Surah Yaseen 36:69 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection
سُورَةُ يسٓ · Meccan · Verse 69 of 83
وَمَا عَلَّمْنَٰهُ ٱلشِّعْرَ وَمَا يَنۢبَغِى لَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌۭ وَقُرْءَانٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ
English: We have not taught the Prophet poetry, nor could he everhave been a poet.
Bengali: আমি রসূলকে কবিতা শিক্ষা দেইনি এবং তা তার জন্যে শোভনীয়ও নয়। এটা তো এক উপদেশ ও প্রকাশ্য কোরআন।
Meaning & Reflection
'We did not teach him poetry, nor would it befit him. It is only a reminder and a clear Qur'an.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the defence against the deniers who dismissed the revelation as mere verse: the Qur'an's purpose is not artful entertainment but *dhikr* — awakening — and clear guidance. It moves you to change, not merely to admire. Ask yourself: I can consume even sacred words the way I consume everything else — for aesthetic pleasure, a moment of feeling, then on to the next thing. This verse insists the Qur'an is not there to be *appreciated* but to *remind* — to wake me and reorder my life. Do I read it as literature to enjoy, or as a reminder meant to change how I live by tomorrow?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.
Reflect with the Five Lenses
Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Yaseen 36:69:
- Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
- Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
- Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
- Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
- General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?