An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Qur'an vol. 15

Surah Ya-Sin, Chapter 36

No. 36 (Revealed at Mecca)

83 verses in 5 Sections

The Feature of Surah Ya-Sin

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

This Surah has been revealed at Mecca. It contains eighty three verses and has been entitled by the name of its first verse, which is from the abbreviated letters, Ya-Sin.

The subjective points of this Surah are based on axis of beliefs. Teaching it to the children and gifting the reward of its recitation to the dead have been recommended.

This holy Surah begins with Allah’s testifying upon the prophethood of the Prophet of Islam (S) and it continues with the statement of the prophethood of three Divine prophets.

In a part of this Surah, some verses of the greatness of Allah in the world of existence as the sign of Unity have been pointed out. In another part of it, the matters concerning to Resurrection, questions and answers in the Court of Hereafter, and some specialties of Paradise and Hell are mentioned. In some Islamic narrations, this Surah has been introduced as ‘The heart of Qur’an’.

The Virtue of Surah Ya-Sin

According to numerous Islamic traditions which have been vastly received on this concern, Surah Ya-Sin is one of the most important Suras of the Qur’an, in a manner that it has been introduced in some traditions as ‘The Heart of the Qur’an’.

A tradition narrated from the Prophet of Islam (S) indicates he said:

“Everything has heart (centre) and Ya-Sin is the heart of the Qur’an.”[^1]

This very meaning has been narrated in a tradition from Imam Sadiq (as) who, at its end, adds:

“Whoever recites Surah Ya-Sin on a day before sun sets, during the whole day he will be protected and sustained (affluently); and whoever recites it at night before sleeping, one thousand angels will be for him to protect him from any accursed Satan and any impediment.”

And after it, he (as) mentions some other important virtues for it, too.^2

There are so many other Islamic traditions on this regard mentioned in the Sunnites and Shi‘ites books that if we want to reiterate them, it will be a long explanation. Thus, it must be confessed that there are few suras of the Qur’an which have so many virtues in them.

As we have said, these virtues are not for those who only recite the words of it and forget its meanings, but this greatness is for the sake of the magnificent content of this Surah.

The content of the Surah is awakening, faith-giving, giver of responsibility, and increaser of piety in man, in a manner that when a person contemplates in it and this contemplation reflects in his deeds, it brings the goodness of this world and the next for him.

[^1]: Majma‘-ul-Bayan, at the beginning of Surah Ya-Sin.