1.
The Messenger and the Seal has thus transmitted, "Indeed in the Noble Qur’an there is a surah which, for its reader will intercede and which will be a means of forgiveness for its listener. Listen carefully, it is Surah Ya Siiin, in the Torah it is called Muimmah (Giver of Good Things)."
It was enquired, "O’ Messenger of Allah, what is Muimmah?" Rasulullah replied, "It contains for its reader the benefits of this world, it removes from him the dread of the next life, and it is called Dafiah and Qadhiyah."
Again it was enquired, "How is this Surah Dafiah and Qadhiyah?" Rasulullah replied, "It takes away from its reader all afflictions and fulfills his need. Whoever recites it, it will be made equal to twenty pilgrimages. Whoever shall listen to it, it will be as thousand dinars, which he has given as charity in the path of Allah. And whoever shall write it and then drink the drink which has touched it, it will enter into his heart a thousand cures, a thousand radiant lights, a thousand times more increase in belief, a thousand mercies, a thousand blessings, a thousand times more increase in guidance, and will remove from him all diseases." (Narrated on the authority of Aisha, reference Tha’labi, Tirmidhi in Nawadirul Usul, Hashiya of Tafsir Jalalalayn)
The Messenger of Allah also transmitted: "Whoever recites Surah Ya Siiin on the eve of Friday, he/she will be forgiven by morning.” (Narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah)
“Whoever reads Surah Ya Siiin is forgiven; whoever reads it in hunger is satisfied; whoever reads it having lost their way, finds their way; whoever reads it on losing an animal, finds it. When one reads it apprehending that their food will run short, that food becomes sufficient. If one reads it beside a person who is in the throes of death, the pangs of death are made easy for them. If anyone reads it on a woman experiencing difficulty in child-birth, her delivery becomes easy ~ by the Will of Allah. ” (Sacred Tradition of Islam)
2.
This post continues from the last post: Meditation on the Heart of the Quran: Surah Ya Siiin where meditation on the Signs 1 to 5 was shared. You may read it here first.
BISMILLAHIR RAHMANIR RAHIM
(YOU ARE A MESSENGER IN THE SUCCESSION OF PREVIOUS MESSENGERS, AND THIS IS A REVELATION FROM THE ALMIGHTY AND THE MERCIFUL ~ )
THAT YOU MAY WARN A PEOPLE WHOSE FOREFATHERS WERE NOT WARNED, SO THEY ARE HEEDLESS (OF REALITY). (36:6)
One of the task of the Prophet was to warn his people who were heedless of the reality. Ghafil (heedless) are those who are lazy in following the truth, who are mindless about the grand realities (such as afterlife, grand accountability). Any person no matter how busy he or she is in worldly matter, if he or she is not hardworking in matter of religion and spirituality is called ghafil or heedless in the language of the Quran. One's work is of no value, if he or she does not pay attention to the aspects of Reality which are ever-lasting and act accordingly.
INDEED THE WORD HAS BEEN PROVEN TRUE AGAINST MOST OF THEM, BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE FAITH. (36:7)
It is true for most of the people of Samsara (dunya) that due to their heedlessness, they are not able to preserve their faith. Iman or faith is such a matter that it must be safeguarded with amal saleh, with true actions. Faith without action is vain. Without karma-yoga / amal saleh / wholesome actions, faith can not be even called faith (iman). Thus those who are heedless in the actions which religion calls to perform, can not attain faith. Lazy people are not fitting for faithfulness. In the world the common tendency of man is to be heedless of reality and thus they are more interested to worship money, job, fame and every other temporary trivial things than what is Real, and their action is a proof of that. What occupies a man's heart and mind tells about his or her priorities and indicates upon what they place their faith in truth.
This is an established fact and the Qur'an is reminding that most of the people in the world do not have real faith, even though they may claim to be believers. A truly faithful person, a sincere believer is indeed very precious to find.
