In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate, Salaam and welcome to our weekly program "Path towards Enlightenment" in which we present you a fluent and easy-to-understand explanation of the ayahs of the holy Qur’an. We start from where we left you last Friday and here are ayahs 5 and 6 of Surah Ya Sin:

“[It is a scripture] sent down gradually from the All-Mighty, the All-Merciful;”

“That you may warn a people whose fathers were not warned, so they are oblivious.”

In continuation of the previous ayahs that we explained last week and which referred to the wisdom and glory of the holy Qur’an, these ayahs, mean to say: the holy Qur’an is the Revealed Word of God Almighty the All-Merciful. It is not the word of the Prophet, although the proclaimer of the Divine Words is Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). There is distinct difference between the words and style of the Prophet’s speech and those of the Words of God he used to proclaim on their revelation to him. This is evident from the hadith or statements of the Prophet that differ markedly from the ayahs of the holy Qur’an, although unlike the ordinary Arabs, the Prophet had a very eloquent tongue and spoke flawless Arabic. Anyone familiar with even basic Arabic, let alone a scholar, clearly sees the difference between the ayahs of the holy Qur’an and the hadith of the Prophet.

The reason ayah 5 puts emphasis in on two of the attributes of God, that is All-Mighty and All-Merciful, is to stress Divine Power to the extent that if every one of His creatures become faithful it will not add an iota to the Might and Power of God. Likewise, if everyone becomes denier and sinful, nothing would be diminished from Divine Power. At the same time, God is the supreme manifestation of mercy and compassion for His creatures, even the sinful ones, who have been given ample time and opportunity to repent and return to Divine Grace. Thus, it means the revelation of the Holy Qur’an is a factor of mercy for all humanity.

Ayah 6 means to tell the Prophet that with what the All-Mighty and All-Merciful has revealed to you, your task is to warn mankind, starting from the people of Mecca, spreading to the whole of Arabian Peninsula, and engulfing the entire world and humanity. When the ayahs says “a people whose forefathers were not warned”, it refers to the people of Hijaz, to whom no prophet had been sent. It should also be pointed out that a period of over half a millennium had passed since the mission of the Previou Great Messenger, Prophet Jesus (PuH), and the advent of the Prophet of Islam, although there were deputies and legatees of the Virgin-born Messiah, because the Earth cannot be without the Hujjat, that is, the Proof and Argumentation of God for His creatures. The revelation of the holy Qur’an and its warnings are to make people aware of the Truth and its accompaniment with Divine Bounties for those who shun ignorance, disbelief and sins.

Thus, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) was raised among a backward people whom he excellently guided to become torchbearers of science and civilization.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. God has all the attributes of perfection, and both Powerful and Merciful.
2. Divine warning is meant to awaken the conscience of people, and it is the Prophets who guide humanity and save it from ignorance.

Now we listen to ayah 7 of Surah Ya Sin:

“The word has certainly become due against most of them, so they will not have faith.”

In continuation of the previous ayah which says Prophets have been sent to remove ignorance from people, this ayah means to say that many people pay no attention to the warnings of the Prophets, and as a result they drift into disbelief and sins, whose consequences are punishment on the Day of Resurrection.

Divine Punishment comes after proofs have been provided of God’s Infinite Mercy. As for those who repent of their disbelief and seek forgiveness of their sins, they will avail of God’s Mercy.

From this ayah, we learn that:

1. Even if most of the people in the world drift away from the commandments of God and take to disbelief, they will not be able to harm God.
2. Arrogance and ignorance are the main factors for disbelief and indulgence in sins.

Now we listen to ayahs 8 and 9 of Surah Ya Sin:

“Indeed We have put iron collars around their necks, which are up to the chins, so their heads are upturned.”

 “And We have put a barrier before them and a barrier behind them, then We have blind-folded them, so they do not see.”

These ayahs express the punishment of the unbelievers, both in this world and the hereafter. In describing the retribution on the Day of Resurrection, these ayahs refer to the iron collars that would be put around the neck of the unbelievers in hell. Those cast in hell for their sins and rejection of Divine Commandments, while they were alive, will not even have permission to remove these iron collars from the necks, which has upturned their heads.

Those who, in the world, were not ready to see the truths ahead and behind them, obviously became oblivious of God the Almighty Creator of the entire universe. The world was their goal and when it ends, their fate is sealed and they will suffer the consequences in the Hereafter, since they were blind of heart when alive.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. The iron collars on the day of resurrection are in fact the chains tied to the hands and feet of the unbelievers, because of their sinful deeds in the world. They think in the world that they are free in the world, but the sins that they committed have made them captive of their own desires.
2. Unbelievers only think of the present time and enjoying the pleasures of the world. They have closed their eyes to the past and to the future, and thus do not recognize the truth. They neither take lessons from the past nor think of their fate in the future.

AS/MG