Tafsir

Heart of the Quran

One of the most beloved Surahs in the Quran is Surah Yaseen. It is known to many of us as the heart of the Quran, and it is our culture to recite Surah Yaseen for the dead, and it is recommended in the hadith to recite Surah Yaseen for those who are passing away. This is a Surah that many of us are familiar with, but do we take the time to study its meanings and reflect on its lessons. Today I want to share with you a short explanation of this Surah based upon its primary themes.

Surah Yaseen is an early Makkan Surah, and this shapes its themes. During the Makkan phase of the Dawah, the Prophet (pbuh) was primarily preaching to a pagan community that rejected prophethood, the afterlife and the oneness of Allah. This Surah focuses on these three core themes: Prophethood, Afterlife and Oneness of Allah. If there is one theme that runs throughout the Surah as its central message, it is the reality of the Afterlife and the importance of preparing for it.

The Message and the Messenger

Let’s go through some important sections of this Surah to see how to calls on us to reflect on these key ideological themes.

The Surah begins with a reminder that:

1. The Quran is revelation from Allah
2. Muhammad is the messenger
3. Calling to the straight path
4. And Warning to those who reject the message about the punishment of the Afterlife

This opening passage brings forward the themes of the Surah regarding prophethood, tawhid, and Afterlife, in a few short powerful verses. These three concepts make up the three core elements of Aqeedah (Islamic Theology): Tawhid, Risaalah, Akhirah.

This is followed by a story about three prophets being sent to a nation. The nation rejected those prophets, aside for one man, and that man was killed by the disbelievers. The Surah ends by reminding us that this martyr is in Paradise, and those disbelievers were destroyed and punished for their rebelliousness. Note some key lessons from this story. In this story, Allah draws out attention to the fact that past nations also received messengers and that this is not something new.

This story also reminds us about the Afterlife, and that the believer made it to Paradise and wished he could change people’s minds so they too could choose the path to Paradise. The story ends with a reminder that Allah destroyed this nation for its rebelliousness. This is a reminder both to the pagans of Makkah at the time of revelation and to leading civilizations today. Never think that you are too powerful and cannot be defeated. All it takes is a single instance and Allah can reduce an entire nation to dust, as he has done in the past.

Signs of God

The next portion of the Surah focuses on the proofs of Allah’s existence and oneness. This surah is full of verses calling on us to reflect on the signs around us. Everything in the Heavens and earth remind us about the Glory and Majesty of the One True God, the Creator of Allah, Al-Khaliq, Allah. In this powerful section, we are told to reflect on these signs including three key signs:

1. The natural wonders of the earth
2. The magnificent wonders of the universe
3. The gifts that Allah has gifted humans with our ability to invent and develop new technologies (Quran 36:33-45)

These three sign are brought forward for us to reflect on so that we are grateful to Allah, worship Him alone and dedicate our lives to Him.

The Inevitable Afterlife

The Surah concludes with a lengthy reminder about the Afterlife. We are reminded that we will all leave this world, journey to the next, and answer for our deeds. Those who lived their lives in preparation for the Afterlife will experience great peace and eternal Paradise. Those who neglected their Lord and purpose will face dire consequences in the Afterlife. Note that we recite this Surah for those who are passing away to remind them that death is inevitable and that they are now transferring to the next portion of this journey of the soul.

The surah ends with a beautiful example that serves a double purpose: it is a sign of the existence of Allah and a reminder of the resurrection. The surah ends with these powerful verses:

Does the human being not consider that We created him from a seed? Yet he becomes a fierce adversary. And he produces arguments against Us, and he forgets his own creation. He says, “Who will revive the bones when they have decayed?”

Say, “He who initiated them in the first instance will revive them. He has knowledge of every creation.” He who produced fuel for you from the green trees, with which you kindle a fire. Is not He who created the heavens and the earth able to create the like of them? Certainly. He is the Supreme All-Knowing Creator.

His command, when He wills a thing, is to say to it, “Be,” and it comes to be. So, glory be to Him in whose hand is the dominion of everything, and to Him you will be returned. (Quran 36:77-83)

The final verse summarizes this theme beautifully, glory to be the One who controls everything and to whom we will return. The main lesson that we should all take from this beautiful surah is that life is fleeting, death is inevitable, and we must spend our lives preparing for and building our afterlife. We will return to Allah, we will answer to Him for how we lived our lives, and we will face a final judgment in which our Afterlife will be determined. Surah Yaseen, therefore, should not just be something we recite mindlessly. Even when reciting it around those who are passing away or those who have moved on, we should recite and reflect on its core message. Life is short, death will happen, what have you prepared for the Afterlife?

