Ya-Sin
Sura 36 of the Quran
يٰسٓ
Yā`Sīn
Yāʾ Sīn
Arabic textEnglish translation
Classification Meccan
Position Juzʼ 22 to 23
No. of verses 83
Opening muqaṭṭaʻāt Yā Sīn
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Double-page with illuminated frames marking the start of Chapter Ya-Sin in a Malay Qur’an manuscript from Patani. Despite the special significance of Chapter Ya-sin in lives of all Muslims, "this is the only Southeast Asian Qur’an manuscript known in which the beginning of Surat Yasin is marked with illuminated frames".[1] 2nd half of the 19th century. British Library
Yā Sīn[2] (also Yaseen; Arabic: يٰسٓ, yāsīn; the letters 'Yāʼ' and 'Sīn') is the 36th chapter of the Quran. It has 83 verses (āyāt). It is regarded an earlier "Meccan surah". Some scholars maintain that verse 12 is from the Medinan period.[3] While the surah begins in Juz' 22, most of it is in Juz' 23.
The surah begins with the eponymous (muqatta'at) Arabic letters: يس (yā sīn).[4] The meaning of the letters Ya Sin, while being primarily unknown, is debated amongst Muslim religious academics. One of the interpretations is "O human being!" referring to Muhammad since the verses that follow are translated as "By the Qur´an, full of Wisdom, Thou art indeed one of the messengers".[5] Tafsir al-Jalalayn, a Sunni beginners exegesis (tafsir), concludes, "God knows best what He means by these [letters]."[6]
The surah focuses on establishing the Qur'an as a divine source, and it warns of the fate of those who mock God's revelations and are stubborn. The surah tells of the punishments that plagued past generations of nonbelievers as a warning to present and future generations. Additionally, the surah reiterates God's sovereignty as exemplified by His creations through signs from nature.
The surah ends with arguments in favor of the existence of resurrection and God's sovereign power.
Summary
1-3 God swears that Muhammad is a prophet
4-5 The Quran given to warn the Makkans
6-9 The greater part of the people of Makkah reprobate
10-11 Muhammad's preaching only profitable to secret believers
12 The dead shall be raised; all their deeds are registered
13-14 Two, then three, apostles were sent to a village, it doesn’t mention their names.
15-18 They are rejected as impostors and threatened with stoning
19 The apostles warn the people impending divine judgments
20-26 A certain believer is put to death by the infidels
27-28 The persecutors are suddenly destroyed
29 Men generally reject God's messengers
30 The lessons of the past are forgotten
31-33 The doctrine of the resurrection asserted and illustrated
34-44 God's power and goodness manifested by his works
45-46 Unbelievers unmoved by either fear or the signs of the Quran
47-48 They scoff at almsgiving and the resurrection
49-53 The resurrection trumpet and the judgment-day shall surprise the unbelievers
54 God's judgment shall be according to works
55-65 The rewards of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked
66-68 God deals with the wicked as he pleaseth
69-70 Muhammad not a poet; the Quran is the word of God
71-73 God manifest in his works of benevolence
74-75 Idolaters will find their trust in idols vain
76 The Prophet not to grieve at the hard speeches of the idolaters; God knoweth all
77-81 The Creator of all things able to raise the dead to life
82 God says Be, and it is
83 Praise be to the Sovereign Creator and raiser of the dead [7]
Heart of the Quran
17th century Indian talisman with the text of the sura in micro-calligraphed, Khalili Collection of Islamic Art
It has been proposed that yā sīn is the "heart of the Quran".[8] The meaning of “the heart” has been the basis of much scholarly discussion. The eloquence of this surah is traditionally regarded as representative of the miraculous nature of the Qur'an.[9] It presents the essential themes of the Qur'an, such as the sovereignty of God, the unlimited power of God as exemplified by His creations, Paradise, the ultimate punishment of nonbelievers, resurrection, the struggle of believers against polytheists and nonbelievers, and the reassurance that the believers are on the right path, among others.[10] Yā Sīn presents the message of the Qur'an in an efficient and powerful manner, with its quick and rhythmic verses. This surah asserts that Muhammad was not a poet, rather he was the greatest and the Last Messenger of Allah (the "Seal of the Prophets").