Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3– Part 4– Part 5 – Part 6 – Part 7
The Qur’an has the power to revive hearts.
Do you want to understand Surah Ya-Sin at a deeper level?
Get to Know a Surah of the Quran is a new series of videos brother Nouman Ali Khan presented in 2016 during the month of Ramadan.
The following is a summary of some of the most important points and reflections brother Nouman mentioned in this eighth episode.
Introduction
Surah Ya-Sin is one of the famous often-recited surahs of the Makkan Qur’an.
It is a very beautiful surah, and I will try to give you an overview of this surah breaking it up into six distinct parts.
That’s probably one of the best ways to remember what’s covered in this remarkable surah.
The first part of the surah actually highlights how the Qur’an can only be revelation, and how the Qur’an has the power to revive hearts…
A Lesson from History
The second section of the surah is a unique long story, not told anywhere else in the Qur’an, of a nation that did not just receive one, but three messengers.
{When We sent to them two but they denied them, so We strengthened them with a third, and they said, “Indeed, we are messengers to you.”} (36:14)
Allah sent them three messengers that would preach to them, and they still would not listen, and they would still ridicule and mock. To the point that actually another came from the far end of another town, he came running and spoke to them and said you need to follow the messengers.
What is amazing about this story which has so many unique elements is typically you don’t get three messengers at one time.
The second point is that those three messengers spoke briefly in the Qur’an, and the companion or believer who was now a faithful member of the believing community, Allah quoted him more in the Qur’an than all three messengers put together.
Which is pretty amazing.
You would think the messengers are there, so he should not be talking, he should just listen to them, but it is as if he recognizes that the messengers have their job to do, and I have my job to do.
I am obligated to speak the truth as well, and he does not absolve himself from this responsibility by just saying well the messengers are there, let them do their job.
And that is something Allah highlights in this remarkable story; a profound lesson from history.
And that’s really how I would like to entitle this second section, a lesson from history.
Look Around You
The third section of the surah, Allah says to people fine, you are not going to think about revelation, and you are not going to learn from history, at least look around you.
Look around you and ponder about the world which has been created around you.
Have you ever thought about the earth that is dead then brought back to life?
Have you pondered over the sky?
Have you pondered over the ships that sail in the sea?
These kind of things. This is what God is going to highlight in this section.
Stubborn & Blind to the Truth
Passage number four contrasts passage number three.
It’s a brief passage with three ayat, where basically Allah says there are some people who just refuse to see.
No matter what you show them, they don’t want to hear it.
They are blind to the truth.
These are people who refuse to ponder on what is in front of them, and what they have behind them, which is an interesting phrase, you know:
{But when it is said to them, “Beware of what is before you and what is behind you; perhaps you will receive mercy… } (36:45)
What is behind you, which is history, which is the previous passage before this.
So far the Qur’an has talked about itself, about history and the world around us, and now it says that there are some people who refuse to look at the world in front of them, and refuse to look back at history as well, and they just remain stubborn no matter what you say.
The Hereafter
On the consequences of being stubborn and blind, Allah will talk in the fifth passage about the Day of Judgement, the Resurrection, questioning even people who are being thrown into the Hell Fire.
In this horrible scene of Judgement Day and Resurrection, where very little attention is given to those that are saved, and the majority of the time Allah highlights those that have not been saved.
So the scary parts of Hell Fire, and the scary parts of Resurrection are given more emphasis.
It is interesting that this passage, which is the fifth passage of the surah, it’s the middle ayah of that surah which is about the people of Jannah, and everything around it is the people of Hell Fire.
Finally, the last passage, the sixth passage of the Surah, is actually about the Qur’an again, as it started; the first and last passages are about the Qur’an.
But this time, Allah says it is not just poetry. First He says it is full of wisdom. And now He says:
{And We did not give Prophet Muhammad, knowledge of poetry, nor is it befitting for him. It is not but a message and a clear Qur’an} (36:69)
In contrast to the first passage, where Allah says the purpose of the Qur’an is to guide hideous people who are just completely unaware, in this passage Allah highlights that there are people whom Allah created of fluid and He created of nothing and they act as if they can argue with Allah, and they are arrogant before the Qur’an.
So there are two different bad attitudes towards the Qur’an, ignorance and heedlessness, which is in the beginning, and arrogance by the end…
For more reflections and details on this surah explained by brother Nouman, to watch the full episode, please click here.
(From Discovering Islam archive)