Sūrat Yāsīn

Meccan. Its verses are 83.

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

{ Yā Sīn. By the Wise Qur’an. Indeed, you are among the messengers, on a straight path. [This is] a revelation of the Almighty, the Merciful, that you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned, so they are unaware. The word has already come into effect upon most of them, so they do not believe. }

Readings:

• Yā Sīn: Read with a fatḥah (Yā Sana), like ayna (where) and kayfa (how).
• Accusative: As in "Recite Yā Sīn."
• Genitive: Based on the original state, like jīr.
• Nominative: As in "This is Yā Sīn."
• Damma: Like ḥaythu.
• The alif is pronounced with fullness (tafkhīm) and with inclination (imālah).

Meaning: Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: It means "O human" in the dialect of Ṭayyiʾ. If this is authentic, its origin is yā insān (O human), but it was used so frequently in their speech that they shortened it to the first part, just as they say m-Allāh for ayman Allāh (by Allah).

{The Wise} (al-Ḥakīm): Possessing wisdom. Or, it is a proof that speaks of wisdom, like a living being. Or, because it is the speech of the Wise, it is described with the attribute of the One who spoke it.

{On a straight path} (ʿalā ṣirāṭin mustaqīm): A predicate following a predicate, or a circumstantial qualifier (ṣilah) for "the messengers."

If you ask: What is the need for this, whether as a predicate or a qualifier, when it is already known that messengers are only on a straight path? I say: The purpose is not to distinguish those who are on a straight path from those who are not. Rather, the purpose is to describe the Messenger and the Law (sharīʿah) he brought. It combines both descriptions in one structure, as if saying: "You are indeed one of the messengers who are firmly established upon a firm path." Furthermore, the use of the indefinite (tankīr) indicates that he was sent upon a straight path whose description cannot be fully grasped.

Readings of {The revelation of the Almighty, the Merciful}:

• Nominative: As a predicate for an omitted subject.
• Accusative: Meaning "I mean..."
• Genitive: As a substitute (badal) for "the Qurʾān."

{A people whose fathers were not warned}: Meaning a people whose fathers were not warned, as an adjective. Similar to His saying: {To warn a people whose fathers were not warned} (36:6) and {To warn a people to whom no warner had come before you} (28:46).

Interpretation of "not warned":

1. Ma as a verbal noun (maṣdariyyah): To warn a people [about] the warning of their fathers.
2. Relative pronoun (mawṣūlah): Accusative as the second object of "to warn," meaning: to warn a people [about] what their fathers were not warned of regarding the punishment, as in His saying: {We have warned you of a near punishment} (78:40).

If you ask: What is the difference in the connection of {So they are heedless} between these two interpretations? I say: In the first, it relates to the negation—i.e., they were not warned, so they are heedless; the lack of warning is the cause of their heedlessness. In the second, it relates to {You are indeed one of the messengers} to warn, as you would say: "I sent you to so-and-so to warn him, for he is heedless."

If you ask: How can they be "warned" and "not warned" at the same time, as this contradicts other verses? I say: There is no contradiction. The verses refer to the lack of warning for them, not the lack of warning for their fathers. Their ancient fathers, the descendants of Ishmael, had warners among them. If you say that one interpretation implies their fathers were not warned, I mean the immediate fathers, not the distant ones.

{The Word}: His saying: {I will surely fill Hell with jinn and mankind all together} (32:13). It means this word has attached to them, is established against them, and has become binding, because they are among those whom it was known would die in disbelief.

{Indeed, We have placed shackles on their necks, and they are to the chins, so they are heads-raised. And We have placed before them a barrier and behind them a barrier, and We have covered them, so they do not see.}