Tafsīr Sūrat’L-Raḥmān and Ya Sīn (Denial) (Hosna)

8/12/2019 Tafsr SratL-Ramn and Ya Sn (Denial) (Hosna)

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Qabeelat Hosna Denial: Tafsrof SrahsYa SnandAl-RamnHouston, TX Shaykh Yasir Qadhi

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Table of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 3

Srah Ya Sn .................................................................................................................................... 4Names of Srahs ........................................................................................................................ 4

Time of Revelation ................................................................................................................... 5

Blessings of Srah Ya Sn .......................................................................................................... 6

Reason for Revelation (Sababl-Nuzl) ................................................................................... 9

yahs 1-12 ................................................................................................................................ 10

Benefits ofyahs1-12 ........................................................................................................ 20

yahs13-27: The Story of the People ................................................................................. 20

Benefits ofyahs13-27 ...................................................................................................... 27

yahs 28-32: Woe to the Disbelievers! ................................................................................ 29

Benefits ofyahs28-32 ...................................................................................................... 31

yahs 33-44: Proofs that Allh has Given to Resurrect the Dead ................................... 32

Benefits of yahs 33-44 ..................................................................................................... 38

yahs 45-47: The Response of the Quraysh and the Kufrwhen These Miracles areShown ...................................................................................................................................... 39

Benefits ofyahs45-47 ...................................................................................................... 41

yahs 48-54: The Misguidance of the Idolators ................................................................. 42

Benefits ofyahs48-54 ...................................................................................................... 45

yahs 55-58: The Life of the People of Paradise ................................................................ 46yahs 59-68: The Isolation of the Disbelievers & Their Rebuke on the Day ofJudgment ................................................................................................................................. 49

yahs 69-76: Status of the Messenger of Allh .................................................................. 53

Benefits ofyahs69-76 ...................................................................................................... 56

yahs 77-83: The Denial of Life after Death, and the Refutation of This Idea .............. 57

Benefits ofyahs77-83 ...................................................................................................... 59

Primary Lessons ofSrah Ya Sn ........................................................................................... 60

Sratl-Ramn ............................................................................................................................. 62Blessings of Sratl-Ramn ................................................................................................... 62

Reason for Revelation ............................................................................................................ 63

Names of Sratl-Ramn ....................................................................................................... 63

Uniqueness of This Srah ...................................................................................................... 64

Tafsr ......................................................................................................................................... 64


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Disclaimer: The following are student notes, which are not endorsed by the instructor orAlMaghrib Institute.

IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction

This is a tafsr of Srah Ya Sn and Sratl-Ramn. These two srahs share manysimilarities and themes. We will jump directly into the tafsr of the srah. We willanalyze SrahYa Snsection by section and not yahby yahbecause it is so long. Wewill analyze Sratl-Ramnyahby yahand do a grammatical analysis.

What is the purpose of tafsr? A student of the abahYsir b. Muwiyah said, Theexample of a person with tafsrand the person without tafsris the example of a groupwho gets a letter from the king in the middle of the night and doesnt have a lamp toread it. The person with tafsris like the one who brings the lamp and reads for themthe letter from their king. This is so true!

After someone learns tafsrof a srah, forever after the srahhas a different meaningand a different understanding. When it is recited in the alh, it takes the alh to awhole new level and you feel as if you were ignorant of thesrahbefore.

There are many types of tafsr: subjects, grammar, particular words used,fiqh, context.There are different genres. We will get a flavor of all of these genres in this class.Shaykh Yasir brings in different methodologies and understandings and principles ofIslamic knowledge and makes them relevant and useful.

Tafsr has levels. There is a basic level of tafsr that every person who understands

Arabic will be able to extract. This level of tafsris the understanding of the Qurn asAllh intended it to be understood to the audience it was revealed. This is the levelmost of us strive for when we read a translation.

For example, from qul huwallhu aad, we all understand Allh is one. There is ahigher level of tafsr in which scholars of fiqh, theology, grammar, lexicology look atevery single letter and phrase and word and ask Why qul? They go even further andsay, The huwais not needed for a full sentence. Allhuaadis a full sentence. Addingthe huwa adds a whole different level. They go into aad and how it is differentfrom wid. Both Names are to Allh (subnahu wa tala). You cannot understandthis level of tafsr by simply reading. Tafsr brings in aadth and verses which are

pertinent to that particular yah. It is impossible to fully comprehend the Qurnwithout having a grasp of other verses of the Qurn and aadth of the Prophet(allallhu alayhi wa sallam). Linguistic analysis only gets you so far, and Qurn andSunnahtrump linguistic analysis.

The Qurn and Sunnahinterpret the Qurn far better than any grammatical rules. Forexample: the reference of plurality. Why does Allh refer to Himself in the plural? Thisrequires knowledge of theology and ilml-aqdah.


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It is an error of the highest magnitude for a person to think he can open up the Qurnand interpret it in the manner of a mufassirbecause he is claiming the interpretation ofthe Speech of Allh without the knowledge of how to interpret that speech.

When Allh wants us to read and understand the Qurn, that is level oneunderstanding. It is not to derive your own theology or fiqh or interpretations untilyou are qualified to master the fifteen sciences of tafsr. Until then, you are not allowedto take it beyond basic level. For those not studying Arabic, they are walking on thecrutches someone else has given and the translation is not the Speech of Allh. Read itfor your personal benefit but know your limits.

Abu Bakr (rayAllhu anhu) said, Which sky will give me shade and which earth willallow me to walk on it if I speak about the Book of Allh in a manner I dont know?Therefore, one needs to be very careful about reading the Qurn and becoming aninstantaneous mufassir.

Why are we covering these two srahs? There is no direct connection. These aresrahswhich are popular in the ummah and people read them all the time. The only realcommonality between them is that they are both early Makkan srahs. Also, there is alot of overlap in content in SrahYa Snand Sratl-Ramn.

SSSSrah Ya Snrah Ya Snrah Ya Snrah Ya Sn

Names ofNames ofNames ofNames of SSSSrahsrahsrahsrahs

We begin by talking about the names of SrahYa Sn. Who gave these names? What isthe origin of the names of the srahs? Did Allh (subnahu wa tala) reveal a srahwith the name? The answer to this question is a long one. At Madnah University, thepaper topic which Shaykh Yasir chose for one class was entitled The Origins of theNames of the Srahs. This was a detailed research and the conclusion he reached, andAllh (subnahu wa tala) knows best, and this is the opinion of many classicalscholars, is: The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) did not name most of the srahs,but rather, most of thesrahswere named by theabahand the tabin; therefore, the

abahand tabinunderstood the names of the srahsare open for multiple opinions.There was no notion that the name of thesrahhad to be one.

The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) named some of thesrahs. Evidences:- In a Bukhri: Recite Baqarah and le-Imrn. Typically, he (allallhu

alayhi wa sallam) did not name it by a name but by a reference such as the firstyah.

- In aMuslim: The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, There is a srahwhich is thirty yahs that will intercede for its reader until he is forgiven. Thatis: Tabrakalladhi biyadihil-mulk.


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- In aMuslim: A srahhas just been revealed to me and is more precious tome than this world and everything in it. Inna aaynkal-kawthar.

To this day, we have many different srahs which have multiple names. This hastrickled down even to the ummah and Qurns printed in various places of the world

will have different names than Qurns printed in other places. For example: BaniIsrl / Isr. Ghfir/ Mumin. Tawbah/ Bar.

These are the names which have trickled down, and what is found in the source booksis much more. Sometimes there are more than a dozen names.

Question: If we know that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) did not name thesrahsand it is not divine (tawqfi), then can someone come along now and rename asrah? Is this allowed?Answer: It is technically legally allowed, but it is not a smart idea. Technically, there isnothing wrong with deriving new names and you are not sinful, but what is the

purpose of redefining the wheel? What is the purpose of confusing everyone? Eventhough it is technically allowed to rename srahs, it would cause confusion and fitnah,so lets leave it as it is.

Question: Why should we discuss the names theabahgave to SrahYa Sn?Answer: Of the wisdoms of mentioning what the abahcalled these srahs is to seehow they viewed the srahs and to look at different perspectives. We see how theyviewed the blessedness of thesesrahs.

Theabahcalled thissrahwith four names:1. Ya Sn2. Al-Mudfiah: the srah that repels, protects. Daf means to push away. The

abahviewed thissrahas being thesrahthat protects.3. Al-Qiyah: This means that which grants you what you want. Qaameans to

decree. Thissrahdecrees for you what you want and grants you your wish.4. Al-Muammimah: This means that which covers you up because thissrahcovers

you up in Allhs blessings and protection.

All of these names are powerful and demonstrate the status of the srahin the eyes oftheabah. Thissrahprotects you and repels evil from you.

Time of RevelationTime of RevelationTime of RevelationTime of Revelation

By almost unanimous consensus, this srahwas revealed in Makkah. It is dated to themiddle Makkan era. The Makkan era is divided into three: early period, middle period,and late period. Like all Makki srahs, this srah shares some very commoncharacteristics. Of those commonalities:

1. Short verses2. Makkisrahshave a fiery eloquence. The rhythm and rhyme are powerful.


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3. The Makkisrahsdo not have any laws in them. Rather, there is an emphasis ontawd, rislahand khirah.

SrahYa Snin particular concentrates on one of these three, which is the khirah. If wewant to say that SrahYa Snhas a theme, then the theme is to prove the resurrection

(al-Bath, al-ashr).Note: There is controversy on whether or not srahshave themes or not, which willnot be covered in this class.

Blessings ofBlessings ofBlessings ofBlessings of SSSSrahrahrahrah Ya SYa SYa SYa Snnnn

Somesrahshave explicit blessings associated with them. The Prophet (allallhu alayhiwa sallam) especially praised Sratl-Baqarah. What has been narrated about Srah YaSn? There are many aadth regarding it, and yet every one of those aadth is thesubject of a lot of discussion amongst the scholars of aadth regarding their

authenticity.

Five blessings of SrahYa Sn:

Note: In the second, third, and fourth aadth below, the name Ya Snis mentioned.

1. Al-Wthilah b. al-Asqa narrated that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Ihave been given instead of the Tawrhthe seven long srahsand I have been giveninstead of the Zabr the miinsrahsand I have been given instead of the Injl themathnisrahsand I have been privileged above the rest of them and I have beenprivileged with the mufaalsrahs. This is in the Musnadof Imam Amad. This

adthis authentic.

This adthmentions SrahYa Snindirectly.

Scholars say the seven long srahsare all the way up to Tawbah(they include Anflwith Tawbah). What is the Tawrhknown for? Laws. The bulk of laws in the Qurnoccur in thesesrahs: marriage, divorce, etc.

Miin srahs: This means thesrahswith around 100 verses. Most scholars say theseare from Ynus to Fir. The Zabr is known for praise. These srahshave a lot ofpraise in them.

Mathnisrahs: The Injlis typically known for wisdoms. Mathnimeans the srahswhich are recited frequently. These are called mathni because these were the

srahs the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and the abah and early Muslimswould typically recite in alh. The mathni are from Ya Sn until ujurt. Themathnibegins with Ya Sn.

Mufaalsrahs: mufaalmeans lots of breaks. JuzAmmaalone shows us mufaal.


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Of the blessings of SrahYa Sn is that it is the beginning of the equivalent of theInjl. SrahYa Sndiscusses sa.

2. Al-asan al-Bari (rayAllhu anhu) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (rayAllhu anhu)that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Whoever reads Ya Snin a night(i.e., in one go) seeking the pleasure of Allh, Allh will forgive him on that night.This is narrated in the Sunanof al-Dhrimi.

The chain is authentic all the way to al-asan al-Bari (d. 110 AH). Abu Hurayrahdied in 55 AH. Al-asan al-Bari was from Barah and Abu Hurayrah lived inMadnah. Al-asan al-Bari could not have met Abu Hurayrah. He was too young tohave been able to travel. He did not enter Madnah until after the death of AbuHurayrah; therefore, this adth has a slight weakness, which is a missing link(munqati). A missing chain means the adth is weak; however, not all missingchains are the same. The slightest problematic missing link is a missing link

between an early tabii and a abi. This is the least problematic missing link in achain.

Al-asan al-Bari isnt lying but is just not saying who he heard the adth from.Fabricating aadth was unknown in that era. People were more honest. It wasunknown that people fabricated aadthat that time. There was an honest mistakemade.

The verdict on this adth: it is very slightly weak.

Tangent: What is the verdict of af adth? The majority of the ummahhave said

that af adthcan be used with some conditions. This is, in YQs humble opinion,the correct opinion. This is the position the ummah has accepted. This is themethodology of the famous muadiththn including Bukhri, Muslim, IbnTaymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim. What are the three conditions?

1) The weakness is slight and not severe2) The adth is not used for aqdah, theology, law, fiqh. It cannot be used for

the fundamentals.3) The adth is used for encouragement of generic good deeds, which are

already sanctioned in Islam.

We may use a slightly weak adth for encouraging generic good. Using af adth

in this regard is not a problem. Anyone who recites SrahYa Snin the night shouldhave an optimistic expectation of Allh but know that the adth has a slightweakness. They should know that it is not guaranteed but have hope in Allh.

3. Anas b. Mlik narrates that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said,Everything has a heart, and the heart of the Qurn is Srah Ya Sn, so whoeverreads it, it is as if he has read the whole Qurn ten times.


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This is the most famous adth of Ya Sn. Why? The second adth is the leastproblematic of all the aadth, but it is obscure. This adthis narrated in Sunanal-Tirmidhi, and any adth in the six books automatically becomes far more famousthan any adthin other than the six books. This adthis often quoted.

After quoting this adth, Tirmidhi himself says this is a gharb adth. WhenTirmidhi says gharb, generally speaking, he means it is af. Then he explicitlysays it is not authentic and says one of the narrators is unknown, and this narratoris from the fourth generation and far down the chain.

Scholars add that one of the signs of a very weak adthis that it sounds weird. Onlythe scholars of adthwill judge what is weird. A fruit seller came to Ibn Abi Hatemand said, How do you know if a adth is weak or authentic? Ibn Abi Hatem said,When you get counterfeit coins in your hand, how do you know? He said they flipthe coins around. He said, We do the same thing. This means that specialistsknow by virtue of their experience.

Scholars mention that this adth is strange in content. One of the signs of afabricated or very weak adth is to give massive rewards for small deeds. Thisadthis very problematic, and we cannot use it because it is very weak.

4. Maqar b. Yasr said the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, Al-Baqarahis thepinnacle of the Qurn and ytl-kursi has been taken from under the Throne ofAllh and Ya Sn is the heart of the Qurn. No one reads it for the sake of Allhexcept that his sins are forgiven. Read it over your dead. Sunanof Abu Dwd.

This adthrepeats the phrases from adth#2 and adth#3.

Read it over your dead means to read it when someone is on his deathbed. Thisadthsays a phrase that hasnt been mentioned before.

This adth is very weak. There are two unknown people in the isnd; therefore,every single muaddith from al-Nawawi to al-Albni and others said this adth isvery weak. However, what if someone says: Okay, this adthis weak, but cant weuse it to support adth #3? Because the rule says two af adth put togetherstrengthen each other to make them asan.Response: This rule is valid overall, but it doesnt apply when a adthis very weak.It only applies when a adthis weak. Who can tell the difference between weak and

very weak? Scholars of adth. Two people who are unknown (majhl) back to backin an isndmakes the adthvery weak and just one level above fabricated.

5. This is a statement of a abi and an action of a abi. One of the students ofUayf b. al-rith al-Thumali narrates, When Uayf was on his deathbed, he asked,Does anyone know Srah Ya Sn? A young man by the name of li b. Shurayhsaid, I know it. Uayf said, Recite it over me. li began reciting it. When hereached the fortieth yah, Uayf breathed his last breath and died.


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From this, we can say that because Uayf was a abi and he asked someone torecite Srah Ya Snon him, then there is no problem whatsoever having someonerecite Srah Ya Sn over someones deathbed. This is in the madhhib. IbnTaymiyyah and others mention that this is mustaab. It is from our tradition and

there is precedence. If someone says it issunnah, we should not be too strict aboutit even though it technically is not.

Note: This is not for over the dead body.

Also, if you look at the content of Srah Ya Sn, this makes sense because it is allabout khirahand baathand Jannah as well. There is a beautiful yahwhich is anoptimistic yah for anyone about to die: It was said to him EnterJannah, and hesaid, How I wish my people knew that my Lord has forgiven me and given me somuch honor. This yah is very optimistic. One reason to recite Ya Sn oversomeone who is about to die is this yahand others of this nature.

