Surah Yaseen — the heart of the Qur'an
Qur'an, chapter 36 · 83 verses · Makkan · also written Yasin and Ya-Sin.
The opening verses in Arabic
يس وَالْقُرْآنِ الْحَكِيمِ إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ تَنزِيلَ الْعَزِيزِ الرَّحِيمِ
Transliteration
Yā-Sīn. Wal-Qur'ānil-ḥakīm. Innaka laminal-mursalīn. 'Alā ṣirāṭim-mustaqīm. Tanzīlal-'Azīzir-Raḥīm.
Translation (Saheeh International)
"Ya, Seen. By the wise Qur'an, indeed you, [O Muhammad], are from among the messengers, on a straight path. [This is] a revelation of the Exalted in Might, the Merciful." (36:1–5)
Virtues — and what is authentic
- "The heart of the Qur'an." The best-known narration about Yaseen describes it this way (Sunan at-Tirmidhi 2887). Hadith scholars grade its chain weak, so it is not used to establish a ruling — but the description endures because the surah really does gather the Qur'an's central themes into one chapter.
- Recitation over the dying. The report "recite Yaseen over your dying" (Sunan Abi Dawud 3121) is also graded weak by most scholars. Many jurists nonetheless considered the practice acceptable, and it is widespread; others hold that any portion of the Qur'an may be read.
- What is beyond dispute. Reciting the Qur'an itself is rewarded letter by letter — "whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah receives a good deed, and each good deed is multiplied by ten" (Sunan at-Tirmidhi 2910, ṣaḥīḥ). Yaseen needs no special claim to be worth your night.
We list the grading openly rather than repeat unsourced claims — the surah's standing does not depend on them.
What the surah is about
Yaseen begins by affirming the Prophet ﷺ and the revelation, then tells the story of a town that rejected its messengers and of one man who ran from the far end of the city to believe — and who, entering Paradise, wished only that his people could know. The middle of the surah turns to signs anyone can see: the dead earth revived, the night stripped of day, the sun and moon each swimming in an orbit, ships carried on water. It closes with the argument that answers every objection at once — the One who created you the first time can raise you again.
When Muslims recite it
There is no obligatory time. In practice, many recite Surah Yaseen in the morning, on Thursday night or Friday, and at gatherings of remembrance or bereavement. Reading from a muṣḥaf or a screen carries the same reward as reciting from memory, and listening attentively is valid for anyone who does not yet read Arabic.
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Related: Surah Al-Mulk (67) · Ayatul Kursi (2:255) · Morning and evening adhkar