Tafsir Of Surah Yaseen (36) - 2/8

A'uzubillahi min al-shaytan al-rajim Bismillah al-rahman al-rahim Al-hamdulillah rabb al-'alameen wasallahu 'ala syedina wa habibina habibi ilahal 'alameen Muhammad wa 'ala alihi tayyibeen at-tahireen wa 'ala sahbihil muntajibeen.

Continuing with the explanation of Surah Yasin, those of you who were following the previous session, we were describing the different meanings given to the very word Yaa-seen. If you remember, we said one of the opinions is that yaa-seen is from the disjointed letters of the Quran.

The other opinion, which was reported from Abdullah ibn Abbas and other Companions, and the Tabi'oon who were, of course, scholars of tafsir, was that it means "Ya insaan" or "Ya syedal awwaleen wa akhireen", or "Ya rajul", or "Ya Muhammad" Sallal-lahu alayhi wa alii wa sallam.

The third opinion is that Yasin is a name of the Prophet, peace be upon him. There is a hadith in Tafsir ul-Qummi, and of course, when we report something from Tafsir ul-Qummi we have to be careful because Tafsir ul-Qummi is not completely and thoroughly written by Ali ibn Ibrahim al-Qummi, who is of course a great scholar. Some of it, certain traditions have been added to it by his students and by others, and therefore, we have to be careful when we report a hadith about the tafsir of the Quran from Tafsir ul-Qummi.

Now, in Tafsir ul-Qummi, it says "Qala Sadiq, layhi assalam, Yaa-seen, ismu Rasul Allah sallal-lahu alayhi wa alii wa sallam wa daleelu 'alaihi qawlohu 'Innaka laminal mursaleen 'Alaa Siraatim Mustaqeem'". Because the name is mentioned first and then an address has come: "Yaa-Seeen . Wal-Qur-aanil-Hakeem [which ofcourse is a qasam]. Innaka laminal mursaleen ".

"O Yasin, you are from the mursaleen." This is the reason for it. Now, this is not the only thing that we have about Yaa-seen, a name of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Sheikh Tusi, rahmatullahi alayh, reports in Tibbyan that it is reported from Ali ibn Abi Talib alayhi assalam, that the Prophet has been called in the Quran with seven names. And these names are Muhammad, Ahmad, Ta-ha, Yaa-seen, Muzammil, Mudathir and Abdullah. 'Wa annahoo lammaa qaama 'abdul laahi yad'oohu' (72:19) in Sura Jinn .

So again, here in this narration Yaa-seen is regarded to be a name of the Prophet. Fayz Kashani, , rahmatullahi alayh, in Tafsir ul-Safi, reports a hadith from Uyoun Al-Akhbar al-Ridha, which is written by Sheikh al-Saduq and this hadith, if we can authenticate this hadith, is very important historically because it is said that in one of the sessions that Ma'moon had, Ma'moon used to bring together different scholars of different faiths and different Islamic denominations like Mu'tazalis, like Ahlul hadith and Hambalis, of course Ash'aris had not come into being at that time, and of course the people from Ahlul Bayt, the Shias. Now when Imam ar-Ridha alayhi assalam was moved to Tus, to Khurasan, he used to make many of these sessions. Now, in one of the sessions when Ma'moon was present, Imam Ali ibn Musa ar-Ridha Alayhi assalam was present, Ma'moon asked about the meaning of Yaa-seen and Imam ar-Ridha Alayhi assalam asked the other scholars, scholars of other denominations, "Qala akhbirooni an qawlillahi ta'ala Yaa-seen wal Quranil hakeem innaka laminal mursaleen" - what does Yaa-seen mean - "man ana bil qawlihi Yaa-seen", who is in mind when Allah says Yaa-seen? 'Qalatil ulema, Yaa-seen Muhammad lam yashukka fiha ahadun' - all the scholars of different denominations said that Yasin is the name of Muhammad, peace be upon him, and no one has doubt in this issue.

Now, as I said, historically, it is important because these are the scholars of all different denominations. We know that scholars of Hadith were in Khurasan, teachers of Ali al-Madini, teachers of Bukhari, all these people were living there in Khurasan. And therefore, when they come together and they say that no one has doubted that Yasin is the name of the Prophet, it means that if we can authenticate this hadith, and if this hadith is correct, then it shows that there was a time where there was this understanding that Yaa-seen was not a disjointed letter, it was the name of the Prophet peace be upon him.

