وَأَنِ ٱعْبُدُونِى ۚ هَـٰذَا صِرَٰطٌۭ مُّسْتَقِيمٌۭ ٦١
“but to worship Me alone? This is the Straight Path.” (36:61)
وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنكُمْ جِبِلًّۭا كَثِيرًا ۖ أَفَلَمْ تَكُونُوا۟ تَعْقِلُونَ ٦٢
“Yet he already misled great multitudes of you. Did you not have any sense?” (36:62)
Allah wants the believer to understand that the huge war is between them and Shaytaan. Shaytaan is on a war path for us to worship him, and tricks us into doing this in various ways; our everyday lives included, through social media as a single example.
We have to be active in our understanding that Shaytaan is causing mischief in our homes, causing conflicts. His derailing is constant and active.
هَـٰذِهِۦ جَهَنَّمُ ٱلَّتِى كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ ٦٣
“This is the Hell you were warned of.” (36:63)
ٱصْلَوْهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ ٦٤
“Burn in it Today for your disbelief.” (36:64)
At this juncture, one must make the Du’a to be accepting of the Hidayah Allah gives us.
وَلَوْ نَشَآءُ لَطَمَسْنَا عَلَىٰٓ أَعْيُنِهِمْ فَٱسْتَبَقُوا۟ ٱلصِّرَٰطَ فَأَنَّىٰ يُبْصِرُونَ ٦٦
“Had He willed, We could have easily blinded their eyes, so they would struggle to find their way. How then could they see?” (36:66)
Here, Allah is not speaking about a physical vision, but seeing with spirituality, and the return to Him.
وَمَن نُّعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِى ٱلْخَلْقِ ۖ أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ ٦٨
“And whoever We grant a long life, We reverse them in development. Will they not then understand?” (36:68)
In this Ayah is breaking of the illusion of the strength we think we have, versus the limited time we have in this world and our aging bodies.
Here, Shaytaan does two main things:
These are attacks of Shaytaan. For there is no such thing as being too young or old to prepare for the Aakhirah. As we delay this process, time moves away. Shaytaan seeks to deplete us from our source, Who is Allah.
Our egos get inflated with control, a sense of superiority, ownership, and the illusion of time. Shaytaan’s attacks make us think that we have everything, and that Allah doesn’t, drawing us even deeper into this illusion.
Aging and the decline of our faculties is not a sudden process. Allah now wants us to notice this illusion and to make changes in our lives.
Allah’s contract system is not like the ones that exist in this world. The most merciful and sublime Allah does not take everything from us at once; he allows these strengths to be taken back in installments, one by one. He paces them.
This is because once we get alerted and realise it is happening slowly, we begin to embark on our journey to the Aakhirah. This is a mercy from Allah to be grasped and utilised.
If we are not yet seeing these alerts, it is now the opportunity to change.
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَا لَهُم مِّمَّا عَمِلَتْ أَيْدِينَآ أَنْعَـٰمًۭا فَهُمْ لَهَا مَـٰلِكُونَ ٧١
“Do they not see that We singlehandedly created for them, among other things, cattle which are under their control?” (36:71)
Allah gives us the example of cattle here, but it applies to everything we have in our lives; businesses, families, and children, amongst many other things. The awareness we have to bring into our lives is that Allah created and bestowed us with these things.
We do not play a role in the creation of what we have, but only the temporary ownership of it. Oftentimes we fall into the illusory trap of thinking we truly own what we have, and through them, have control and achievement in our lives.
وَذَلَّلْنَـٰهَا لَهُمْ فَمِنْهَا رَكُوبُهُمْ وَمِنْهَا يَأْكُلُونَ ٧٢
“And We have subjected these animals to them, so they may ride some and eat others.” (36:72)
Yet everything only benefits us because Allah makes it so.
When we start to think we have that ownership over what we are given, here, Allah redirects that way of thinking.
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰهُ مِن نُّطْفَةٍۢ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ ٧٧
“Do people not see that We have created them from a sperm-drop, then–behold!–they openly challenge Us?” (36:77)
Allah wants us to stop and ponder the reality of who we are. He made us from a sperm drop; from nothing; and yet we become consumed in the illusions of this world.
وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلًۭا وَنَسِىَ خَلْقَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ مَن يُحْىِ ٱلْعِظَـٰمَ وَهِىَ رَمِيمٌۭ ٧٨
“And they argue with Us–forgetting they were created–saying, “Who will give life to decayed bones?”” (36:78)
أَوَلَيْسَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِقَـٰدِرٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُم ۚ بَلَىٰ وَهُوَ ٱلْخَلَّـٰقُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٨١
“Can the One Who created the heavens and the earth not easily resurrect these deniers?” Yes He can! For He is the Master Creator, All-Knowing.” (36:81)
This is the question we have to constantly bring ourselves back to. Is Allah not able to bring us back to life? Without a doubt, He will, for He is the best of creators.
إِنَّمَآ أَمْرُهُۥٓ إِذَآ أَرَادَ شَيْـًٔا أَن يَقُولَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ ٨٢
“All it takes, when He wills something to be, is simply to say to it: “Be!” And it is!” (36:82)
فَسُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِى بِيَدِهِۦ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ ٨٣
“So glory be to the One in Whose Hands is the authority over all things, and to Whom alone you will all be returned.” (36:83)
Allah’s creation is nothing like ours, for Allah’s command is instant. The word “Subhan” appears again here. Perfection, which is something we do not have, and is a quality only of Allah’s.
Surah Yaseen ends with the reminder that all is in control of Allah, and that with certainty, our return will be to Him. We wholly place our trust in Allah’s knowledge system, which is all-encompassing and perfect.