Reason for Revelation (Reason for Revelation (Reason for Revelation (Reason for Revelation (SabablSabablSabablSababl----NuzNuzNuzNuzllll))))

Books of tafsrmention a number of reasons, but none of them explains why it camedown. Rather, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) used verses for certain incidents.

Incident #1Of the stories mentioned is in the srah of Ibn Isq: the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa

sallam) on the night of the hijrahwhen they attempted to assassinate him went outsidereciting SrahYa Sn, and he (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, We covered them up and

they were blinded and they could not see. He used this verse to blind them. Whenblinded, he threw sand on each and every one of them and went out from under theirnoses. However, it doesnt seem that Ya Sncame down because of this but he used it atthis time.

Incident #2Abu Jahl once became very irritated and made a public threat: The next time I see theProphet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), I will do such and such. The next time theProphet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was sitting where he usually sits, Abu Jahl walks bycompletely ignoring him and not seeing him. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam)recited, We covered them up and they were blinded and they could not see. Abu Jahl

did not see the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wasallam) used that verse to blind his enemies.

Incident #3Of what has been narrated about SrahYa Snis from al- b. Wil, one of the vulgarand evil and mocking enemies. The enemies of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam)can be divided into two: those who were vulgar and crude and those who maintaineddignity. Generally speaking, those who were vulgar and crude were not guided but


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some of those who retained some decency and some nobility such as Abu Sufyn andSuhayl b. Amr were guided. People who have akhlqhave some decency, and havingsome decency makes you more prone to accepting. One day al- b. Wil came with adecayed bone in his hand to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and waved it infront of his face and said, YaMuammad, are you expecting me to believe that Allh

(subnahu wa tala) will cause this bone to be resurrected after it has decayed andcrumbled? The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) responded, Yes, by Allh, Allhwill resurrect it and Allh will resurrect you. This came down in SrahYa Sn.

Incident #4A final narration: A few scholars said this srah is Madani because of this. There is afamous story in Bukhri and all of the books in adththat the Prophet (allallhu alayhiwa sallam) heard the news that the tribe of the Banu Salamah had decided to comecloser to Madnah. The tribe of Banu Salamah was one of the tribes of Madnah, and thecity of Madnah at the time was composed of smaller cities. Madnah was composed ofsettlements. Every tribe had their own area. Quba was one of the farthest settlements

and the southernmost settlement of Madnah so travelers coming from Makkah wouldcome there first. The tribe of Banu Salamah was on the opposite side. They were wherewhat is now known as Masjid Qiblatayn. In those days, it would take 40-45 minuteswalking. Some of the tribe of Banu Salamah would pray all five prayers and they wouldall try to come as regularly as possible to be with the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa

sallam).

They then decided to move closer. In those days, it was an entire change of lifestyleand lands would be sold off and homes lived in for generations would be sold. Theywanted to do this to be regularly in his presence. When the Prophet (allallhu alayhiwa sallam) heard the news, he called them and he said, We will resurrect the dead and

We are writing down what they send forward and We are writing their footsteps. YaBani Salamah, stay in your houses. Allh is writing your footsteps. They decided notto move and stayed where they were. From this report, some minority of scholars sayYa Snis Madani. However, it was used in Makkah in the hijrah.Response: The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) used a verse for the Banu Salamahafter it was already revealed for purposes of the present.

The strongest opinion is that it is a Makkisrah.

yahsyahsyahsyahs1111----12121212

Y-Sn.

What does Ya Sn mean? Ya Sn is of the genre of letters called urfl-muqaat.There is a phenomenon in the Qurn of broken letters. Scholars have differed overhow to understand these scattered letters. There are fifteen opinions. Some of them:


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1. The urfl-muqaat are of the Names of Allh (subnahu wa tala) or stand forNames of Allh. Aliflmmmis Allh,Al-Laf, andAl-Majd.

2. All of these muqaatwere used by Allh to name the srahs. This does not makesense because if this were the case, every srahwould have these and every srah

would have different ones, but some are similar. Therefore, this is not what wasintended.

Of the specific interpretations of Ya Sn, according to one opinion Ya Snis short foryainsn. This is because according to one of the ancient tribes of the Arabs, theywould say, ya insn. The problem with this is that Allh revealed the Qurnaccording to the time of the Quraysh. Arabic is Qurayshi by and large and it doesntmake sense to read in other tribal mechanisms and it doesnt solve the issue of theother muqaat.

Based on this, another interpretation was derived: Ya insn means specifically

the insn (Raslullh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam)). Ya insn means the oneman, meaning Raslullh(allallhu alayhi wa sallam). From this, an opinion came,which is common in Indian and Pakistani culture that Ya Snis one of the names ofthe Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). It is based on an interpretation three levelsback. This is a big stretch, and there is no academic backing to say that Ya Snis aname of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). There is no merit to this from anacademic standpoint.

3. Allh knows best, but the strongest opinion appears to be: the urfl-muqaatserve one purpose, which is to demonstrate the miraculous nature of the Qurnand the power of the Qurn by drawing attention to the components of the Qurn.

The Qurn is composed of the same letters the Arabs use, yet they still cannotproduce something similar to the Qurn.

Evidence: If you gather all of the muqaat, you get 14 letters, and the Arabicalphabet has 28 letters, so exactly half are used. It is as if the Arabs are being told tobring the other half of the alphabet and bring asrahor yahor ten verses.

Evidence: Almost without exception (there are one or two exceptions which haveindirect evidences to make them not exceptions), in every single srahwith urfl-muqaat, the next verse mentions the Qurn. There clearly seems to besomething to do with the Qurn such that every time the urfl-muqaat are

mentioned, the Qurn is mentioned. Therefore, it appears the purpose is to drawattention to the miraculous nature of the Qurn.

Footnote: Imam Mlik was asked about the permissibility of naming someone YaSn. Imam Mlik said, This should not be done. This is his way of saying it isarm. He said, The person will be called Ya Sn, and when people describe him, itwill not be appropriate and will not be dignified. For example, they may say, YaSn did something wrong. It might come off as somehow demeaning and not


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appropriate. The abahdid not name their children after the urfl-muqaat.They did name their children Muammad and the names of the prophets and othernames with positive meanings. The names are thesrahsare meant for the namesof thesrahs.

By the Qurn, full of wisdom,

The wawis the wawl-qasam(the oath). This is translated as: I swear by the Qurn thatis al-akm. Allh is swearing and giving an oath. Why is an oath given? Toemphasize. Does Allh need to emphasize? No. Allh says, Who speaks more truththan Allh? When Allh emphasizes, it means we have to pay attention.

Another point: We as humans are only allowed to give qasamusing Allhs Names andAttributes. We are not allowed to give qasamon any other object. This is a mistake thatis very common in many cultures. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said,Whoever wants to give an oath, let it be with Allh. Why cant you say, I swear bymy honor? Ibn Abbs was making awf and heard two people arguing oversomething. One man said, I swear by the Kabah that I am telling the truth. IbnAbbs said, Do not swear by the Kabah. Swear by the Lord of the Kabah. We dontswear by the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) but we swear by the Rabb of theProphet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam).Response: When someone accuses you of lying or you feel that you need to defendyourself and say that you are speaking the truth, you will mention a being that is soholy and respected and venerated that you wouldnt dare tell a lie after mentioning hisname and what being deserves such veneration? Only Allh. We only give qasambyAllh and the Names and Attributes of Allh.

Allh swears by Himself. I swear by your Lord Allh can swear by makhlqt. Thosemakhlqt are massive signs. If Allh swears by the creation, it gives honor to thecreation as being a great sign.

Can we swear by the Qurn? The Qurn comes into the category of swearing by Allhbecause the Qurn is the Kalmof Allh which is uncreated; therefore, we are allowedto give qasamby the Qurn and on the Qurn.

akm comes from ikmah, which means full of wisdom. The adjective akm istypically used for living objects. It is not used for inanimate and dead objects. It is usedto describe living entities. Therefore, a reference is being given that the Qurn is life-giving and is worthy of a description beyond inanimate. Allh is explicit that theQurn is a life-giving spirit. Of the names of the Qurn is ru. The Qurn gives lifeto the dead, meaning the spiritually dead.

Allh is swearing by the Qurn that is full of wisdom. What is the point of swearing?


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Truly, you are one of the Messengers.