However, when we refer to most of the tafasir nowadays, especially the tafasir of Sunni scholars, we see that they say it's from the disjointed letters; many Shia scholars have said it is from disjointed letters as well. And we are faced with these three opinions and we can just see which one we would like to choose. All of them are credible opinions mentioned by scholars.

OK, Yaa-seen, if it is the name of the Prophet, it is an address, it is a khitaab and then there is a qasam: "wal Quranil Hakeem" - I swear by the wise Quran. We know that when Allah swears by something, it means that He wants to establish something very important. He wants to tell us about something which is considerable and therefore what comes after a qasam is very important. We have to actually consider that to be a very important issue or statement.

And that statement which comes after this qasam is that "innaka laminal mursaleen" - you are from the mursaleen. We will talk about that later.

Now, "wal Quranil Hakeem". Hakim means something in which there is Hikmah. The Quran has been given different attributes in the Quran itself.

There are several verses of the Quran which describes the Quran for us, and these descriptions are very important for us to appreciate the Quran more and more.

For example, in Sura al-Waqia: "Innahoo la quraanun kareem, Fee kitaabim maknoon, Laa yamassuhooo illal mutahharoon" (56:77-79)- This is an honorable, a generous reading. Now Quran can be a specific name for the book, or we can say it is a reading, it is something that we read, it is a text. However, of course, the name of the whole text is the Quran. This is a generous Quran. In what sense generous? In the sense that whoever wants to take some benefit from it, it gives benefits. The more benefit you want to take from the Quran, the more it gives you. It depends how much you want. This is very important: "Innahoo la quraanun kareem". It means that it doesn't matter how much you want. It gives you; the important thing is your appetite, how much you actually request from the Quran, the Quran can give you. And requesting is not just by sitting and somehow praying towards the Quran, 'Can you please give me something'. No. By reflection, deliberation, going through it again and again and again. And this gives benefit to us. So one description of the Quran is Quran al Kareem.

The other description of the Quran is "bal huwa quranun majeed" (85:21) - magnificent. Now, this magnificent means that its glory is so high. "bal huwa quranun majeedun, fi lawhin mahfooz" (85:21&22) - its meanings are so sublime, it has come down for your understanding, this is very magnificent. The other description given to the Quran in the Quran is "Saaad; wal-Qur-aani ziz zikr" (38:1)- the Quran which includes reminder. And this is something that all of us human beings need a reminder.

"Qaaaf; wal Qur aanil Majeed" (50:1)- like "bal huwa quranun majeedun, fi lawhin mahfooz." In Sura Saad it says "Saaad; wal-Qur-aani ziz zikr." Other attributions: 'Wa laqad aatainaaka sab'am minal masaanee wal Qur-aanal 'Azeem" (15:87)- 'azeem means, of course, it is so great that no matter how much you delve into it, you cannot finish it. How much you take from it, you cannot finish it- it is 'azeem. And it is mubeen - "Alif-Laaam-Raa; tilka Aayaatul Kitaabi wa Qur-aa-nim Mubeen" (15:1)- it clarifies things so there shouldn't be any convolution in this Quran.

Now, coming back to "wal quranil hakeem". This term has been used specifically in Sura Yasin to denote that there is wisdom in this Book. Hikma, as it is described by some of the commentators, is ma'rifa or what leads to ma'rifa. There is a difference between ma'rifa and knowledge. Ma'rifa is insight, knowledge is when you gain knowledge about certain things, but insight is how to use them, what to do with them. Why are they there? Not why in terms of cause and effect - why in terms of philosophical why?

So Hikma gives us philosophical understanding of the world, the reason behind things, justification behind things. By reason I don't mean, as I said, scientific reasons; no, philosophical reasons behind these. And this Quran gives you that ma'rifa, gives you that insight.

So when Allah actually makes a qasam by the Quran and gives this attribute to the Quran, it shows the station of Quran, the position of the Quran in the eyes of Allah is very high, in the first place. And secondly, the Quran contains what human being needs most, because they usually used to say that this is magic, this is poetry, of course, poetry cannot contain much wisdom or [they used to say] this is something that you have made up. If a man is so vicious to make up things and attribute it to God, how could his words be containing wisdom? And this book, if you think about it deeply and if you go into it in an insightful way, you would see the wisdom which is in this Book. So the very qasam in this, the very swearing that Allah is using is actually opening a way towards what Allah is going to tell us.