Importance of Tabaddur

Just two Surahs after Yaseen in Surah Saad, Allah describes the Quran as follows in verse 29:

كِتَابٌ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ

A blessed Book that We sent down to you, that they may ponder its Verses, and for those with intelligence to take heed. (Quran 38:29)

The Quran was revealed to be a book of guidance for us. I just want to remind us all that we must make time to study the Quran and reflect on its meanings. Tadabbur (reflection) is an important act of worship that every believer must engage in. When you recite Quran, take time to reflect on what the message of the Quran is, how it relates to your life, and what you can do to act upon this message. It is only when we develop this deeper relationship with the word of Allah that we will truly begin to appreciate the role that the Quran plays in our lives. Make time for reflection to gain a deeper understanding of the Quran.

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This article is an extract from the book Themes of the Quran, purchase the full ebook to learn more.

Many people assume from the name of this Surah that the theme is issues related to women. Because of this, they are confused to find many verses in it addressing topics like inheritance, dealing with the hypocrites and the people of the book as well as the dangers of Shirk.

Reality is that the theme of a Surah is not usually related to its name. The names were mostly given over time by scholars based on words unique or often repeated in that Surah, and so just like the theme of Surah Al-Baqarah is not cows, the theme of Surah An-Nisaa is not restricted to women. 

Themes of Surah al-Nisaa

This Surah is a Madinan Surah and again focuses on the themes of relevance to Madinan society, in this case the theme is society itself. The Surah addresses every aspect of the Muslim society including the following:

1. Orphans (4:2-3, 6, 128)
2. Marriage (4:3-4, 19-25, 32-35, 127-130)
3. Inheritance (4:11-14, 176)
4. Polygyny (4:3, 129)
5. People of the Book (4:46-56, 153-174)
6. Hypocrites (4:88-90, 142-146)
7. Military operations (4:71-78)
8. Peace and Justice (4:92-94, 135)
9. Immigration from a bad society to a good one (4:97-100)

The Inheritance Question

Looking at the issue of inheritance, most of the laws of Islam are detailed in the Hadiths. Yet in this Surah, Allah details the laws of inheritance clearly and warns those who reject His Laws of the Hellfire. This is because many societal and family problems are caused due to fighting over inheritance. If Muslims submit to Allah’s judgment and accept the divisions He made, all these societal problems can be avoided.

These days, it is common to find many Muslims questioning the division of the inheritance in the Qur’an. This is a very arrogant attitude as it indicates that we think we know better than Allah. Allah has divided the inheritance based on the obligations he gave his servants. As the males of this ummah have more financial responsibility than the females, their portion of the inheritance is likewise proportionately more. This is in no way meant to indicate superiority, rather it is meant to indicate responsibility.

Family Law

This Surah lays heavy emphasis on family dynamics. It also lays a heavy emphasis on the importance of the man being the leader of the household and upholding that position responsibly. In modern times, this concept has been disputed and the results are failed marriages, high divorce rates,[1] the spread of Zina and general chaos in society.

For a society to function properly, families need to be stable and in line with the commands of Allah. The results of rejecting the family structure laid down by Allah can be seen in the abundant marital problems that surround us on a daily basis.

Related to this is the issue of polygyny. This Surah clearly allows a man to have a maximum of four wives on the condition that he is responsible and deals with them fairly. Modernists have tried to undermine and misinterpret this verse to bring Islam more in line with the norms of modern society. These modernists fail to realize that the culture they are trying to imitate is a culture revolving around unrestricted polygamy without responsibilities i.e. adultery and extra-marital affairs. 

History is proof that any society which practiced polygyny the way the Qur’an allows it has far less social problems. This practice simultaneously solves the social dilemma of the widows, divorcees and single righteous women who can’t find righteous husbands, as well as the issue of men being polygamous by nature. Society is better off when polygyny is practiced responsibly.

The Rights of Orphans

We also see in this Surah a special emphasis on caring for orphans. Orphans make up a large segment of any society and when societies neglect them, they end up turning to crime to support themselves and survive. Caring for orphans is a great deed and raising orphans as one’s own children gives them a second chance at succeeding in life and benefits the entire community.

Cultural Controversies

The verses in this Surah tend to be controversial due to the changing social norms in the West, and the pressure put upon Muslims to adopt these changes. While there exist many cultural practices in Muslim communities that need to change, it is important to distinguish between those and fixed rules clearly established in the Qur’an.

Cultural issues like prohibiting women from praying in Masjids, banning women from driving, education and work, and the acceptance of spousal abuse need to change. These practices are not Islamic, and removing them is beneficial for the entire ummah.

On the other hand, the concepts of Hijab and polygyny, the role of the husband and wife in the family structure, and the division of the inheritance are clear commandments which form part of the foundation of our religion, and cannot be changed to suit people’s desires.

If one analyses these laws with an open mind, looking at the benefits of implementing them, instead of just looking at things from an ego-driven perspective, it is quite clear that the laws revealed by Allah are what is best for society.

I believe that any society that bases its principles on those covered in Surah An-Nisaa will become one of the best, most just and most stable communities on earth.        

[1] A common cause of divorce these days is the reversal of roles in the family structure. This reversal of roles causes a lot of animosity and over time it erodes the marriage and eats away at its foundations.

This article is an extract from the book Themes of the Quran, purchase the full ebook to learn more.