Inna is one of the most common participles in Arabic and is a participle thatemphasizes. The only purpose of it is to emphasize. Emphasizing used to be commonin medieval English; however, it has been lost in our times and when we use it, itsounds antiquated. Because our ears are not accustomed to it, when we translate, welose the point.

The fact that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) is a prophet has been emphasizedin multiple ways.

1) It follows a qasam2) arfl-tawkd(inna)3)

The lm. This is a lmthat is not needed linguistically. This lmonly serves thepurpose of emphasis.

4) It isjmlahismiyyahFor us, it sounds redundant and awkward, but in Arabic, each one adds a nuance andemphasis and builds up to the point of the qasam. Allh emphasizes this point in fivedifferent ways, but we wont discuss all of them here because they involve Arabicgrammar.

The meaning of mursalis that he (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) has been sent. For anyonewho has been sent, there are three questions:

1) Who sent you?2) Who have you been sent to?3) What have you been sent with?

Allh (subnahu wa tala) is sending him (allallhu alayhi wa sallam). He (allallhualayhi wa sallam) is being sent to a nation whose forefathers were not warned. He(allallhu alayhi wa sallam) is being sent with the revelation. Every question isanswered in the immediate aftermath of the question. This is why the qasambeginswith the Qurn.

On the straight path.

You are preaching a straight path.The concept of straight path is discussed in the books of tafsr. The concept of Islambeing a straight path is a common motif of the Qurn and the Sunnah. We are on ajourney which ends in the Pleasure of Allh, and there is only one way to get to thatdestination, which is irl-mustaqm. Allh mentions other paths as well, which are


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crooked. This is my path, so follow it, and do not follow the other paths. Notice thatthroughout the Qurn, truth is singular and falsehood is plural. Theirl-mustaqmisone. In a adth in Tirmidhi, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) drew a straightpath in the line and said, This is irl-mustaqm and then he drew lines going outand said, These are the paths of falsehood and at the head of every one is a Shayn

calling.

There are two linguistic interpretations of this:1. Innaka laminal-mursaln and ala irl-mustaqm are two separate sentences.

You are the Messenger of Allh. You are on the straight path.2. We can join the two together and say: You are the one who has been sent to

those who are on the straight path.Both of these meanings are valid and complement each other.

How does one get to the ir? The next verse. The tanzl(that which has come down).

Sent down by the Almighty, the Most Merciful,

The Tanzl is one of the most common names of the Qurn. The Qurn has fivecommon names: Qurn, Kitb, Dhikr, Tanzl,

Qurn and Kitbare the two most common and are complementary because Qurn isthat which is recited and Kitbis that which is written down. The reference to Tanzlisthat Allh (subnahu wa tala) sent it down. Tanzlcomes from anzala unzilu. Anzalais

different from nazalah. How so? Anzalameans Allh revealed the Qurn bit by bit.Nazalahimplies that the Qurn came down all at once. This was something unique onlyfor the Qurn. The Tawrh, Injland Zabrall came down in one go. The only book thatcame down piecemeal is the Qurn.

Also of the meanings of tanzlis that Allh is indicating the source: I am the One whosent it down. There is a direct connection with Allh. The Prophet (allallhu alayhiwa sallam) said, The Qurn is the rope of Allh dangling from the heavens. It is as ifAllh has sent down a rope, and if you hold onto it, then you have a direct link to Allh.

Allh says the tanzl comes from Al-Azz and Al-Ram. Al-Azz is a common Name of

Allh in the Qurn and has three primary meanings:1) Comes from aza, meaning to strengthen. The One who is strong.2) It also implies izzah, which means that Allh (subnahu wa tala) has izzahand

is the source of izzah. Izzahmeans honor and glory.3) Of the meanings is the Unconquerable. The One who has power cannot be

conquered.


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Ghfil means unaware. The reason to mention something that is potentially aweakness is to make them listen. Isnt the listener being insulted? Why would he thenlisten? When the weakness is pointed out in order to eliminate it, it becomes a favor.The fact that they are getting a prophet means they should be thankful. This is anappreciation. Allh (subnahu wa tala) is emphasizing something that could be

interpreted as a weakness, but because the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) is rightthere, it is a gift.

Indeed the Word has proved true against most of them, so they will not believe.

The word aqq has many meanings. The original meaning used by the ancient Arabs:to conform and agree. If x and y match, then this is aqq. If they fit perfectly, then thisis aqq. From this original meaning, many meanings have been derived. The One who

brings about conformity isAl-aqq. The One who says what He does and does what Hesays isAl-aqq. The issue which conforms with the previous statement is aqqand thestatement becomes aqq.

In many examples, Allh predicts the Day of Judgment. Those words are called aqqbecause they are true. The Day of Judgment is called aqq because it is conformingwith the words that preceded it. The One who brought about that conformity (Allh) isalso calledAl-aqq.

Laqad aqql-qawl. The statement I have said will be true and will be manifested astruth. The reality will come to pass exactly as described.

The word has already been given on most of them that they will not believe. Thisshows qadar. One of the fundamental characteristics of Sunni Islam is belief in qadar.

Allh says, Upon most of them, they will not believe. This yahcould be problematicin that most of Makkah eventually believes. How do we interpret this? They will notbelieve as a result of his preaching, but they will believe when they are conquered. TheProphet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) is being consoled that his preaching is not theproblem and he is not at fault. They are at fault. Allh is beginning the consolation tothe Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) that the qadarhas already happened. The nexttwo or three verses are about the preaching of the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam).

They believed when they were conquered by force.

Ala aktharihim means a minority will believe. There is always hope and people willalways convert to the faith.


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Verily, We have put on their necks iron collars reaching to the chins, so that their heads areraised up.

Allh (subnahu wa tala) says, We have placed around their necks aghlla. Aghllischains. Allh is saying He has placed chains around their necks. It is as if their neckshave chains and those chains force their chins to go upwards.

They are muqman. This is a very interesting noun. It is used for camels after theydrink water. After a camel drinks water, it raises its head backwards a few times. This

raising of the head backwards is muqman. Allh uses a noun typically associated withcamels. There is a derogatory notion intended here. More importantly, Allh is sayingtheir necks are jutting upwards and their faces are pointing upwards, which symbolizesarrogance. They arent even looking at the truth. Their faces are jutting upwards.

And We have put a barrier before them, and a barrier behind them, and We have covered themup, so that they cannot see.

Allh says, We have put a barrier in front of them and behind them, and we havecovered up their eyes so they dont even see. In other words, total immobility. Theycant see, look, or move. These are metaphorical aghll. In this world it ismetaphorical. In this world they are so arrogant and notsubmissive to the truth thateven if the truth is looking at them in the face, they wont look at it. Allh criticizesthem for their sheer arrogance and lack of desire to follow the truth.

The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) was feeling somewhat let down because they

werent responding and werent becoming better. He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam)blamed himself. Allh consoled him in dozens of verses. Naturally if any one of us hasa project and it doesnt turn out well, we feel bad. In this case, the Prophet (allallhualayhi wa sallam) is being told it isnt his fault but it is their fault. Theiris in front ofthem. They are immobile and dont move at all. Their eyes are covered up and theydont even look at their. It doesnt matter how loud you call or how clear theiris,they are not going to move.


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

It doesnt matter what you do, they are not going to believe.

We find a deep and profound concept of qadar: No doubt, Allhs Qadaris operative andeffective. Allhs Qadarhas a ikmah, and when they showed such arrogance, Allh saysthey will not be guided.

In the next yah: You will be able to warn those who follow the guidance and fear theRamnin privacy; for this one, give him glad tidings and news of forgiveness.

You can only warn him who follows the Reminder, and fears the Most Gracious unseen. Bear youto such one the glad tidings of forgiveness, and a generous reward.For the one who fears Allh in privacy, he can be guided. Everything is with Qadar, butAllhs Qadar is also based on wisdom and what you do. If you deserve to be guided,then you will be guided. When you display humility and taqwa, you will be guided.Allh explicitly says that because they are arrogant, you cannot guide them.

Everything is with qadar, but at the same time, qadar does not make us into robots.Qadaris not unjust. Qadaris just and has a wisdom.

Allh mentions two characteristics for guidance. Who follows the dhikr.1. He wants the truth. We firmly believe that if anyone wants to be guided, he will

be guided if he is sincere.2. When people arent looking at him and he still acts in a good manner and

maintains taqwa, this is the one who can be guided.Of the main characteristics of the muminis his private conduct. When you are good insuch a state, it demonstrates your mnand means Allh will guide you.

Give him good news. Maghfirah and ajrin karm. The linkage of forgiveness andgenerous reward is a very common theme of the Qurn. The reason this is the case isthat there is no reward without forgiveness. We cannot earn Jannahwithout first beingforgiven. Until Allh forgives, there will be no reward. Before there is a generousreward, there has to be forgiveness.


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Our sins are too much. Allh says, If Allh were to give you what you deserve, then nota single person would be left on this earth. The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam)said, None amongst you will enterJannahbecause of his actions. They said, Not evenyou, O Messenger of Allh? He said, Not even me unless Allh envelops me in HisMercy. You have to be forgiven and then the reward will come. The amount of good

we do will never live up to the rewards ofJannah.

Verily, We give life to the dead, and We record that which they send before (them), and theirtraces and all things We have recorded with numbers in imm mubn (a clear Book).

We will resurrect the dead.

What is the relevance of resurrecting the dead here? Allh is saying that this is not theend. There will be a life after this life.

...and We are writing down all that they sent forward, so much so that even theirfootsteps will be recorded

The first meaning: We write down what they have sent forward and the legacies theyleft behind. thr also means legacy. The legacy is physical and spiritual. What

buildings did you leave behind? What effects did you leave behind? Your children andwhat you teach others are your thr. The charity and praying and fasting are not seen.

The second meaning: The adth of Banu Salamah. Stay where you are and yourfootsteps will be recorded. The second meaning is that everything is recorded, evenevery footstep. Ibn Abbs said, If Allh were to have ignored anything, he would haveignored our footsteps because even the wind gets rid of it.

And everything We have recorded. The word shay in Arabic is the broadest nounpossible because it means everything. Allh says kulla to emphasize. The verbaaynhu: Aa isnt just to write down. The English translation is to meticulously

record and to record with precision. The department of accounting is iyiyyt.

imm mubn This is al-Lawl-Maf. Why is the book called imm? The word imm comes fromumm, which means origin and that which you take as your role model or guide.From this, imm becomes the one you take as your guide because he leads you in alh.The word imm is used because it is as if we have the chart in front of us for our whole


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life. The imm is in front of us and we follow along as the imm goes. It is mubn(clear) to those who have access to it (i.e. the angels).

Benefits ofBenefits ofBenefits ofBenefits ofyahsyahsyahsyahs1111----12121212

- Allh (subnahu wa tala) is emphasizing the prophethood of our Prophet(allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and through him as well the ir he is upon and theQurn revealed to him.

- One of the main themes of this srah is resurrection. Just like the bodies will beresurrected, so too will the deeds be resurrected. Their lives and their lifestyleswill both be resurrected. Physically they are resurrected and what they have donewill be resurrected.

- The emphasis on the meticulousness of recording is given. Even the footsteps arerecorded. Nothing is ignored by Allh (subnahu wa tala).

yahsyahsyahsyahs13131313----27272727: The Story of the People: The Story of the People: The Story of the People: The Story of the People

And put forward to them a similitude; the Dwellers of the Town, when there came Messengers tothem.

And give them the mathalMathal is a parable or example. It can be symbolic or real. The kalmah ayyibah is

symbolic. Here, this is an actual story that took place.

The people of Makkah are being told: If you are not going to learn from the Qurn andProphet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam), then learn from the histories of the people beforeyou.

Tell them the story of the people of the town / village.Almost all mufasirn say that this village is Antioch, which is a very famous city thatused to be in ancient Shm or Syria under the Roman Empire. Today it is in the bordersof modern Turkey. The reference here was to the followers of Jesus Christ going to thecity of Antioch and preaching the message of Jesus Christ. Antioch was one of the first

cities where Christianity spread and where one of the first churches was built. It was amain place where Jews resided. The early Jewish missionaries went there becausethere were a lot of Jews.

Note: In the New Testament there is an equivalent of this story, which has similaritiesand differences. We will not discuss this comparison.

when the mursalncame to them.


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If we interpret this to be Antioch, then these messengers are not prophets (do not havea capital M). They were sent by Jesus Christ either directly or he said generically topreach to the other Jews. They were sent with the message of sa b. Maryam. This wasunder the Roman Empire. The majority of people under the Roman Empire werepagans. Pre-Constantine, Christianity was a religion of the peasants and the poor.

Post-Constantine, it became the religion of the state and of the elite and of the politicalbloc. He officialized the trinity and books of the Bible and what we have now. Headopted Pauls version as the official one.

Give to them the story of the people of Antioch

Here, mursaldoesnt mean prophet but means the daiys.

When We sent to them two Messengers, they denied them both; so We reinforced them with athird, and they said: Verily, we have been sent to you as Messengers.

We initially sent to them two. They rejected them, and so we strengthened them witha third. They said, We have been sent to you.

The Jews were the majority and the Christians were a minority. The pagans of Rome

were secondary, meaning they werent targeted for dawah, but if someone came toconvert, they would be accepted. There are references that people who were non-Jewsconverted with sa. One of the tactics of the Jews was that when they got irritated withone of their own, they did not have the government. They would have to call up theRomans to complain about someone in their own ranks. According to the NewTestament, this is what they did with sa b. Maryam and falsely accused him ofclaiming to be king. They accused him of challenging Caesar. They went to PontiusPilot who put him on trial. It was of their tactics to complain to the dominant power.

This is what they did with these three. They brought in the Romans and concocted liesand caused trouble.

They said: You are only human beings like us, and the Most Gracious has revealed nothing. Youare only telling lies.


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They said, You are only human beings, andAl-Ramnhas not revealed anything. Youare only telling lies.

Each of these things the Quraysh said as well to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam).

Notice that they use the Name Al-Ramn. This gives credence to the fact that theywere Jews. In the aqdahof the Jews to this day, they cannot utter the primary Name ofAllh. They call Him by other Names. Al-Ramn was also not something the paganswould call Allh. There is an indication to the Quraysh that even others recognizedAllh asAl-Ramnwhile they denied this Name.

These are the standard claims that every prophet has faced. Allh says, Of course wesent prophets to be humans. If we sent angels, you would have complained that theywere not human and would not follow them. Allh knows it is wiser to send a human.These excuses are the excuses of the Quraysh.

The Messengers said: Our Lord knows that we have been sent as messengers to you,

They said, Our Lord knows (even if you reject us) that we have been sent to you.

This emphasizes a key point for those giving dawah. When we face ridicule andpersecution and hardships, we console ourselves by turning to Allh. Allh knows weare on the truth and preaching the truth. When you are surrounded by ridicule andpersecution, turn to Allh and console yourself.

The lm here is the lmof emphasis.

And our duty is only to convey plainly.

We have been sent to you and our duty is only to preach to you.

The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) is also being told to seek refuge in Allh.


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They (people) said: For us, we see an evil omen from you; if you cease not, we will surely stoneyou, and a painful torment will touch you from us.

When they run out of arguments, they resort to illogical and superstitious arguments.

The Jews rejected sa because over the course of the previous centuries, they hadtransmutated the concept of the Messiah and made him into a superhuman and into aking who would fight against the Romans and establish a kingdom like that of David. Intheir texts, the Messiah is a reformer and spiritual person. The Jews wanted power.They made the Messiah into a person who will bring them back the power. sa is aspiritual reformer and spiritual healer and not a political activist, so they rejected him.

Later, when the Dajjlcomes with one eye and has a lot of power, they will accept himas the Messiah.

They said, We have considered or found you to be bad luck / an evil omen

It is said there was a bad drought that year and they blamed these three. By this yah,it is clear we are talking about a mixture of Romans and Jews. The Romans say that it isbecause of their agitation that they had not had rain that year.

Taayyarcomes from the same noun as a bird (ir) because the Arabs would have birdsas omens. The word for omens comes from the same word as bird. The Romans aresaying that these people are bad luck. We firmly believe that there is no such thing asbad luck and there is no such thing as bad omens and this is a type of shirkbecause youare ascribing powers to other than Allh.

They said, If you dont get out of here, we will stone you a severe punishment.

This shows that it was not just Jews but also Romans present because the Jews could notpunish without the Romans. The Romans were pagans. They are surrounded by theRomans and were taunted and ridiculed.

They (Messengers) said: Your evil omens be with you! Because you are admonished. Nay, butyou are a people mischievous.

They said, Your omens are with youThis has two meanings:


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1) There is no such thing as omens, and your omens are with you mentally. Youare just inventing the omens, and they are a figment of your imagination.

2) Rather, you are the source of your bad luck, and not us. You have been deprivedof rain because of your own actions and not because of us.

Ain dhukkirtum is the first part of the sentence. When you are reminded. Meaning:Is this your response when you are reminded? Rather, you are a people who havegone beyond bounds.

It is the standard nature of evil to combat truth with brute and might and power. Thisis what happened with Firawn and Msa. Eventually Firawn said that if Msa didntstop, then he would throw him in jail. You cannot stop the truth with logic and reason.

By this time, we get the impression they have been surrounded by the Romans and Jewsand the news has spread across the city that they have been surrounded.

And there came a man running from the farthest part of the town. He said, O mypeople! Obey the Messengers.

A man comes from the very furthest part of the town running. He said, O my people,follow these messengers.

This shows that no matter where you are, you will get help if you are upon the truth.Help will come from the most unexpected places. They were at the center of the town.

One of the benefits of this yah is the fact that Allh (subnahu wa tala) has alwayswritten that the truth shall be aided. Anyone calling for the truth will be helped fromsources they dont expect. The purpose of emphasizing that he came from the farthestportion of the city is to mention that no matter where a person is, help will come. He isrunning as he comes to the city center.

Some have pointed out that there is another wisdom: the person coming from thefarthest portion of the city is generally speaking not from the elite. In those days, the

elite lived in the center of the city. This person was not of the elite, which is why theycould kill him. This man is coming to help them.

He says, O my people, why dont you obey these messengers? Then he gives twological reasons and two characteristics that would generally imply a person is sincereand worthy of being followed.


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Obey those who ask no wages of you, and who are rightly guided.

He doesnt ask money from you, so he himself is sincere. One of the biggest signs ofsincerity is not asking for any reward. This describes the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa

sallam).

He (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) has no gain to be preaching with the Quraysh and iscoming with the message of guidance, so why shouldnt you follow him.

And why should I not worship Him Who has created me and to Whom you shall bereturned.

This response indicates that they were questioning him. This man is a Roman. Theyget angry at him and because he is one of their own, they can get away with him whatthey cannot with other people. Rome was a provincial government and each provinceruled itself. If the three messengers were killed, it would create a problem, but this is aRoman from Antioch, so they have more control over him and it will not cause ascandal.

Notice that he links his acceptance of Islam and of sas message with the reality ofAllh (subnahu wa tala) being the beginning and the end.

Also, notice an interesting nuance: Allh created me, and you shall return to him.There is a shift in pronoun.

Shall I take besides Him gods? If the Most Gracious intends me any harm, their intercession willbe of no use for me whatsoever, nor can they save me.

He is a convert from paganism. He attacks their idols and says, Do you really think it iswise for me to take any god besides Allh to worship? IfAl-Ramnwanted to harm me,their intercession would not be of any benefit, nor could they save me.


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This is a rhetorical question, and it is second one he is asking. A rhetorical question isasked when the answer is already known. Both questions are directed towards thepagans but he uses himself as the object. He does not use you.

Benefits:

- This is the religion of the Quraysh, and the Quraysh would turn to their idols forintercession. This Roman convert says it doesnt make sense to worship a beingwho couldnt save him.

- He calls Allh Al-Ramn. There is an indication that when this Name is used andpunishment comes after, it is as if Al-Ramnwould never punish if you believe inhim. He is too merciful. Al-Ramnwill never punish you for any reason other thanyou yourself rejecting Him or earning that punishment.

Then verily, I should be in plain error.

I would be foolish to worship these gods.

Verily, I have believed in your Lord, so listen to me!

Notice: he changes tenses. Your Lord. Notice that this is one of the most importantmorals: when you give dawah, never criticize your peoples culture or religion directly.

Take the criticism yourself and give the good to them. Notice how he gives dawah.He doesnt challenge them. He says, I would be the fool. The real fool is them, but heis not going to say you are fools. He takes the blame. He says, It would be my fault.I would be the one to be foolish. Then he says, It is your God as well.

Allh created me. You will also return to him. He uses the first person because theydidnt believe that Allh created them. Notice his wisdom in preaching to his peoplethat he takes the criticism of his peoples theology on himself. He does not directlycriticize his peoples theology. He indirectly criticizes in a wise manner.

When we make dawah, be careful about not insulting others. We need to criticize, nodoubt, but it needs to be in a manner of not criticizing the ones were giving dawahto.

It was said: Enter Paradise. He said: Would that my people knew.


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This means they killed him. Allh does not mention they killed him, but it is inferred.Scholars say he died a brutal death because the mob beat him up. They killed him bybeating him to death. Notice that the three messengers of sa were surrounded butneeded to be saved to go forward to other cities. When they were threatened, a fellowRoman comes forth and diverts their anger onto him. The help came.

In their anger, the mob fell on the Roman and they knew no trouble would comebecause he was a fellow Roman from Antioch. Allh saved the three by making thisman a martyr. Instantaneously, it was said to him, EnterJannah.

The death is not described and is not mentioned. This is eloquence in the Qurn.Remember the context of the verse. Do you think there is any sense in telling theQuraysh that the messenger was killed? No. They would gloat and it may give themideas, which is not part of the message they need to get.

When we read the story, we can connect the dots and benefit. We understand he died a

martyrs death. This is not pertinent to the Quraysh and they did not need to hear it.Allh tells us without telling them.

The only person who enters Jannahat the time of death is theshahd . All the rest of ushave to wait until after qiymah. The shahd enters in the body of a green bird. The

shahd enters but doesnt quite live in Jannah. He lives in Jannah meaning that he isflying around and breathing the air of Jannah, but he is not living the life because he isnot in his body.

That my Lord (Allh) has forgiven me, and made me of the honoured ones!

Forgiveness and reward have once again been combined. If you pay attention, you willsee this many times in the Qurn. You have to be forgiven before you earn yourreward.


- What are some of the main differences in style from the New Testament? Thedetails. The Bible gives so many details that you lose the plot. The moral of the

story becomes almost couched in all of the names and genealogies. What ismentioned in the Qurn is anything relating to the morals of the story. This is oneof the fundamental differences between the Qurn and Bible: the Qurn only tellsyou what you need to know.

What is relevant is the fact that the people came and preached and the man cameand was a martyr.


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- The Qurn uses multiple ways of giving dawah. Stories are one of the main ways ofgiving dawah in the Qurn. There are also enticements and rewards and directthreats and natural yt. We have to realize that giving dawahis a long process andwe have to try different avenues.

The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) spent 23 years of giving dawah, the bulk ofthe people only converted at the conquest. So what about the rest of us? There arevarieties and different ways of giving dawah.

- We benefit from his style of dawah. When he speaks about the follies of idolworship, he ascribes it to himself if he were to be on their methodology. This is aninteresting way of doing it. He criticizes the concept if he were to follow it. This isvery ingenious. Look at the beauty of how precise his words were and the impacton his people.

- We derive that the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) is being consoled with theseverses. Some tried before and were even killed, but he is to console himselfpsychologically that he is on the truth, and Allh knows he is telling the truth.

- It is of the tactics of those who oppose Islam to threaten it with force or withridiculous arguments. They cannot respond to the simple, logical, rationalarguments of Islam.

- Of the benefits: you put in the work, and you will find helpers. Once you show yourdedication, put your trust in Allh and you will be helped even from sources you didnot expect.

- One of the signs of the true teaching is the person is sincere and his message islogical and rational and full of guidance.

- The torture of the man is not mentioned, and we dont want the Makkans to gloator get ideas. The more gruesome or negative or harsh details are glossed over, andthe Qurn concentrates on the positive. The descriptions ofJannahare much morethan the descriptions ofJahannam. Concentrate on the good and overlook the bad.

This culture has done the exact opposite and concentrates on the negative and goesinto vivid detail on things, which is not good for the psyche. Hearing about thesetypes of things desensitizes you and makes your heart hard.

- One of the benefits: his sincerity for his people and how concerned he was forthem. Even after they killed him, his thoughts are on his people and he wanted tohelp his people. Ibn Abbs said, This was a man sincere to his people, alive anddead. Even when he died in this world, his heart was still attached to them and hewanted good for them. This shows us that you cannot preach Islam to others whenyou have no concern for them. If you dont care about your people, how are yougoing to preach Islam to them?