"Wal quranil hakeem, innaka laminal mursaleen." So 'O Yasin', if we take Yaa-seen to be the name of the Prophet, "I swear by the Quran that is full of wisdom, you are from mursaleen".

Now, of course, this is a continuation for this, "innaka laminal mursaleen 'ala siratin mustaqeem". So this "innaka laminal mursaleen" is what they call it, Muqsamun 'alaih or the Quran is muqsamun beh and then this is Muqsamun 'alaih.

This is that for which the swear by the Quran is made. So when Allah swears by something and then makes a statement, it means this is something very considerable, something very important, and something in which there should be no doubt that you are from Mursaleen.

Now, who are Mursaleen, that the Prophet is from the mursaleen? We know that people are of two categories. This is a very important issue for our understanding of the difference between mursaleen and nabieen and siddiqeen and people like them and us ordinary human beings.

Usually there has been this opinion among certain scholars, in the past and even now that, OK, the Prophet is a bit more faithful than others, more honest and truthful and Allah has chosen him, He could have chosen someone else, but He blessed Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and chose him.

This is not the case. The Quran tells us that there are two categories of people. One category are the category of muqarraboon: those who are brought close to God and the other category are the category of ashaabul yameen, ordinary believers.

Now, I am not talking about the disbelievers who are as ashaabul shamaal. Among the believers, there are two categories. And this is why in Sura Waqia, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala says that when you come to us on the Day of Judgment, "Wa kuntum azwaajan salaasah" (56:7) - you are of three bands, three types : "ashaabul maimanah", the people of prosperity, "ashaabul mash'ama", the people of misery, "wasaabiqoonas saabiqoon Ulaaa'ikal muqarraboon"(56:8 to 11) and these muqarraboon go to a different paradise than ordinary believers.

That is mentioned in both Surah Al-Rahman and in Surah al-Waqia. In Surah Al-Rahman, for example, it says, 'Wa liman khaafa maqaama rabbihee jannataan"(55:46), then after describing those gardens, it says, "Wa min doonihimaa jannataan" (55:62)- below them are two gardens, for ordinary people, for ordinary believers. And therefore these muqaraboon are people who are qualitatively, not quantitatively different from ordinary believers, and these are divided into different tiers, different groups.

"Man-yuti'il laaha war Rasoola fa ulaaa'ika" - I am trying to find the meaning of mursaleen through explanation of the Quran by the Quran. "Man-yuti'il laaha war Rasoola fa ulaaa'ika ma'al lazeena an'amal laahu 'alaihim"(4:69) - whoever obeys God and the Prophet and the Messenger, they are with those Allah has bestowed His favor upon them. Who are these ? "minan nabiyyeena wassiddeeqeena washshuhadaaa'i wassaaliheen" (4:69) - these four tiers of people are actually the muqarraboon, who worship God, not based on fear or hope, worship God based on love. This is, of course, something that we have to establish later on. It is not, nothing that I want to provide proof for it now.

Now, these people, these four categories: nabiyeen, siddiqeen, shuhada, saliheen, are different because these are upon whom Allah has bestowed His favor. Then ordinary believers like us, if we obey them, if we follow them, we will be with them, not from them, we will be with them on the Day of Judgment. "Wa many-yuti'il laaha war Rasoola fa ulaaa'ika ma'al lazeena an'amal laahu 'alaihim"(4:69). I will talk about this later when I come to "'Alaa Siraatim Mustaqeem".

However, nabiyyeen, who are the nabiyyeen? Nabiyyeen are the highest category of the muqarraboon, above the siddiqqeen, the highest category of muqarraboon. These are people who are chosen by God and God reveals things to them. And in a hadith that we have from the Prophet, peace be upon him, the number of these nabiyyeen during the history has been one hundred twenty four thousand.

Now, from among these three hundred and thirteen of these nabiyyeen or prophets were mursaleen: were those who were sent with a mission, with a message. And these, of course, are chosen from among the nabiyeen. From among the nabiyyeen these people are chosen for a mission. They may have been contemporaries. That's fine, because Ibrahim was one of the mursaleen. Lut was one of the mursaleen as it is mentioned very clearly in Sura Saafaat "Wa inna Lootal laminal mursaleen, Iz najjainaahu wa ahlahooo ajma'een"(37:133&134). We know that he was a contemporary of Ibrahim Alayhi assalam. Ibrahim has one mission. Lut has another mission. Of course, both of them from Mursaleen, but both of them were living at the same time.

Now here, what this qasam is trying to establish is that you are one of the mursaleen. Especially in Sura Saaffaat, we have this establishing this attribute of being a Mursal about certain prophets: "Wa inna Ilyaasa laminal mursaleen"(37:123), "Wa inna Lootal laminal mursaleen", "Wa inna Yoonusa laminal mursaleen"(37:139), and here it emphasises, "Innaka laminal mursaleen"(36:3), you are from mursaleen; you are from those who is given a mission.

And this mission that I have given you is that you guide people to the right path: "'Alaa Siraatim Mustaqeem"(36:4). Of course, grammatically, this '"Alaa Siraatim Mustaqeem" can be described in different ways, like, for example, "'Alaa Siraatim Mustaqeem", if it refers to mursaleen, it means you are from the mursaleen who guide people towards siraatam mustaqeem. Or it may be 'haal' so to speak in Arabic, that you are from mursaleen while you are on the right path or there are other meanings given to it. It doesn't matter. What is important is that you are from the mursaleen who guide to "Alaa Siraatim Mustaqeem". Now this '"Alaa Siraatim Mustaqeem" does not allude that there are other mursaleen who do not guide to siraatal mustaqeem - it is a sort of explanation that every messenger, all the mursaleen, all the messengers guide to siraatal mustaqeem - the right path, "'Alaa Siraatim Mustaqeem".

Now, what is Siraatim Mustaqeem? We know that one of the main concepts in the Quran is this Siraatim Mustaqeem.

And every day in our prayers, we say "Ihdinas-Siraatal-Mustaqeem"(1:6), guide us to the right path. "Qul innanee hadaanee Rabbeee ilaa Siraatim Mustaqeemin," (6:161)- say God has guided me on a right path, "deenan qiyamam millata Ibraaheema haneefaa" (6:161) - this saraatal mustaqeem was the faith of Ibrahim, alayhi assalam.

So it has been something which in the past, forgone history, siraatal mustaqeem has been preached by the prophets, peace be upon them. You guide to Siraatul Mustaqeem, or you are on Siraatul Mustaqeem - whichever way we take this verse to mean, Siraatul Mustaqeem is something which guides us directly to our destination. Now, this needs a little more of explanation, because we are saying every day "Ihdinas-Siraatal-Mustaqeem" and then we explain, actually God has taught us to explain what is Siraatal Mustaqeem "Siraatal-lazeena an'amta 'alaihim" (1:7)- the path of those upon whom You have bestowed Your favor.

And the verse I just mentioned "ulaaa'ika ma'al lazeena an'amal laahu 'alaihim minan nabiyyeena wassiddeeqeena washshuhadaaa'i wassaaliheen"(4:69), these are the four categories upon whom Allah has bestowed His favor and therefore we want to be guided on their path.

Then we say "Don't guide us to the path of those who You are angry with them or poured Your wrath on them or those who went astray" (1:7). What does this mean and who are these? Why, if faith can be given to people, but they cannot be on siraatul mustaqeem. Is it possible that if faith is given to people, a mursal comes, a mursal gives us a book, the book is on siraatal mustaqeem, we take the book, but we are not on siratul mustaqeem. Is it possible? Yes, of course it is possible. Just look at the Muslims today. Can you say that all the Muslims who are with all these different inclinations and beliefs and behavior, all of them are on siraatal mustaqeem? No, we cannot say, of course, this is just conflicting ourselves.

You cannot say, for example, people who believe that everyone else is Kafir except themselves are on siraatal mustaqeem; people with more tolerant opinion are on siraatal mustaqeem, Shias are on siraatal mustaqeem, Sunnis are on siraatal mustaqeem - it is a very general term.

So we have to define what is siraatal mustaqeem. And this inshaAllah, this is a task that inshaAllah we will undertake in our next session. I pray to Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala to give us more knowledge about the Quran and to help us to act according to its guidance. Wasalallahu'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala aalihit tahireen.