا خَلَقۡنٰہُ مِنۡ نُّطۡفَۃٍ فَاِذَا ہُوَ خَصِیۡمٌ مُّبِیۡنٌ ﴿۷۷﴾

36:77 Does not man see that We have created him from the small life-germ? Then lo! he is an open contender.

وَ ضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلًا وَّ نَسِیَ خَلۡقَہٗ ؕ قَالَ مَنۡ یُّحۡیِ الۡعِظَامَ وَ ہِیَ رَمِیۡمٌ ﴿۷۸﴾

36:78 And he strikes out a likeness for Us and forgets his own creation.4 Says he: Who will give life to the bones, when they are rotten?

قُلۡ یُحۡیِیۡہَا الَّذِیۡۤ اَنۡشَاَہَاۤ اَوَّلَ مَرَّۃٍ ؕ وَ ہُوَ بِکُلِّ خَلۡقٍ عَلِیۡمُۨ ﴿ۙ۷۹﴾

36:79 Say: He will give life to them, Who brought them into existence at first, and He is Knower of all creation,

الَّذِیۡ جَعَلَ لَکُمۡ مِّنَ الشَّجَرِ الۡاَخۡضَرِ نَارًا فَاِذَاۤ اَنۡتُمۡ مِّنۡہُ تُوۡقِدُوۡنَ ﴿۸۰﴾

36:80 Who produced fire for you out of the green tree, so that with it you kindle.5

اَوَ لَیۡسَ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ بِقٰدِرٍ عَلٰۤی اَنۡ یَّخۡلُقَ مِثۡلَہُمۡ ؕ؃ بَلٰی ٭ وَ ہُوَ الۡخَلّٰقُ الۡعَلِیۡمُ ﴿۸۱﴾

36:81 Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth Able to create the like of them?6 Yes! And He is the Creator (of all), the Knower.

اِنَّمَاۤ اَمۡرُہٗۤ اِذَاۤ اَرَادَ شَیۡئًا اَنۡ یَّقُوۡلَ لَہٗ کُنۡ فَیَکُوۡنُ ﴿۸۲﴾

36:82 His command, when He intends anything, is only to say to it, Be, and it is.

فَسُبۡحٰنَ الَّذِیۡ بِیَدِہٖ مَلَکُوۡتُ کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ وَّ اِلَیۡہِ تُرۡجَعُوۡنَ ﴿٪۸۳﴾

36:83 So glory be to Him in Whose hand is the kingdom of all things, and to Him you will be returned.

Commentary:

  1. It is a general law of nature that every living thing must deteriorate; the application here is to individuals as well as nations. ↩
  2. Its negation as poetry is meant to convey the seriousness of the sub­jects that the Quran deals with. ↩
  3. The guilty leaders will be brought up for punishment before their followers and they will not be able to help them. Or, the worshippers of false deities will be brought up for punishment in the presence of those deities and they will not be able to help them. ↩
  4. Striking out of a likeness signifies the setting up of gods with Allah. ↩
  5. Editor’s Note: This may refer to the process of photosynthesis. The green substance in tree leaves, chlorophyll, absorbs sunlight to produce carbo­hydrates and oxygen from water and carbon dioxide. This process is the basis of supporting physical life on earth. Similarly, light from the sun of Truth, the Holy Prophet (called Yā Sīn), produces a higher life in those who follow him. ↩
  6. The personal pronoun them refers to people, not to heaven and earth. In the Resurrection, people will be the like of what they are here, not the same earthly bodies. The body may become dust; but what a person does of good or evil is preserved, and it is according to this good or evil that he receives a new body. The idea of Resurrection is carried to perfection in Islam, and the Resurrec­tion is meant to give a new life to all. Ultimately the spirit of man is returned to the Spirit Divine, and that is again and again called the meeting with God. ↩

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