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If you dont really care about Islam or the people you are preaching to, you will notbe able to give dawah. This man loved his people so much that he even ignoredtheir murdering him, which is the height of forgiveness. This is how much love hehad for his own people. Indirectly, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and we

are being told that we need to have concern for our people. You need to have agenuine love and concern for others.

- The importance of overlooking foolishness from your own people. Forgive andforget and move on. The man forgave murder, and everything else is less than that.

This is the story of the three people. After this, Allh mentions the response of thosewho rejected.

yahsyahsyahsyahs 28282828----32: Woe to the Disbelievers32: Woe to the Disbelievers32: Woe to the Disbelievers32: Woe to the Disbelievers!!!!

The Quraysh are directly being addressed. The tone shifts now and we are going to talkabout a warning and a threat. It is the people of the Quraysh who are being addressed.The Quraysh are being given a direct threat.

And We sent not against his people after him an army from the heaven, nor was it needfulfor Us to send (such a thing).

We didnt send upon the people of Antioch after him

This yah clearly indicates that the man is not there, which is the beauty. This goesover the head of the Quraysh, but every Muslim who ponders it will realize this manwas killed.

We did not send any army from the heavens, nor would We do so.

Sometimes Allh did, but not usually. Most of the time the cities are not destroyed in amelodramatic fashion.

It was but one ayah and lo! They (all) were still.


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ayah means a shout, but in this it refers to the blowing of the trumpet. Khmidnis avery beautiful verb. Khamada is the verb referring to the last bit of the candle as it isextinguished. Allh is saying that all that is needed is one ayahand all of a suddenthey will be khmidnand extinguished.

What is this a reference for? Some have said that this is a reference to the possibility ofAllh punishing them, and all that needs to be done is one shout. Allh doesnt need tosend an army from the heavens. This is problematic in that there was no destruction ofAntioch. Antioch was not destroyed. This has led another group to say that it wasntAntioch but it was another city. Allhu alam.

Some scholars have said that the three people sent were actual prophets of Allh.Others object and say that never have three prophets ever been sent to the samepeople, and the generalsunnahis one prophet or messenger for any ummah. Once in awhile there will be two, such as Allh gifting Msa Hrn because he wanted support.In Shaykh Yasirs humble opinion, it makes sense that it was Antioch, and the New

Testament mentions the same. There is no problem reading their stories. It makessense that three daiyswere sent.

The only problematic issue: what does it mean that there was oneayah and they areall killed when Antioch is still there? The response is:

1) Allh is saying, If I wanted to destroy, then all I needed to do was one shout.2) This is a reference to Yawml-Qiymah.

Alas for mankind! There never came a Messenger to them but they used to mock at him.

Yaasrah: alas, regret. It expresses remorse.

Who is saying this? Some scholars say this is the creation itself expressing remorse atmankind. Others say it is the angels expressing remorse at mankind. Do these objectshave consciousness? We respond that Islamically yes, they do have a consciousnessdifferently than ours. Perhaps they dont have the type of consciousness we have, butevery creation has some type of consciousness and recognition. Even the creation isexpressing its pity for mankind that never does a messenger come except that theymock him.

asrah is the strongest type of pity / remorse. It comes from the verb asrah. asrmeans to become tired. The word asrah is like as if your heart has become tired ofgrieving. It is an extreme form of sadness.


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Never is any prophet sent except they reject and do not believe.

If this is from the creation or the angels, there is an added eloquence that even theother creations of Allh see our foolishness and stupidity and arrogance in rejectingwhat is so obvious. It is as if we are the only obstinate creation left and the other

creation feels pity for us. If Allh expresses this Himself, He could change the situationin any way He wants, so it makes more sense for the creation to express it. Allh knowsbest.

The term asrahmeans extreme regret and remorse, and Allh (subnahu wa tala) isnot characterized with asrah. It is not of the if of Allh; therefore, it cannot becoming from Allh; therefore, it is coming from the creation or angels or both.

Do they not see how many of the generations We have destroyed before them? Verily, they willnot return to them.

If they dont learn from prophets, then let them learn from history. they will notreturn to them means that every nation rises and falls and every nation has its time toshine. Allh is saying to look in the past and see where those nations are now.

It is saying to the Quraysh: Look at your glory now and how long will it last? Can youresurrect the glory of previous nations?

And surely, all every one of them will be brought before Us.The emphasis here: they will be gathered simultaneously in front of Allh.


- Actual punishment is not mentioned for the people of Antioch. Just because thedestruction doesnt come, the Quraysh shouldnt think they are right. Allh issaying that they were not the first nation and previous nations did worse but ifAllh wanted to, He could destroy them as He could destroy them.

- Allh wants us to learn from history. We as Muslims should make it a point to learnfrom history. There is a book The Rise and Fall of Nations discusses why nationsrise and fall. History always repeats itself. The exact same issues come and people


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react in the exact same ways. When every nation reaches its pinnacle, it doesntlearn from the past. Perhaps the greatest civilizations were the Roman civilizationof antiquity and England 150-200 years ago. Allh is saying to learn from history.

This applies to all of us. We make the same mistakes. Therefore, one of the

interesting points of this yahis that Allh is encouraging us to benefit from socialsciences and history and anthropology and sociology. We as Muslims can learn a lotfrom these sciences.

- There is no return to this world. Every one of us is giving one chance. Even if youtry to bring them back you would not be able to do so.

- Man is in such a pitiful state that even the creation and the angels show pity on us.How foolish is man. Wont they get the point and wont they believe? The Qurnmentions in multiple verses their amazement of people entering Jahannam. InSratl-Mulk, the angels say, Didnt any warner come to you? The angels dont

understand how foolish we are. Our stupidity is beyond them.

yahsyahsyahsyahs 33333333----44444444: Proofs that: Proofs that: Proofs that: Proofs that AAAAllllllllhhhh hashashashas GGGGiven to Resurrect the Deadiven to Resurrect the Deadiven to Resurrect the Deadiven to Resurrect the Dead

Allh mentions three proofs, three yahs. Allh has hinted in the previous verse thatHe can bring them all back simultaneously.

1. Dead land2. Night and the day3. Issue of the ship

And a sign for them is the dead land. We give it life, and We bring forth from it grains, so thatthey eat thereof.

The word yahindicates a sign. It is something that signifies something else. It is like aflag. A flag is sometimes called an yah. It is something that leads to something else,

which is why yah has been translated as miracle. It is supposed to make you thinkabout another fact. It is a point to observe / ponder over. Allh is saying, If they cantbelieve I can resurrect the dead, let me show them the reality.

Look at the dead land and how We bring it back to life. We bring from it grains andfruits that they can eat from. This element of bringing the dead land back to life is notsomething many of us know. It is not a natural phenomenon for us. We plantevergreens and barely leave the city.


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For those living in Arabia and other lands, the world literally seems dead. The plainsare all sandy and it rains and pours once every one or two years and then it seems like adifferent world. The sand dunes become luscious green and vegetation comes out.

We rarely see this phenomenon, especially in this part of the world. We know for a factthat Allh can use the land that cannot be harvested or planted. The One who can dothat can bring you back from the dead. Not only does Allh cause it to produce fruitand grain, but you eat from this fruit and grain.

And We have made therein gardens of date palms and grapes, and We have caused springs ofwater to gush forth therein.

Grapes and dates are two of the most common fruits mentioned in the Qurn. Societiesthat grow these always cherish them. To this day, we know that dates have a lot ofnourishment and glucose in them. Grapes are those fruits we all enjoy to eat. Allh(subnahu wa tala) mentions these two.

So that they may eat of the fruit thereof and their hands made it not. Will they not then give

thanks?

Allh is saying that your hands did do something, but where did the raw material (land,water, grain, seeds) come from? You planted and irrigated, but where did the rest ofthe material come from?

The two main meanings of ma are negation and that which. Which one isreferenced in the verse? The majority say, and that which their hands have done. Itis also completely valid theologically and linguistically to translate it as: and theirhands have not done this because Allh is saying you could not bring it about.

Glory be to Him Who has created all the pairs of that which the earth produces, as well as of theirown kind, and of that which they know not.


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Subna is the complementary opposite of al-amdu. These go hand in hand, and youwont understand one without the other. Al-amdu means to praise Allh for theperfection He possesses. Subna means to glorify Allh for the imperfections that Hedoes not possess. Al-amdu: you affirm the positives. Subna: you negate the

negatives.Why wont they thank Me? Allh is exalted above those idols. When they ascribe toAllh a son, Allh says, Subnahu When Allh needs to negate a negative, He sayssubna. Generally speaking, subna is used in the concept of idols andshirk.

