Surah 36. Yasin

O THOU human being!¹

  - Mohammad Asad

Whereas some of the classical commentators incline to the view that the letters y-s (pronounced ya sin) with which this surah opens belong to the category of the mysterious letter-symbols (al-muqatta'at) introducing a number of Qur'anic chapters (see Appendix II), Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas states that they actually represent two distinct words, namely the exclamatory particle ya ("O") and sin, which in the dialect of the tribe of Tayy' is synonymous with insan ("human being" or "man"): hence, similar to the two syllables ta ha in surah {20}, ya sin denotes "O thou human being!" This interpretation has been accepted by 'Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan al-Basri, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, and other early Qur'an-commentators (see Tabari, Baghawi, Zamakhshari, Baydawi, Ibn Kathir, etc.). According to Zamakhshari, it would seem that the syllable sln is an abbreviation of unaysin, the diminutive form of insan used by the Tayy' in exclamations. (It is to be borne in mind that in classical Arabic a diminutive is often expressive of no more than endearment: e.g., ya bunayya, which does not necessarily signify "O my little son" but, rather, "my dear son" irrespective of the son's age.) On the whole, we may safely assume that the words ya sin apostrophize the Prophet Muhammad, who is explicitly addressed in the sequence, and are meant to stress - as the Qur'an so often does - the fact of his and all other apostles' humanness.

Ya Sin.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Ya Sin.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Consider this Qur'an full of wisdom:

  - Mohammad Asad

I swear by the Qur'an which is full of Wisdom

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

By the wise Qur'an,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

verily, thou art indeed one of God's message-bearers,²

  - Mohammad Asad

This statement explains the adjurative particle wa (rendered by me as "Consider") at the beginning of the preceding verse - namely: "Let the wisdom apparent in the Qur'an serve as an evidence of the fact that thou art an apostle of God". As regards my rendering of al-qur'an al-haklm as "this Qur'an full of wisdom", see note [2] on 10:1 .

that you are indeed one of the Rasools who are sent

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! thou art of those sent

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

pursuing a straight way

  - Mohammad Asad

on a Straight Way.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

On a straight path,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

by [virtue of] what is being bestowed from on high by the Almighty, the Dispenser of Grace,³

  - Mohammad Asad

rf 14:50 - "if I am on the right path, it is but by virtue of what my Sustainer reveals unto me".

This Qur'an is revealed by the Almighty, the Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

A revelation of the Mighty, the Merciful,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[bestowed upon thee] so that thou mayest warn people whose forefathers had not been warned, and who therefore are unaware [of the meaning of right and wrong].⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. {6:131-132}. In the wider sense of this expression, the "forefathers" may be a metonym for a community's cultural past: hence, the reference to those "forefathers" not having been "warned" (i.e., against evil) evidently alludes to the defectiveness of the ethical heritage of people who have become estranged from true moral values.

So that you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned, hence they are unaware.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

That thou mayst warn a folk whose fathers were not warned, so they are heedless.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Indeed, the word [of God's condemnation] is bound to come true⁵ against most of them: for they will not believe.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "has come true", the past tense indicating the inevitability of its "coming true" - i.e., taking effect.

In fact the Word has been proved true against most of them who are arrogant; so they do not believe.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Already hath the word proved true of most of them, for they believe not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold, around their necks We have put shackles,⁶ reaching up to their chins, so that their heads are forced up;⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

Zamakhshari: "[This is] an allegory of their deliberate denial of the truth." See note [13] on 13:5 and note [44] on 34:33 .

Sc., "and they cannot see the right way" (Razi); their "forced-up heads" symbolize also their arrogance. On the other hand, God's "placing shackles" around the sinners' necks is a metaphor similar to His "sealing their hearts and their hearing", spoken of in 2:7 and explained in the corresponding note [7]. The same applies to the metaphor of the "barriers" and the "veiling" mentioned in the next verse.

Since they have chosen to neglect Our revelations, therefore, We have put yokes round their necks right up to their chins so their heads are raised up,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! we have put on their necks carcans reaching unto the chins, so that they are made stiff necked.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and We have set a barrier before them and a barrier behind them,⁸ and We have enshrouded them in veils so that they cannot see:

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "so that they can neither advance nor go back": a metaphor of utter spiritual stagnation.

and We have put a barrier in front of them and a barrier behind them, and then We have covered them over so they cannot see.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We have set a bar before them and a bar behind them, and (thus) have covered them so that they see not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

thus, it is all one to them whether thou warnest them or cost not warn them: they will not believe.

  - Mohammad Asad

It is the same for them whether you warn them or warn them not, they will not believe.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Whether thou warn them or thou warn them not, it is alike for them, for they believe not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall