Is there a prayer (dua) that is necessary to read before or after reading the chapter of Yasin?

Dear Brother / Sister,

You can read the chapter of Yasin independently. The following prayer is read after reading Yasin:  

"Ya ilahi, ya samadi, wa alayka mu'tamadi. Ya nasiru, ya muinu bi hurmati iyyaka nasta'inu. A'inni ala kulli halin bi quwwati qudratika. Ya muinu, ya rahmanu wa bi hurmati surati Yasin wa bi hurmati sallallahu alayhi wasallama wa ala alihi ajmain." (Majmuatul-Ahzab, I/573)

THE CHAPTER OF YASIN

It is the thirty-sixth chapter of the Quran. It has eighty-three verses, seven hundred and twenty-seven words and three thousand words. Its verses end with the letters nun and mim. It was sent down in Makkah after the chapter of al-Jinn.

There are narrations that verse twelve and forty-five were sent down in Madinah. (Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, Hak Dini Kur'an Dili, İstanbul 1971, V, 4002)

The chapter of Yasin was given this name because of the letters ya and sin in the first verse. It also has some other names: "Azima", "Muimma", "Mudafi'a Qadiya" and "Qalbul-Quran". Qalbul-Quran means the heart of the Quran; Mudafi'a Qadiya means the one that expels all kinds bad things from the person who reads and acts in accordance with it; Muimma means the one that makes the person who reads it gain the life of the world and the hereafter, and that eliminates the fears of the world and the hereafter from him; Azima means the one that causes the person who reads it as an honorable one near Allah.

Scholars have different views about the meaning of the letters ya and sin.

The verses of the chapter are short. There are influential and short warnings. The verses are in the form of short sentences. There are warnings that influence the heart throughout the chapter.

The first and most important target of the chapter of Yasin is to establish the principles of Islamic faith. Therefore, the importance of prophethood and the Quran is mentioned in the first verses of the chapter:

"Ya Sin. By the Qur'an, full of Wisdom― Thou art indeed one of the messengers. On a Straight Way." (1-4).

In these verses, Allah swears by the letters ya and sin, which name this chapter, and the Quran and informs us about the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) and states that he is on the straight way.  

After that, the bad ending of the people of the town that did not obey the prophets sent to them, denied them and opposed them is mentioned in this chapter. Toward the end of the chapter, prophethood and Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) are mentioned again.

In the chapter of Yasin, issues related to belief and creed are dealt with as it is the case in the other chapters sent down in Makkah. Scenes of the Day of Judgment, exemplary stories about the people that lived in the past and the incidents that express Allah's existence, belief and creed are also mentioned in the chapter. So many incidents showing Allah's power, exemplary scenes like the dead ground becoming green and reviving, the night becoming dark when the sun sets, the appearance of the sun proceeding in its orbit, the state of the moon that proceeds until it becomes like a dry palm branch, and ships carrying people and various loads on water are displayed and people are asked to think about them. Paradise and Hell are also mentioned.   

Among the messages given by the chapter of Yasin, resurrection after death, that is, life in the hereafter, form the most important part. For, belief in the hereafter has a very important role in man’s life and influences him very much. (Sayyid Qutub, Fi Zilalil-Qur'an, Beirut 1971, VII, 6 ff) Some of the verses that inform about life in the hereafter definitely are as follows:

"Doth not man see that it is We Who created Him from sperm? Yet behold! He (stands forth) as an open adversary! And he makes comparisons for us, and forgets his own (Origin and) Creation: He says "Who can give life to (dry) bones and decomposed ones (at that)?" Say "He will give them life Who created them for the first time! For He is well-versed in every kind of creation." (77-79)

According to what is reported from Ibn Abbas, al-As Ibn Wail went to Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), took a decayed bone and crumbled it. Then, he said, "O Muhammad! Will Allah revive this decayed bone?" Thereupon, the verses above were sent down. (Abdulfattah al-Qadi, Asbabun-Nuzul, Egypt n.d., 189)

The chapter of Yasin is read a lot by Muslims. It is more popular than other chapters among Muslims. There are various hadiths Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) said about it and advised people to read it. Some of those hadiths are as follows:

"Everything has a heart. The heart of the Quran is Yasin. If a person reads Yasin, Allah writes thawabs for him as if he has read the Quran ten times." (Tirmidhi, Fadailul-Qur'an, 7; Darimi, Fadailul-Qur'an, 21)

"Yasin is the heart of the Quran. The previous sins of a person who reads Yasin by desiring Allah and the Day of Judgment are forgiven. Read it to your dead people." (Abu Dawud Janaiz 20; Ibn Majah, Janaiz 4; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad V, 26, 27)

As it is understood from those hadiths, it is permissible to read Yasin and send its thawab to the spirits of the dead. However, it should not be forgotten that the Quran was sent down to the people who are alive and so that they would understand it and lead a life in accordance with its commands and prohibitions. 

The chapter of Yasin ends with the following verses, which indicate Allah's existence, His superior power and the hereafter:

""Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth able to create the like thereof?"― Yea, indeed! For He is the Creator Supreme, of skill and knowledge (infinite)! Verily, when He intends a thing, His command is "Be" and it is! So glory to Him in Whose hands is the dominion of all things; and to Him will ye be all brought back." (81-83)

Nureddin TURGAY

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