“Yd Sin. By the Qur’ān, All of wisdom.” (Verses 1-2) God says an oath by these two letters and by the Qur’ān. This combination endorses the view we have expressed elsewhere about the mention of separate letters at the beginning of many sūrahs, and the relation between mentioning these letters and the Qur’ān. The proof that God is the source of the Qur’ān is obvious from these letters which are available to all Arabs to use yet they are incapable of producing with them anything like the thoughts and modes of expression contained in the Qur’ān. Yet seldom do they consider such confirmation.

As He swears by the Qur’ān, God Almighty describes it as being full of wisdom.

In fact, a literal translation should be ‘By the wise Qur’ān.’ Wisdom is a quality of rational beings, which suggests that the oath is phrased in this way to impart to the Qur’ān the qualities of life, having a purpose and a will, which are essential for a wise being.

Although this is allegorical, nonetheless it describes a fact, bringing it closer to our minds’ eye. This Qur’ān has a soul of its own, giving it qualities similar to those of a living person with whom you have mutual responses and feelings. This takes place when you pay full attention to it and listen to it with your heart and soul. Whenever you open your faculties up to it, the Qur’ān reveals to you more of its secrets. When you have lived for a while in the company of the Qur’ān, you will long for its distinctive features, just as you long for the features of a close friend. God’s Messenger used to love to listen to the Qur’ān being recited by other people. He would even stop by people’s doors if he overheard someone inside reciting the Qur’ān, just like a lover listens to a conversation about the one he loves.

The Qur’ān is certainly wise. It addresses everyone according to their ability; touching heart strings, speaking in a measured way, and using a wisdom that suits each person. Furthermore, the Qur’ān is full of wisdom. It educates people wisely, according to a straight logical and psychological system that releases all human potential and directs people to what is good and beneficial. It establishes a code of living that allows every human activity within the limits of its wise system.

God Almighty swears by the two letters, Yā and Sīn, and by the Qur’ān to confirm the truth of revelation and the message delivered by the Prophet: “You are indeed one of God’s messengers, pursuing a straight way.” (Verses 3-4) Limitless in His glory, God does not need to express an oath, but this oath by the Qur’ān and its letters gives the subject of the oath added greatness. God would not swear by anything unless it were great indeed, worthy of being sworn by.

“You are indeed one of God’s messengers.” (Verse 3) The way this verse is phrased imparts a feeling that sending messengers is a well recognized fact, with many past cases. This is not what is being proved here. Instead, what is being emphasized is that Muĥammad (peace be upon him) is one of these messengers. The oath is addressed to Muĥammad himself, not to those who deny his message, so as to place the oath, the Messenger and the message above argument or discussion. It is a fact being stated by God about His Messenger.

Having presented the issues of revelation and resurrection in the form of a factual statement, the sūrah now presents them again in narrative form so as to touch hearts with a story about the fate of those who persist in denying the truth:

Cite for them, as a case in point, the people of a township to which messengers came.

We sent them two messengers, but they rejected them; so We reinforced them with a third, and they said: ‘We are messengers who have been sent to you.’ They replied:

You are nothing but mortals like ourselves. Moreover, the Lord of Grace has never revealed anything; you do nothing but lie.’ They said: ‘Our Lord knows that we have indeed been sent to you. Our only duty is to clearly deliver the message [entrusted to us]. Said [the others]: ‘We augur evil from you. Unless you desist, we will surely stone you and inflict on you a painful suffering.’ [The messengers] replied: ‘The evil you forebode is within yourselves. [Why do you take this as an evil omen] when you are only being reminded of the truth? Truly, you are going too far’ (Verses 13-19)

The Qur’ān does not mention which township this was or who were its people.

Different reports suggest different towns and cities, but there is no real benefit in trying to establish its identity. The fact that the Qur’ān neither identifies it nor mentions its location does not detract from the import of the story. It is a city to which God sent two messengers, just as He sent Moses and his brother Aaron to Pharaoh and his nobles. The people of the city rejected their message, accusing them of lying. God supported His two messengers with a third, confirming that they were truly His messengers. All three of them again presented their message, saying to the people: “We are messengers who have been sent to you.” (Verse 14)

At this point, the people of the city aired the same objections that were given to God’s messengers throughout history: “They replied: You are nothing but mortals like ourselves. Moreover, the Lord of Grace has never revealed anything; you do nothing but lie.” (Verse 15) This oft-repeated objection to the fact that God sends human messengers to human communities betrays a naive understanding and ignorance of the nature of the messenger’s role. People expected that both the personality and the life of the messenger should entail some deep secret which could feed their imaginations. In other words, they expected the unusual in such a way as attracted legend. Was he not a messenger sent from the heavens to the earth? How come, then, that he is just a simple ordinary person with no puzzling secrets surrounding him? He is no different from anyone else, no different from the multitude to be found everywhere.

Such thinking is certainly naive. Secrets and enigmas are not essential qualities for prophethood and divine messages; not in this childish way of thinking. There is indeed a great secret involved, but it is epitomized in the plain fact that an ordinary person is given the ability to receive revelations from on high once God has chosen him for that task. This is something of far greater wonder than sending an angel as God’s messenger, as unbelievers suggest.

Such was the response of hearts that would not open to God’s message. It is such people that were mentioned at the outset of the sūrah. The other type, who follow the reminder and fear God despite their inability to see Him, also have here a behavioural example to emulate:

Then a man came from the farthest end of the city at speed. He said: My people! Follow these messengers. Follow those who ask you for no reward, and are themselves rightly guided. Why should I not worship the One who has brought me into being? It is to Him that you will all return. Should I worship other deities beside Him? If the Lord of Grace should will that harm befall me, their intercession will avail me nothing, nor will they save me. Indeed, I should clearly be in error: I do believe in the Lord of you all; so listen to me.’ (Verses 20-25)

This is the response of sound human nature to the straightforward message of the truth: it reflects sincerity, simplicity, warmth and correct understanding. It shows us a man giving a positive response to the message, once he has recognized the elements of truth and sound logic in it. He points out these elements to his people as he addresses them. When he felt the truth of faith in his heart, he could not stay quiet or sit at home caring nothing while the truth was being rebuffed and falsehood upheld all around him. Instead he actively advocated the truth among his people, among those who were threatening the messengers with severe punishment. He travelled from the furthest end of the city to fulfil his duty, to call on his people to espouse the truth and to stop their opposition to it and aggression against God’s messengers.

It is apparent that the man did not command a position of honour, power or influence among his people. He was an ordinary person motivated by faith to travel from one end of the city to the other to make his stand clear. “He said: My people! Follow these messengers. Follow those who ask you for no reward, and are themselves rightly guided.” (Verses 20-21) Anyone who advocates such a message, seeking no gain or reward, must be honest and sincere. What else could motivate him to undertake such trouble, enduring such opposition, unless he was required to do so by God? Why would he bear such a burden, confronting people with a faith that is unfamiliar to them, exposing himself in the process to threats, ridicule and persecution when he stood to make no gain nor earn any benefit?

“Follow those who ask you for no reward, and are themselves rightly guided.” (Verse 21)

That they are guided aright is obvious: they advocate belief in the One God, following a clear system, and a faith that is free of ambiguity and superstition. Their way is clearly straight.

The man then speaks about himself, outlining the reasons that motivated him to believe, and appealing to sound human nature: “Why should I not worship the One who has brought me into being? It is to Him that you will all return. Should I worship other deities beside Him? If the Lord of Grace should will that harm befall me, their intercession will avail me nothing, nor will they save me. Indeed, I should clearly be in error.” (Verses 22- 24) The question is posed by sound human nature which feels the presence of its Creator and the source of its existence: “Why should I not worship the One who has brought me into being?” Why would I deviate from this natural way which is the first to present itself to human nature? Needless to say, man is by nature attracted to his Creator and only deviates from Him under the pressure of some outside element. To turn to the Creator is the right and appropriate course, requiring no alien element or a pull from outside. The man here strongly feels this and states it clearly and simply.

The drift of the story suggests that the unbelievers then killed the man. The sūrah, however, does not mention this clearly. Instead, it lets the curtain drop to cover this city, its people and their preoccupations. When the curtain rises again we see the martyr who spoke out clearly and loudly for the truth, confronting those in power.

We see him in the next world and see the honour granted him by God, as fits a brave believer who does not hesitate to stand up for the truth: “He was told: Enter paradise.

He said: Would that my people knew how my Lord has forgiven me my sins, and has placed me among the highly honoured!” (Verses 26-27)

Thus this present life is connected to the life to come: death is merely a transfer from this transitory world to the one that is everlasting. It is but a step that takes a believer from the narrowness of the earth to the expanse of heavens, from the tyranny of falsehood to the security of the truth, and from the darkness of ignorance to the light of certainty. When the man sees what God has in store for him in heaven, he good- naturedly remembers his people, wishing that they could see the happiness and honour God has granted him so that they would know and accept the truth.

Such is the reward of faith. As for tyranny, it is too weak to require that God should send angels to destroy it: “After that, We did not send an army from heaven against his people; nor do We send any. Nothing was needed but one single blast, and they fell down lifeless.” (Verses 2829) The sūrah does not speak in detail about how these people were destroyed. They are too insignificant to deserve such mention. They needed no more than one blast and no further trace of life was to be seen from them.