This Meccan sura emphasizes the divine source of the Quran and defends it from the charge of being poetry made by man (verses 5–6, 69–70). It warns of the fate of men who are stubborn and always mock God’s revelations. They are reminded of the punishment that befell earlier generations, and of God’s power as shown in His Creation. The end of the sura gives strong arguments for the reality of the Resurrection.
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
The Revelation of the Quran is a Warning to Humankind
1 Ya Sin
2 By the wise [a] Quran, 3 you [Muhammad] are truly one of the messengers sent 4 on a straight path, 5 with a revelation from the Almighty, the Lord of Mercy, 6 to warn a people whose forefathers were not warned, and so they are unaware. 7 The verdict has been passed against most of them, for they refuse to believe. 8 [It is as if] We had placed [iron] collars around their necks, right up to their chins so that their heads are forced up 9 and set barriers before and behind them, blocking their vision: they cannot see. 10 It is all the same to them whether you warn them or not: they will not believe. 11 You can warn only those who will follow the Quran and hold the Merciful One in awe, though they cannot see Him: give such people the glad news of forgiveness and a noble reward. 12 We shall certainly bring the dead back to life, and We record what they send ahead of them as well as what they leave behind: We keep an account of everything in a clear Record.
13 Give them the example of the people to whose town messengers came. 14 We sent two messengers but they rejected both. Then We reinforced them with a third. 15 They said, ‘Truly, we are messengers to you,’ 16 but they answered, ‘You are only men like ourselves. The Lord of Mercy has sent nothing; you are just lying.’ They said, ‘Our Lord knows that we have been sent to you. 17 Our duty is only to deliver the message to you,’ 18 but they answered, ‘We think you are an evil omen. If you do not stop, we shall stone you, and inflict a painful torment on you.’ 19 The messengers said, ‘The evil omen is within yourselves. Why do you take it as an evil omen when you are reminded of the Truth? You are going too far!’ 20 Then, from the furthest part of the city, a man came running. He said, ‘My people, follow the messengers. 21 Follow them: they are not asking you to reward them and they are rightly guided. 22 Why should I not worship the One who created me? It is to Him that you will be returned. 23 How could I take besides Him any other gods, whose intercession will not help me and who would not be able to save me if the Lord of Mercy wished to harm me. 24 Then I would clearly be in the wrong. 25 I believe in your Lord, so listen to me.’
26 He was told, ‘Enter the Garden,’ [b] so he said, ‘If only my people knew 27how my Lord has forgiven me and set me among the highly honored.’ 28After him We did not send any army from heaven against his people, nor were We about to: 29there was just one blast, and they fell down lifeless.
Those Who Deny the Resurrection Fail to See the Signs
30Alas for human beings! Whenever a messenger comes to them they ridicule him. 31Do they not see how many generations We have destroyed before them, none of whom will ever come back to them? [c] 32 [Yet] all of them will be brought before Us. 33 There is a sign for them in the lifeless earth: We give it life and We produce grain from it for them to eat; 34 We have put gardens of date palms and grapes in the earth, and We have made springs of water gush out of it 35 so that they could eat its fruit. It was not their own hands that made all this. How can they not give thanks? 36 Glory be to Him who created all the pairs [d] of things that the earth produces, as well as themselves and other things they do not know about. 37 The night is also a sign for them: We strip the daylight from it, and– lo and behold!– they are in darkness. 38 The sun, too, runs its determined course laid down for it by the Almighty, the All Knowing. 39 We have determined phases for the moon until finally it becomes like an old date-stalk. 40 The sun cannot overtake the moon, nor can the night outrun the day: each floats in [its own] orbit.
41 Another sign for them is that We carried their seed in the laden Ark, 42 and We have made similar things for them to ride in. 43 If We wished, We could drown them, and there would be no one to help them: they could not be saved. 44 Only by Our mercy could they be reprieved to enjoy life for a while. 45 Yet when they are told, ‘Beware of what lies before and behind you, so that you may be given mercy,’ 46 they ignore every single sign that comes to them from their Lord, 47 and when they are told, ‘Give to others out of what God has provided for you,’ the disbelievers say to the believers, ‘Why should we feed those that God could feed if He wanted? You must be deeply misguided.’
48 And they say, ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, if what you say is true?’ 49 But all they are waiting for is a single blast that will overtake them while they are still arguing with each other. 50 They will have no time to make bequests, nor will they have the chance to return to their own people.
51 The Trumpet will be sounded and– lo and behold!– they will rush out to their Lord from their graves.
Footnotes
a. See note to 10: 1.
b. The implication may be that he was martyred, as his people die after him.
c. Another interpretation of this phrase is ‘none of them can trace [their genealogies] back to them’, i.e. God wiped out the entire line.
d. Or ‘varieties’.
The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)
The Qur'an / a new translation by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, copyright © 2004 Oxford World's Classics (Oxford University Press). Used by permission. All rights reserved.