Allh (subnahu wa tala) is talking about the miracle of creation and the miracle oflife and the fact that all of us are in pairs. Allh created all types of pairs. In otherverses, He says that He created everything in pairs.

Some people may say bacteria and amoebas dont have pairs. The response: it is agenerality of the majority position. This is the way things are. It doesnt mean that

there isnt a single exception. Some people are trying to be a little too literalistic.There is no problem in saying Allh has created everything in pairs because this is thegeneral rule.

There are certain ways to emphasize generality. Negating an affirmation shows 100%exclusivity.

If Allh had wanted, all of creation would be one gender. Plants are also of two genders.

And a sign for them is the night. We withdraw there from the day, and behold, they are indarkness.

Allh is saying one of the signs they should think about is the night. We peel away theday until they are left in darkness. This is a very beautiful verse, and it has been usedto talk about the scientific miracles of the Qurn. YQs position: in our times we haveexaggerated the usage of scientific miracles of the Qurn, but there is an element oftruth to it. What is amazing about the Qurn scientifically is not the details it gives butwhatever it says, the words that it uses are very precise. Of those words is naslakh.This is not a word associated with night and day. What immediately comes to mind

from this verb is the peeling of the skin of a dead animal.

When you skin an animal, you literally put your hand in and start peeling the skin back.This issalakha. Why is this so precise? Allh is saying that He peels away the layers oneafter the other. If you look at the sun setting, every degree the sun goes down anotherlayer goes away. The brightness of the light diminishes. When everything has beenpeeled away, darkness is left. It is not the details given but the accuracy. It is soaccurate.


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And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed). That is the decree of the Almighty,

the All-Knowing.

The sun is moving quickly to its appointed place. This is the apportioned time.

We learn that the sun is moving. When the Qurn came down, the bulk of mankindbelieved that either the earth was stationary or the sun was stationary. The Qurnreferences the earth moving and the sun moving. There was no astronomical model atthe time that posited the sun moving and the moon moving and the earth moving. Thisis something that has only occurred in the last 150 years. The notion of celestial objectsmoving was known after the Qurn was revealed.

Allh specifically says the sun is moving, and for the longest time the predominantmodel was from Copernicus, which is the sun is stationary and we are moving aroundthe sun. The reality is something so mind-boggling. Only experts in astronomy canreally understand this. The sun is itself going in its orbit, and the sun is hurtlingthrough space and the earth is going around the sun as it is moving. The earth is notjust going in one elliptical orbit. The earth is catching up with the sun as the sun isgoing that fast. Allh is indicating this phenomenon to the Arabs and they wouldunderstand it at their level, and for us it is even more mind-boggling.

Only someone full of Power and Knowledge can do this.

And the moon, We have decreed for it stages, till it returns like the old dried curved date stalk.

The manzilof the moon are very specific. There are 28 in number. On the 29thnightwe look to see if we can see it. Urjn is the stalk that you pluck the dates from. Onceyou have plucked the dates from the date palm, the fiber becomes useless and itbecomes yellow and shrivels up and semicircular and very frail and thin. Allhdescribes the moon exactly like something they witness around them: frail, thin,semicircular, yellowish in color.

The moon comes back until finally the first day it returns like the frail, flimsy, yellowsemicircular date palm.


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It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day

Falak is an arch. The modern Arabs call an orbit afalak.

Allh is describing the precision of the sun and moon put together and the earththrown into the mix. The precision could not emanate except from a being so powerfulthat He can also bring the dead back to life. We understand the mechanisms but dontunderstand why and how. How do these massive objects come to be and how are theyin sync and harmony?

The One who has control over all of these objects can also resurrect the dead. We bringabout our time from them. We dont time them, but rather, our time is taken fromtheir motion. Our months and years and time cycles are from these objects. We have itdown to milliseconds.

Allh is asking: Who made these massive objects in such synchronization and suchharmony that neither will the sun crash into the moon or any change? It can onlycome fromAl-AzzAl-Almand therefore He can resurrect the dead as well.

The word mustaqar has one of two meanings:1) In classical Arabic, it usually meant the place of rest.

In this interpretation, it is as if the sun goes and rests in a place and then comesback and does its job again. This is the interpretation of most classicalinterpreters because they didnt have the concept of the entire solar cycle.

2) The other meaning: according to its schedule.Everything is in its exact time and Allh has a schedule. There is a adththatseems to indicate the first meaning. In Bukhri and Muslim: The Prophet(allallhu alayhi wa sallam) asked Abu Dharr al-Ghifri: Do you know that thesun sets? He said, Allh and His Messenger know best. The Prophet(allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, The sun goes until it prostrates under theThrone of Allh, and then it asks permission from Allh to come back up. [in

one version: Every day Allh will give the sun permission to go back, but oneday the sun will be told to go from the same direction it came].

Those who try to bring doubts in the Qurn and Sunnah cast doubts in thisadth, but Ibn Taymiyyah says: Why is this problematic? Thesajdahof the sunis relative to the sun just like the sajdah of the creation is relative to thecreation.


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And an yah for them is that We bore their offspring in the laden ship.

Interpretations of this yah:1) The ship is a reference to N, and Allh is saying, We carried their children

(meaning the children of mankind), and the ship was laden (meaning with theother animals).

2) We carried them (the Quraysh) and their children (the Qurayshs children)with laden goods.

Both interpretations are valid. The first interpretation is talking about a previousmiracle and the second is talking about a modern miracle.

And We have created for them of the like thereunto, on which they ride.

Allh is saying, Thank Me for every mode of travel that you have. Allh gifted theconstruction of the ship to N. If Allh had not taught N how to build a ship, wewould never have discovered it.

Allh has given other kinds of vehicles, which include those that are natural (such ascamels and horses), and cars and trains. We should thank Allh for these.

We also believe that Allh has directly taught us many of the sciences and with otherknowledge He has given it to us indirectly. For example, Allh taught dam how tospeak. Also, building ships, writing with pens, communication, how to write oursyllables and sounds so that anyone in the world can get a piece of paper and hear ourthoughts and ideas expressed. Allh says, I taught The Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa

sallam) said the very first person to write was Idrs. Allh taught Idrs how to use a pen.Allh taught Dwd how to make iron malleable. Allh is saying these are blessings Hehas given us.

Just because we now understand the dynamic, it shouldnt take away from the miracle.Some ships carry more than a small city. We see it and are used to it, but think about it!A small pebble will sink in water.

And if We will, We shall drown them, and there will be no shout for them, nor will they be saved.

arkh means a shout. Here, it applies to help. When you need help, you shout out.The Arabs called the response to the shoutarkhalso.


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Unless it be a mercy from Us, and as an enjoyment for a while.

Mat means to enjoy. It is mat for a time being. This means that Allh has allowedthem to enjoy the blessings. It is a direct blessing.

BeBeBeBenefitsnefitsnefitsnefits ofofofof yahsyahsyahsyahs 33333333----44444444

- The prophets of Allh are calling people to believe in Allh, yet there are signs sopowerful that you dont even needs prophets. These signs testify to the power ofAllh directly. Indirectly, they testify that Allh is so powerful that He canresurrect the dead.

- We also learn the blessings of being in pairs. Each one has strengths andweaknesses.

- The perfection of how Allh (subnahu wa tala) describes the night as being theabsence of the day. The night is the stripping away of the day. This is very precisescientifically. The sun envelops us in layers of light. When all the layers are gone,we are immersed in darkness.

- The sun itself has been explicitly described as moving. The moon is moving. Themoon has manzil and a specific schedule. We have now calculated the scheduledown to a millisecond. Think about the size of these objects.

- Allh says that we did do something when planting, but Allh is saying that wecould not do it without what He has given us. You can do nothing without Allhsdirect help. We need something that Allh has created and then we change it. Wecannot create from nothing. Only Allh creates from nothing. The shams, qamar,andfulkare mentioned in Sratl-Ramn.

- Even though we can understand the laws of nature, they have been put by Allh(subnahu wa tala). It is Allh (subnahu wa tala) who has explicitly told us thatit is so because He has made it so. If Allh had willed, it would not be so. Forexample, Allh

Tafsīr Sūrat’L-Raḥmān and Ya Sīn (Denial) (Hosna)

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