Surah Yaseen’s messages comes together in a certain way. This is so that as believers, we know how to tie this Surah, which we read everyday, into our daily lives.
It is meant to ground us everyday, for we are often bombarded by a hundred things happening all at once. But in Surah Yaseen is a stillness. It only becomes this way when one understands two important parts of the Surah:
In this world, where are we finding our points of rest, and what are we readying for?
Allah’s directive is to return us to our core; that we will return to Him. These inanimate creations have an obedience to Allah that is worth pondering over. This is a sign for us to understand that unlike the planets that are wholly subjugated to Allah, we move out of our own ‘orbits’.
وَءَايَةٌۭ لَّهُمْ أَنَّا حَمَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلْمَشْحُونِ ٤١
“Another sign for them is that We carried their ancestors with Noah in the full loaded Ark,” (36:41)
If we look deeper here, Allah is also alluding to airplanes. They move around the world like ships.
The purpose of the ship, the sun, the moon, and the stars is to understand that there are things in this world that we do not know. It ties into the theme that Allah’s control and knowledge of every aspect of life, creation, and events in this world supersedes ours.
وَخَلَقْنَا لَهُم مِّن مِّثْلِهِۦ مَا يَرْكَبُونَ ٤٢
“and created for them similar things to ride in.” (36:42)
The Qur’an is not specifically speaking about a mode of transport, but the human invention, which comes from Allah. Irrespective of what transport it may be, Allah is showing us how little we know and create if we do not know Who Allah is.
وَإِن نَّشَأْ نُغْرِقْهُمْ فَلَا صَرِيخَ لَهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنقَذُونَ ٤٣
“If We willed, We could drown them: then no one would respond to their cries, nor would they be rescued–” (36:43)
إِلَّا رَحْمَةًۭ مِّنَّا وَمَتَـٰعًا إِلَىٰ حِينٍۢ ٤٤
“except by mercy of Us, allowing them enjoyment for a little while.” (36:44)
Now, Allah is bringing forward another level of the control He has over us. The control we think we have is an illusion, for we are living under the will of Allah.
We go through our lives thinking that a certain amount of money or knowledge gives us this control. Yet no matter what we do, we do not have control of the outcomes of our actions and deeds; here is a detachment from that illusion of certainty.
To live with this understanding, we must beg Allah for the ability to never rely on ourselves. This illusion is a trick of Shaytaan.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَمَا خَلْفَكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ ٤٥
“Still they turn away when it is said to them, “Beware of what is ahead of you in the Hereafter and what is behind you of destroyed nations so you may be shown mercy.”” (36:45)
The crux of Surah Yaseen is the understanding of what is ahead of us: the Aakhirah.
Allah gives us signs all the time, and the disbelievers turn away from them. But as believers, we must actively seek out the signs of Allah; to find them so that we turn towards Allah, not turn away from Him.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ أَنفِقُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَنُطْعِمُ مَن لَّوْ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ أَطْعَمَهُۥٓ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ ٤٧
“And when it is said to them, “Donate from what Allah has provided for you,” the disbelievers say to the believers, “Why should we feed those whom Allah could have fed if He wanted to? You are clearly astray!”” (36:47)
Allah then moves from the signs of Allah to the spending for Allah. Those with wealth should spend for the Aakhirah, and those with knowledge, teach for the Aakhirah.
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَـٰذَا ٱلْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ ٤٨
“And they ask the believers, “When will this threat come to pass, if what you say is true?”” (36:48)
مَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا صَيْحَةًۭ وَٰحِدَةًۭ تَأْخُذُهُمْ وَهُمْ يَخِصِّمُونَ ٤٩
“They must be awaiting a single Blast, which will seize them while they are entrenched in worldly disputes.” (36:49)
فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ تَوْصِيَةًۭ وَلَآ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ٥٠
“Then they will not be able to make a last will, nor can they return to their own people.” (36:50)
وَنُفِخَ فِى ٱلصُّورِ فَإِذَا هُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَجْدَاثِ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَنسِلُونَ ٥١
“The Trumpet will be blown a second time, then–behold!–they will rush from the graves to their Lord.” (36:51)
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰوَيْلَنَا مَنۢ بَعَثَنَا مِن مَّرْقَدِنَا ۜ ۗ هَـٰذَا مَا وَعَدَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وَصَدَقَ ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ ٥٢
“They will cry, “Woe to us! Who has raised us up from our place of rest? This must be what the Most Compassionate warned us of; the messengers told the truth!”” (36:52)
At the moment when they come rushing out of their graves, they will regret.
Even though they were going through so much difficulty in the grave, Qiyamah’s difficulty will be even greater. And so Allah tells us everyday to not get lost in this world, but it is Shaytaan who promises us that we “have time”.
إِن كَانَتْ إِلَّا صَيْحَةًۭ وَٰحِدَةًۭ فَإِذَا هُمْ جَمِيعٌۭ لَّدَيْنَا مُحْضَرُونَ ٥٣
“It will only take one Blast, then at once they will all be brought before Us.” (36:53)
فَٱلْيَوْمَ لَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌۭ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ٥٤
“On that Day no soul will be wronged in the least, nor will you be rewarded except for what you used to do.” (36:54)
إِنَّ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ٱلْيَوْمَ فِى شُغُلٍۢ فَـٰكِهُونَ ٥٥
“Indeed, on that Day the residents of Paradise will be busy enjoying themselves.” (36:55)
هُمْ وَأَزْوَٰجُهُمْ فِى ظِلَـٰلٍ عَلَى ٱلْأَرَآئِكِ مُتَّكِـُٔونَ ٥٦
“They and their spouses will be in cool shade, reclining on canopied couches.” (36:56)
لَهُمْ فِيهَا فَـٰكِهَةٌۭ وَلَهُم مَّا يَدَّعُونَ ٥٧
“There they will have fruits and whatever they desire.” (36:57)
“سَلَـٰمٌۭ قَوْلًۭا مِّن رَّبٍّۢ رَّحِيمٍۢ ٥٨
“And “Peace!” will be their greeting from the Merciful Lord.” (36:58)
The people of Jannah will be enjoying themselves and will have neither worries nor stress.
In this world when others were enjoying themselves, the people who earned Jannah were preparing for it. The pain we go through today is because in Jannah, we will feel none of it. There is only comfort and joy in Jannah.
Allah speaks about the qualities of Jannah because they are great rewards for actions we have done that are not easy in His path.
We are trying so hard to become happy in our lives, and yet peace is only in the Aakhirah. The constant chipping away to do these acts is a building towards this Jannah. Every Surah, every Dhikr, every Salaah, is a building of it. Every moment should become an investment for our Aakhirah.
وَٱمْتَـٰزُوا۟ ٱلْيَوْمَ أَيُّهَا ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ ٥٩
“Then the disbelievers will be told, “Step away from the believers this day, O wicked ones!” (36:59)
There is a direct correlation between good deeds and the building of our Jannah. So reflect on the following questions:
