Download PDF: [S] Surah Yaseen

This Surah was revealed in Mecca and was revealed during the middle period of Islam in Mecca. As per Revelation, it is considered the 41th Surah and as per being recorded in a book or manuscript, it is the 36th Surah.

 

The name of this Surah

 

This Surah is called “Yaseen” and is a combination of two letters and which appears at the very beginning of this Surah. This is also one of the unique features of this Surah and through combining both of these letters, it has become the very name of this Surah.

 

This Surah is also referred to as the heart of the Qur’an and we will present a Hadith Shareef in this regard.

 

The excellence of Surah Yaseen from various Ahadith and reports

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Anas – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “For everything there is a heart and the heart of the Qur’an is Yaseen. Whosoever recites the Yaseen, Allah Almighty will reward that person with having recited the Qur’an ten times.” (Sunan Tirmidi Shareef)

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah – may Allah be pleased with him – has stated that, “Whosoever recites the Yaseen in the night and for the Divine Pleasure of Allah Almighty, he will be pardoned on that same night”. (Sunan Daarimi)

 

Ataa bin Rabaah – may Allah be pleased with him – explains that, “A Hadith Shareef has reached us in which the Holy Prophet– may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “Whosoever recites the Yaseen at the beginning of the day, his needs would be fulfilled.” (Sunan Daarimi)

 

Sheher bin Hoshab – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas – may Allah be pleased with him – has stated that, “Whosoever recites the Yaseen in the morning, (all things) will be made easy for him until the evening. Whosoever recites the Yaseen at the beginning of the night, (all things) will be made easy for him until the morning.” (Sunan Daarimi).

 

Hadrat Ma’qal bin Yasaar – may Allah be pleased with him – has narrated that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “Yaseen is the heart of the Quran. Whichever person recites it for the Divine Pleasure of Allah Almighty and for the sake of the Hereafter, Allah Almighty will pardon all his past sins. You should recite Surah Yaseen for those who have passed away.” (As Sunan Kubra; Sunan Abu Daud; Sunan ibn Maja and Musnad Imam Ahmed)

 

Imam Tabarani – may Allah be pleased with him – has recorded from Hadrat Anas – may Allah be pleased with him – that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “Which ever person is punctual in reciting Surah Yaseen every night, if he dies, he will die as a martyr.”

 

Imam Bazzaaz – may Allah be pleased with him – reports from Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas – may Allah be pleased with him – that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “I like it very much if the Yaseen is in the heart of every follower of mine.”

 

Imam ibn Mardiyah – may Allah be pleased with him – and Imam Daylami – may Allah be pleased with him – report from Hadrat Abu Darda – may Allah be pleased with him – who narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “Which ever Mayyit (or that person who is about to pass away) (in front of whom) the Yaseen is recited, Allah Almighty will make it easy for (that person)”.

 

Imam Bahiqi – may Allah be pleased with him – in the “Shuhubul Imaan” narrates from Abu Qulaabah – may Allah be pleased with him – who declares that, “Whosoever recites the Yaseen would be forgiven. Whoever is fearful of decrease in sustenance should read the Yaseen, his sustenance would be sufficient. Whoever has read Yaseen near a person who is about to pass away, it will be made easy for that person. Whichever female experiences difficulty at the time of birth, Yaseen should be read near her, she will give birth with ease. Whoever recites the Yaseen, it is as if he has recited the Qur’an eleven times and for everything there is a heart, and the heart of the Qur’an is Yaseen.”

 

Imam Hakim – may Allah be pleased with him – and Imam Bahiqi – may Allah be pleased with him – narrate from Abu Jafer Mohammed bin Ali – may Allah be pleased with him – who declares that, “In whosoever s heart there is hardness, he should write “Yaseen wal Quraanil Hakeem” with saffron on one bowl and then drink this (after mixing water in it).”

 

Imam ibn Najjaar – may Allah be pleased with him – in his “Taarikh” narrates from Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddique – may Allah be pleased with him – that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “Whosoever visits his parents or one of them on the Day of Jumu’ah and stands at the grave and recites Yaseen, Allah Almighty will forgive them equal to every letter (in this Surah).” (Ad Durrul Mansur)

 

The names of this Surah and a brief explanation

 

Allama Syed Mahmud Alusi Hanafi – may Allah be pleased with him – who passed away in 1270 Hijri explains that, “Imam Ahmed bin Hambal, Imam Abu Daud, Imam Nisaa’i, Imam ibn Maja and Imam Tabarani – may Allah be pleased with them – have reported from Hadrat Ma’qal bin Yasaar – may Allah be pleased with him – that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “Yaseen is the heart of the Qur’an and it is known by its name Yaseen.”

