Tafseer of Yaseen · Yaseen · 36:1
Ya, Seen.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The statement concerning the explanation of His saying, the Exalted: يس "Yā Sīn" (36:1)
The scholars of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) differed concerning the explanation of His saying يس . Some of them said: it is an oath by which Allah has sworn, and it belongs to the names of Allah.
* Mention of who said that:
ʿAlī related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His saying يس , he said: it is an oath by which Allah has sworn, and it belongs to the names of Allah. And others said: its meaning is: "O man."
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Abū Tumayla related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn ibn Wāqid related to us, on the authority of Yazīd, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His saying يس , he said: that means "O man" in Ethiopic (al-Ḥabashiyya).
Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Sharqī, he said: I heard ʿIkrima say: the explanation of يس is: "O man."
And others said: it is an opening of the speech with which Allah introduced His speech.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Muʾammal related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, he said: يس is an opening of the speech with which Allah introduced His speech.
And others said: no, rather it is one of the names of the Qurʾān.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His saying يس , he said: every letter-combination (hijāʾ) in the Qurʾān is one of the names of the Qurʾān.
Abū Jaʿfar said: we have already stated previously our position concerning the cases that are similar to this among the disconnected letters (ḥurūf al-hijāʾ), in a manner that makes it unnecessary to repeat and duplicate it in this place.