TRULY, WE HAVE PLACED SHACKLES AROUND THEIR NECKS REACHING TO THEIR CHINS, SO THEY HAVE BEEN MADE TO BE STIFF-NECKED. (36:8)
Those who do not remain in the path of faith and truth, very soon the shackles of materialism chain them and it blocks every door of true knowledge and wisdom in such a way that man gets lost in the whirlpool of falsehood, in maya, in wahm, in avarice. Truth can not enter their heart. This is how this reality map is constructed. If man does not follow through true actions (amal saleh) as instructed by God, soon they become slave of materialism and it shackles them around their necks reaching up to their chins and they become stiff-necked, as the parable is used in the Qur'an, which is a real parable.
It is so real that it is literally the condition of most of us, may God free us from such bondage of materialism. If man does not advance with sacred knowledge, with clear understanding of what is right and what is wrong, the addiction of the temporal world, it's material greed become shackles. It makes them stiff-necked and they are unable to comprehend what is the all encompassing reality that surrounds them from all sides. Even those who observe religious duties but who have not free their heart from the attachments are also living in the same situation, for their doorway is also closed due to their veils, and sometimes blind religious observances can also be the veil that prevent them from attaining the nearness of their Lord and realization of His mysteries. Humbling spiritual realizations and religious bigotry are completely two different matters. The second is under the condition of 'stiff-necked' according to the Quranic language.
AND WE HAVE SET A BARRIER BEFORE THEM, AND A BARRIER BEHIND THEM, AND SHROUDED THEM SO THAT THEY DO NOT SEE. (36:9)
The reality matrix is such that when people worship worldliness, it naturally deteriorates the faculty of perception of truth, namely the heart and the spirit. With increasing worship of materialism by man, his insatiable desire for wealth/ temporal stuff produces more and more barriers on all sides, and such veils makes him blind in the heart. At that point no matter how much secular and material knowledge he or she may pursue, it does not open the eyes which perceive truth. Such is the nature of the reality created by the Most High that those who choose materialism over spiritual truth, gets more and more entangled in this illusion which shroud them and makes them blind. La yubsiroon - they do not see.
AND IT IS THE SAME TO THEM IF YOU WARN THEM OR DO NOT WARN THEM - THEY DO NOT HAVE FAITH. (36:10)
Men's persistent immersion in falsehood and materialism makes their spiritual heart dead and other spiritual faculties dysfunctional, thus it does not matter if they are reminded of their inevitable realities or not, they fail to receive the light of faith. As long as man choose to be enslaved by materialism and worldliness, they are made more and more entangled in those very bonds. The more they give up their hearts and mind to the greed, materialism, the more they are chained.
It is only truth and the company of the truthful hearts can set men free from such bondage. Freedom is under the shadow of people who are heirs of the truthful Prophets. In the company of such people men can really attain life, else the world is a country of dead people. Dead of hearts, dead to faith, dead to real spiritual realities. La yu'minoon - they do not have faith.
YOU CAN ONLY WARN ONE WHO FOLLOWS THE REMEMBRANCE AND WHO IS IN AWE OF THE MERCY FULL IN THE UNSEEN. BRING HIM THE GOOD NEWS OF FORGIVENESS AND A BOUNTIFUL REWARD. (36:11)
In this hopeless situation of enslaved man, who is enslaved in material illusions of the temporal world, there is good news of forgiveness and bountiful reward from the Most Merciful. Two qualities are necessary in man as mentioned in this Sign who may turn back from illusions - these qualities are openness to truth and who fear almighty God. This fear is a natural consequence of mature understanding which first produce awe, then reverence and fear. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of real knowledge.
Men commonly will fear everything, they will fear poverty, they are afraid of losing their job, they are fearful of lack of security - be it financial or otherwise, they may be fearful of being alone and rejection by others, they are afraid of earthquakes, they are afraid of tornado, they are fearful of ten thousand other things, and yet they do not fear the Maker of all, the Almighty Who has Authority of everything, the One Who deserves the most reverence. Thus in this Qur'an it is reminded that those who follow Remembrance of Truth and at the same time fear the Almighty - it is them who will benefit from real warnings of the Messengers and for them are glad tidings of forgiveness and reward from the Giver of Bounty.
(to be continued)
5 July 2013 / based on the Tafsir by Sadar Uddin Ahmad Chishti
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