 

Hujjatul Islam, Imam Ghazzali – may Allah be pleased with him – has given the opinion that one of the reasons for it to be called the heart of the Qur’an is because Imaan is based on belief on the Day of Judgement and giving account for one’s deeds. In other words, Hashr and Nashr and to whole-heartedly accept this. Surah Yaseen has also described this in a very good manner and hence, it has been termed as the heart of the Qur’an. Another reason it is called the heart of the Qur’an is because the stability of a person and his existence also depends on his heart. The result of this is clearly to see. A person who sincerely believes in Hashr and Nashr  will fear entering the Fire of Hell and will have the urge to enter Jannah. Because of this, he will also refrain from committing sins and transgressions. We must also realise that sin is a disease for one’s Imaan because of which the Imaan of a person becomes weak and fragile. However, when he sees the message of Surah Yaseen, he will turn to worship and this is a sign of proper Imaan. Hence, belief in Hashr and Nashr is like the heart. Once the heart is strong, the entire body is strong and when the heart becomes diseased, then the entire body becomes sick. This is one of the reasons that it has been referred to as the heart of the Qur’an.

 

Another reason for it to be referred to as the heart is because the heart is a place where the reality of things and secrets become known. In the same manner, on the Day of Judgement, the secrets of people would become apparent and many proofs and testimonies on the actual duration of the Day of Judgement is to be found in many reports.

 

Another reason for this similarity is because the heart is the actual origin of the body. The rest of a person’s body are mere branches and offshoots of this. In Surah Yaseen, the important message of the arrival of the Prophets and the various Revelations are also mentioned which is the actual core of Divine Message and the rest of the Surahs are merely a further explanation of these subjects.

 

Another reason for reading this Surah near a person who is about to pass away is because he is being warned about the difficulty to be experienced on the Day of Judgement and that he should also bear this lesson in mind and hopefully, by listening to this, he would be able to easily read the Kalimah in his final moments. This Surah also educates us about the important lessons of Islam and that one should always bear this in mind so that his set of beliefs are always correct.

 

Sayyidah Ayesha Siddique – may Allah be pleased with her – narrates that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “There is a Surah in the Qur’an whose name with Allah Almighty is “Azeemah”. The one who recites this Surah, with Allah Almighty he is considered as Shareef. This Surah would intercede for more than the population which is found among the Bani Rabee’ah and the Bani Mudir. The names of this Surah is also ‘Mu’amma’mah’, ‘Mudaafi’ah’ and ‘Qaadiyah’”.

 

Imam Saeed bin Mansur – may Allah be pleased with him – and Imam Bahiqi – may Allah be pleased with him – have both narrated from Hasan bin Ateeyah – may Allah be pleased with him – that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “In the Taurah, the name of  surah Yaseen is ‘Mu’amma’mah.’ The benefit of this Surah is common for both the people in this world and the next. Its name is also ‘Al Mudaa fi’ah’ and ‘Al Qaadiyah’. The reason is that it eliminates all defects from those who recite it. It is also able to fulfil all the noble needs of a person.” (Ruhul Ma’ani)

 

The subject matter within this Surah

As with most Meccan Surahs which deal with the Divine Oneness of Allah Almighty, His Divine Power and His Greatness and its various proofs and testimony, it also presents proofs about the truthfulness of the Qur’an and about the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet’s – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – station and status, in like manner, this Surah also presents all of these testimonies and proofs.

 

At the beginning of this Surah, Allah Almighty clearly informs us that the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – is certainly a Prophet sent by the Allah Almighty. Since his arrival, two groups of people have now come into existence. The first is that group which are destined never to listen and obey and the second group are those who will most certainly obey him. The behaviour and deeds of both of them are certainly known to Allah Almighty and both are known to the Allah Almighty since the beginning of time.

 

Allah Almighty then describes the condition of those people who have continued to falsify the Prophets. They were also guilty of killing these innocent Prophets. With the result, the believers have entered Jannah and the perpetrators have entered the Fire of Hell.

 

Allah Almighty then explains His Divine Oneness, the truth of Hashr and Nashr and the fact that after death, people will come alive once again. He has explained this as a piece of land which has died and then comes alive as the time when day turns into night and as the time when the moon appears after the sun sets and like the ships which sail on the high seas.

 

As for those who try to falsify this, they are made fearful and are warned about the eternal punishment of the Fire of Hell and those who sincerely believe in Allah Almighty and all those beliefs which are necessary to believe in, they will enjoy untold pleasures in the Hereafter and eternal peace.

 

The disbelievers in Mecca also tried to belittle and falsify the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – and called him a mere poet, However, Allah Almighty rejects this claim made by the disbelievers and clearly informs everyone that this Prophet has arrived to warn them of the punishment for those who disbelieve and have come to educate them on giving thanks for the Divine Grace which Allah Almighty has blessed people with.

This Surah also rejects the idols of those who worship these objects and informs people that these objects are useless and helpless and that it would never help them in the Hereafter.

 

In the end of this Surah, it rejects those who disbelieve in the notion of people once again coming alive. It appeals to people to understand the lesson of those trees which seem lifeless and yet, Allah Almighty is able to bring those trees back to life and they again appear green and fresh.