Surah Ya-Sin 36:53
سُورَةُ يسٓ · Meccan · Verse 53 of 83
إِن كَانَتْ إِلَّا صَيْحَةًۭ وَٰحِدَةًۭ فَإِذَا هُمْ جَمِيعٌۭ لَّدَيْنَا مُحْضَرُونَ
Translation
It was just one single blast and then- lo and behold!- they were all brought before Us.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'It will be but a single shout, and at once they are all brought present before Us.' al-Saadi and Ibn Kathir note the effortless totality: one sound, and the entire span of human history stands assembled, no one delayed, no one overlooked, no one lost in the crowd of billions. Ask yourself: I find comfort in the idea of being one anonymous life among countless others, as if the sheer scale might let me slip through unaccounted. This verse closes that gap with a single sound that gathers everyone, present and named. My life is not a drop lost in an ocean; it is on the roll-call. Does living as 'unaccountable' survive the image of the whole of humanity brought present at once?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Ya-Sin 36:53 is discussed in one study guide on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
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