Ya Sin [Chapter 36 of the Qur'an]

Sura Ya Sin is the 36th chapter of the Qur’an. The Prophet Muhammad said that Ya Sin is the heart of the Qur’an (qalb al-Qur’an). He also called it thawab al-Qur’an since it awakens the heart to contemplate the Hereafter. Ya Sin is recited for the dead, by the dead, and also for healing. One reason it is recited for the dead is that in the last 3/5 of the chapter (36:33-83) Ya Sin depicts and explains the resurrection and the hereafter, emphasizing especially through similes that the Creator can give life again to what has died. It is important that Ya Sin describes paradise because the dead will therefore be able to understand their desired destination. To demonstrate God’s power of resurrection Ya Sin presents similes in nature such as the way rain nourishes vegetation and that from that watered once dead land God provides grain, date palms, vine, fruit, and water. Other similes include the way fire comes from green wood. The full Sura Ya Sin is inscribed on the outside of two of the most important and beautiful buildings in Islamic architecture: The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.