Tafsir of Surah Ya-Sin - Verse 7

Which was revealed in Makkah

The Virtues of Surah Ya Sin

Al-Hafiz Abu Ya`la recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«مَنْ قَرَأَ يس فِي لَيْلَةٍ أَصْبَحَ مَغْفُورًا لَهُ، وَمَنْ قَرَأَ حم الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا الدُّخَانُ أَصْبَحَ مَغْفُورًا لَه»

(Whoever recites Ya Sin in the night, will wake up forgiven, and whoever recites Ha Mim in which Ad-Dukhan (the Smoke) is mentioned, will wake up forgiven.) Its chain of narration is good (Jayyid) . Ibn Hibban recorded in his Sahih that Jundub bin `Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«مَنْ قَرَأَ يس فِي لَيْلَةٍ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ غُفِرَ لَه»

(Whoever recites Ya Sin in the night, seeking the Face of Allah, will be forgiven.)

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The Messenger was sent as a Warner

We have already discussed the individual letters at the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah.

وَالْقُرْءَانِ الْحَكِيمِ

(By the Qur'an, full of wisdom) means, Al-Muhkam (perfect) which falsehood cannot come to from before it or behind it.

إِنَّكَ

(Truly, you) means, O Muhammad,

لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَعَلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

(are one of the Messengers, on the straight path.) means, following a straight methodology and religion, and an upright Law.

تَنزِيلَ الْعَزِيزِ الرَّحِيمِ

(Sent down by the Almighty, the Most Merciful.) means, this path which you have brought is a revelation from the Lord of might Who is Most Merciful to His believing servants. This is like the Ayah:

وَكَذَلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ رُوحاً مِّنْ أَمْرِنَا مَا كُنتَ تَدْرِى مَا الْكِتَـبُ وَلاَ الإِيمَـنُ وَلَـكِن جَعَلْنَـهُ نُوراً نَّهْدِى بِهِ مَن نَّشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِى إِلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ - صِرَطِ اللَّهِ الَّذِى لَهُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ أَلاَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَصِيرُ الاٍّمُورُ

(And verily, you are indeed guiding (mankind) to the straight path. The path of Allah to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. Verily, to Allah all matters return.) (42:52-53).

لِتُنذِرَ قَوْماً مَّآ أُنذِرَ ءَابَآؤُهُمْ فَهُمْ غَـفِلُونَ

(In order that you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned, so they are heedless.) This refers to the Arabs, for no warner had come to them before him. The fact that they alone are mentioned does not mean that others are excluded, just as mentioning some individuals does not mean that all others are excluded. We have already mentioned the Ayat and Mutawatir Hadiths which state that the mission of the Prophet is universal, when we discussed the meaning of the Ayah:

قُلْ يَأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا

(Say: "O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah.") (7:158).

لَقَدْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَى أَكْثَرِهِمْ

(Indeed the Word has proved true against most of them,) Ibn Jarir said, "The punishment has become inevitable for most of them, because Allah has decreed in the Mother of the Book (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz) that they will not believe.

فَهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ

(so they will not believe. ) in Allah, or in His Messengers.

Verses 7 and 8 لَقَدْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَىٰ أَكْثَرِ‌هِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ أَغْلَالًا (The word has indeed come true about most of them, so they will not believe. Surely We have placed iron collars on their necks, so they are reaching up to their chins, and their heads are forced to remain upraised.) mean that Allah Ta’ ala has already placed before human beings two alternate ways of life - the way of kufr (disbelief) and 'Iman (faith) and the way of Jannah (Paradise) and Jahannam (the Hell) - and to give direction and substance to this call of faith, He also sent prophets and Books. In fact, He went further ahead by giving human beings the choice to first identify what is good or bad for one and then take to either of the two ways. Now if there is that unfortunate person who does neither think, nor ponders over proofs spread throughout nature, nor listens to the call of the prophets, nor deliberates in the Book of Allah, then, once this person has made a choice and has taken to a way thus chosen, Allah Ta’ ala assembles for him everything he needs to achieve that end. One who embraces the wont of disbelief, for him the supply of things and circumstances that would increase his disbelief never run short. This is what has been expressed as: لَقَدْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَىٰ أَكْثَرِ‌هِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ (7) which means that against most of these people, because of their choice of the evil, the decisive verdict of Allah - that they are not going to believe - already stands pronounced.

Given next is a similitude of their condition by saying that they look like people whose necks have been shackled in a manner that causes their faces and eyes stay upraised rendering them totally unable to see their way on the ground. If so, it is obvious that one cannot remain safe against the likelihood of falling down into some ditch or abyss.

Then comes another similitude. It was said that it is like a wall having been placed as a barrier all around someone. Thus surrounded, this person becomes unaware of what is going on outside. Similarly, these infidels are surrounded by their ignorance and, on top of it, by their hostility and doggedness. Under these conditions, it is as if the truth present elsewhere simply does not reach them.

Imam Razi (رح) has said that there are two kinds of barriers against perception. One barrier is of the kind that prevents one from seeing even himself. The second barrier is the inability to see one's surrounding. For the disbelievers, both kinds of barriers against seeing the truth were present. Therefore, the first example is that of the first barrier, that is, one who cannot bend his neck to lower his eyes cannot see even his own self or the state in which he exists. Then the second example is that of the second barrier that stops one from seeing his surroundings. (Ruh-ul- Ma’ ani)

The majority of commentators have declared the present verse to be a similitude of their disbelief and hostility only. And some commentators, on the basis of some narrations, have taken it to be the description of an event, that is, Abu Jahl and some others, bent on killing or hurting the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، lunged towards him but Allah Ta’ ala cast curtain over their eyes. Thus, rendered helpless, they went back. Many similar events have been reported in books of Tafsir, such as, Ibn Kathir, Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani, al-Qurtubi, Mazhari and others. But, most of these are weak narrations. The Tafsir of the verse cannot be based on such sources.

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.