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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah Ya-Sin 36:68-79 [5/5] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
وَمَنAnd (he) whom
نُّعَمِّرْهُWe grant him long life,
نُنَكِّسْهُWe reverse him
فِىin
ٱلْخَلْقِ‌ۖthe creation.
أَفَلَاThen will not
يَعْقِلُونَthey use intellect?
﴿٦٨﴾
وَمَاAnd not
عَلَّمْنَـٰهُWe taught him
ٱلشِّعْرَ[the] poetry,
وَمَاand not
يَنۢبَغِىit is befitting
لَهُۥٓ‌ۚfor him.
إِنْNot
هُوَit
إِلَّا(is) except
ذِكْرٌa Reminder
وَقُرْءَانٌand a Quran
مُّبِينٌclear,
﴿٦٩﴾
لِّيُنذِرَTo warn
مَن(him) who
كَانَis
حَيًّاalive
وَيَحِقَّand may be proved true
ٱلْقَوْلُthe Word
عَلَىagainst
ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَthe disbelievers.
﴿٧٠﴾
أَوَلَمْDo not
يَرَوْاْthey see
أَنَّاthat We
خَلَقْنَا[We] created
لَهُمfor them
مِّمَّاfrom what
عَمِلَتْhave made
أَيْدِينَآOur hands,
أَنْعَـٰمًاcattle,
فَهُمْthen they
لَهَا[for them]
مَـٰلِكُونَ(are the) owners?
﴿٧١﴾
وَذَلَّلْنَـٰهَاAnd We have tamed them
لَهُمْfor them,
فَمِنْهَاso some of them -
رَكُوبُهُمْthey ride them,
وَمِنْهَاand some of them
يَأْكُلُونَthey eat.
﴿٧٢﴾
وَلَهُمْAnd for them
فِيهَاtherein
مَنَـٰفِعُ(are) benefits
وَمَشَارِبُ‌ۖand drinks,
أَفَلَاso (will) not
يَشْكُرُونَthey give thanks?
﴿٧٣﴾
وَٱتَّخَذُواْBut they have taken
مِن دُونِbesides
ٱللَّهِAllah
ءَالِهَةًgods,
لَّعَلَّهُمْthat they may
يُنصَرُونَbe helped.
﴿٧٤﴾
لَاNot
يَسْتَطِيعُونَthey are able
نَصْرَهُمْto help them,
وَهُمْbut they -
لَهُمْfor them
جُندٌ(are) host(s)
مُّحْضَرُونَ(who will) be brought.
﴿٧٥﴾
فَلَاSo (let) not
يَحْزُنكَgrieve you
قَوْلُهُمْ‌ۘtheir speech.
إِنَّاIndeed, We
نَعْلَمُ[We] know
مَاwhat
يُسِرُّونَthey conceal
وَمَاand what
يُعْلِنُونَthey declare.
﴿٧٦﴾
أَوَلَمْDoes not
يَرَsee
ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ[the] man
أَنَّاthat We
خَلَقْنَـٰهُ[We] created him
مِنfrom
نُّطْفَةٍa sperm-drop.
فَإِذَاThen behold!
هُوَHe
خَصِيمٌ(is) an opponent
مُّبِينٌclear.
﴿٧٧﴾
وَضَرَبَAnd he sets forth
لَنَاfor Us
مَثَلاًan example
وَنَسِىَand forgets
خَلْقَهُۥ‌ۖhis (own) creation.
قَالَHe says,
مَن`Who
يُحْىِwill give life
ٱلْعِظَـٰمَ(to) the bones
وَهِىَwhile they
رَمِيمٌ(are) decomposed?`
﴿٧٨﴾
قُلْSay,
يُحْيِيهَا`He will give them life
ٱلَّذِىٓWho
أَنشَأَهَآproduced them
أَوَّلَ(the) first
مَرَّةٍ‌ۖtime;
وَهُوَand He
بِكُلِّ(is) of every
خَلْقٍcreation
عَلِيمٌAll-Knower.`
﴿٧٩﴾

وَمَنۡ نُّعَمِّرۡهُ نُـنَكِّسۡهُ فِى الۡخَـلۡقِ​ؕ اَفَلَا يَعۡقِلُوۡنَ‏  وَمَا عَلَّمۡنٰهُ الشِّعۡرَ وَمَا يَنۡۢبَغِىۡ لَهٗؕ اِنۡ هُوَ اِلَّا ذِكۡرٌ وَّقُرۡاٰنٌ مُّبِيۡنٌۙ‏  لِّيُنۡذِرَ مَنۡ كَانَ حَيًّا وَّيَحِقَّ الۡقَوۡلُ عَلَى الۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ‏  اَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡا اَنَّا خَلَقۡنَا لَهُمۡ مِّمَّا عَمِلَتۡ اَيۡدِيۡنَاۤ اَنۡعَامًا فَهُمۡ لَهَا مٰلِكُوۡنَ‏  وَذَلَّـلۡنٰهَا لَهُمۡ فَمِنۡهَا رَكُوۡبُهُمۡ وَمِنۡهَا يَاۡكُلُوۡنَ‏  وَلَهُمۡ فِيۡهَا مَنَافِعُ وَمَشَارِبُ​ؕ اَفَلَا يَشۡكُرُوۡنَ‏  وَاتَّخَذُوۡا مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ اٰلِهَةً لَّعَلَّهُمۡ يُنۡصَرُوۡنَؕ‏  لَا يَسۡتَطِيۡعُوۡنَ نَصۡرَهُمۡۙ وَهُمۡ لَهُمۡ جُنۡدٌ مُّحۡضَرُوۡنَ‏  فَلَا يَحۡزُنۡكَ قَوۡلُهُمۡ​ۘ اِنَّا نَـعۡلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّوۡنَ وَمَا يُعۡلِنُوۡنَ‏   اَوَلَمۡ يَرَ الۡاِنۡسَانُ اَنَّا خَلَقۡنٰهُ مِنۡ نُّطۡفَةٍ فَاِذَا هُوَ خَصِيۡمٌ مُّبِيۡنٌ‏  وَضَرَبَ لَـنَا مَثَلًا وَّ نَسِىَ خَلۡقَهٗ​ ؕ قَالَ مَنۡ يُّحۡىِ الۡعِظَامَ وَهِىَ رَمِيۡمٌ‏  قُلۡ يُحۡيِيۡهَا الَّذِىۡۤ اَنۡشَاَهَاۤ اَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ​ ؕ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ خَلۡقٍ عَلِيۡمُ ۙ‏ 
Translation
(36:68) Whomsoever We grant a long life, We reverse him in his constitution.57 Do they still not understand? (36:69) We did not teach him (to wit, the Messenger) poetry and it does not behove him.58 This is none but an Admonition, and a Clear Book (36:70) that he may warn him who is alive59 and establish an argument against those that deny the Truth. (36:71) Do they not see Our handiwork:60 We created for them cattle which they own? (36:72) We have subjected the cattle to them so that some of them they ride and eat the flesh of others. (36:73) They derive a variety of benefits and drinks from them. Will they, then, not give thanks?61 (36:74) They set up deities apart from Allah, hoping that they will receive help from them. (36:75) Those deities can render them no help. Yet these devotees act as though they were an army in waiting for them.62 (36:76) Let not their words grieve you. Surely We know all things about them, what they conceal and what they reveal.63 (36:77) Does64 man not see that We created him of a sperm drop, and lo! he is flagrantly contentious?65 (36:78) He strikes for Us66 a similitude and forgot his own creation.67 He says: “Who will quicken the bones when they have decayed?” (36:79) Say: “He Who first brought them into being will quicken them; He knows well about every kind of creation;
Commentary

57. “Reverse him in creation,” means that in old age Allah turns him back to the state of childhood. He becomes unable to stand and walk without the help and support of others; he is fed by others; he urinates and defecates in bed; talks childishly and is laughed at by others. In short, towards the end of life he returns to the same state of weakness with which he had started life in this world.

58. This is a rejoinder to the disbelievers, who slighted the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his message by branding him a poet when he preached Tauhid and talked of the Hereafter, life-after-death, and Hell and Heaven. (For further explanation, see (Surah Ash-Shuara, Ayats 224-227) and the E.Ns thereof).

59. Every living person means: Every person who is capable of thinking and understanding, who is not like a stone, which neither hears nor understands nor moves from its place however rationally and sympathetically one may explain the distinction between the truth and falsehood and give admonition before him.

60. The word “hands” has been used metaphorically for Allah. This does not mean that, God forbid, Allah has a body and He works with the hands like human beings, but it means to impress that Allah has made these things Himself, and none else has any share in the matter of their creation.

61. It is ingratitude to regard a blessing as a gift of someone other than the donor, to be grateful to another for it, and to cherish the hope of receiving it or to seek it from another than the donor. Likewise, it is also ingratitude that one should use a blessing against the will of the donor. Therefore, a mushrik or a disbeliever or a hypocrite or a sinful person cannot be regarded as a grateful servant of God when he utters words of thankfulness only with the tongue. The disbelievers of Makkah did not deny that the cattle had been created by Allah; none of them said that the other deities had any hand in their creation. But despite knowing all this when they paid homage to their deities for the blessings granted by Allah, presented offerings before them and prayed to them for more blessings and offered sacrifices for their sake, their verbal gratitude became meaningless. That is why Allah has regarded them as guilty of ingratitude and thanklessness.

62. That is, the poor false gods themselves are dependent upon their worshipers for their survival and their safety and their needs. But for their multitudes they could not survive as gods even for a day. These people are behaving as their humble servants. They are setting up and decorating their shrines; they carry out propaganda for them; they fight and quarrel with others for their sake. Then only are they recognized as gods. They are not the real God, Who, whether someone recognizes Him or not, is ruling over the whole universe by His own might and authority.

63. The address is to the Prophet (peace be upon him). Here the allusion is to the campaign of vilification which the chiefs of the disbelievers of Makkah were carrying on against him. They knew in their hearts and acknowledged in their private assemblies that the charges they brought against him were absolutely baseless. In order to create suspicions against him in the minds of the people, they branded him a poet, sorcerer, magician, madman, etc. But their consciences recognized, and they also acknowledged before one another, that whatever they were uttering was false, which they were forging only to frustrate his mission. That is why Allah says to His Prophet: Do not grieve at their absurd and meaningless talk. Those who are opposing and resisting the truth with falsehood shall ultimately meet with failure in this world and see their evil end in the Hereafter, too.

64. Here the disbelievers’ question cited in (verse 48) above, is being answered by reason and argument. The question: When will the threat of Resurrection be carried out? had not been asked with a view to find out the exact date of the coming of the Hereafter. But they asked it because they thought it was impossible, rather irrational, that human beings would be raised back to life after death. That is why, in reply to their question, arguments are being given for the possibility of the Hereafter. According to the traditions related by Ibn Abbas, Qatadah and Said bin Jubair, one of the chiefs of Makkah, on this occasion, came up with a rotten bone of a dead person, from the graveyard. He broke and crushed it into pieces before the Prophet (peace be upon him) and scattering its particles in the air, said: O Muhammad, you say that the dead will be raised back to life. Tell us who will give life to these decayed and rotten bones? The answer was given immediately in the form of these verses.

65. That is, We caused the sperm-drop which contained nothing but the basic germ of life to develop to an extent that it started moving and eating like the animals. Furthermore, it has developed such powers of intellect and reasoning and disputation and speech, which are not possessed by any animal; so much so that now he dares stand up as an adversary before his Creator!

66. That is, he regards Us powerless and weak like the creation, and thinks that just as man cannot raise the dead back to life, so also can’t We.

67. “Forgets his own creation”: Forgets that We created the basic germ of life from dead matter, which became the means of his creation; then We caused the germ to develop to such an extent that now he stands before Us as a disputant.