Ayah 11:
إنما تنذر من اتبع الذكر وخشي الرحمن بالغيب فبشره بمغفرة وأجر كريم
Innamaa tunziru manit taba 'az-Zikra wa khashiyar Rahmaana bilghaib, fabashshirhu bimaghfiratinw-wa ajrin kareem
You can only warn one who follows the message and fears the Most Merciful unseen. So give him good tidings of forgiveness and noble reward.
One very profound message here is that da'wah is a responsibility from Allaah and it must be discharged. It is not just to benefit the person being invited (mad'u), but also for the inviter (da'i) regardless if someone is listening or not. We do not slacken in our efforts and accept failure. We strive because we are benefiting from this struggle. At the end of the day, the Messenger of Allaah pbuh wanted to see some results, to see some validation, some vindication, to see that what he's doing means something and it brings some change.
Innamaa in this form serves the purpose of restriction and specification, "in actuality, you are only".
Attaba'a az-Zikr | Word Analysis
Az-Zikr points to the Qur'aan as time and time again it has been described as that (54, 40)
ولقد يسرنا القرآن للذكر فهل من مدكر
And We have indeed made the Qur'aan easy to understand and remember...
The fact that it's in its proper form az-Zikr is even more evidence of the fact that it points specifically to the Qur'aan.
So the one who will ittaba' (literally meaning "to follow") the Qur'aan.
What does it mean to follow the Qur'aan?
In other places, we are told (39, 18)
الذين يستمعون القول فيتبعون أحسنه أولئك الذين هداهم الله وأولئك هم أولو الألباب
Who listen to speech (very attentively, carefully) and follow it (in its most excellent fashion). Those are the ones Allaah has guided and those are people of understanding.
Thus, following the Qur'aan means to listen, understand it, internalize it, act upon it, and even spend themselves in further spreading it. This is the real following of the Qur'aan. This is the person whom the Messenger of Allaah pbuh is warning.
Khashiya ar-Rahman | Word Analysis
But that's not all. This person has a second quality as well. Khashiya he fears, is overwhelmed by ar-Rahman. This is an interesting combination, to fear the Most Merciful.
Why not say Allaah?
By saying Ar-Rahman the reader or listener thinks of all the blessings in his life and feels a sense of obligation to turn to and worship Allaah. The title, relationship, status is mentioned to make one feel a sense of obligation. He has blessed you with everything you have.
Also, by mentioning Ar-Rahman it's His right upon us to be worshipped and for us to fear disappointing Him. There is no contradiction.
Ghayb meaning in absence. When they are away from everyone, in the privacy of their homes. This person would have truly internalized the meaning of the Qur'aan. He is never heedless of Allaah, the One Who has given him everything, is watching him.
The Result
Give these people the good news of maghfirah. Maghfirah is the larger form of the word, meaning "complete forgiveness".
And give them news of a ajrin karim – a most generous, noble word.
So these people had two qualities and were guaranteed two promises.
1. For living a life following the Qur'aan they receive maghfirah. When we lead such a life we are cleansing and washing away all the sins we have committed in this life.
2. For being fearful of Ar-Rahman even in private they receive a noble, generous reward (the life of Paradise).
Ayah 12:
إنا نحن نحيي الموتى ونكتب ما قدموا وآثارهم وكل شيء أحصيناه في إمام مبين
Innaa Nahnu nuhyil mawtaa wa naktubu maa qaddamoo wa aasaarahum; wa kulla shay'in ahsainaahu feee Imaamim Mubeen
Indeed, it is We who bring the dead to life and record what they have put forth and what they left behind, and all things We have enumerated in a clear register.
As in verses 8 and 9, there is exclusivity here by repetition of the first person plural subject (most definitely We and only We).
NuHyi al-mawtaa| Reviving the dead
This may be referring to either
1. Reaffirming the life of the hereafter. On the Day of Judgment these people will be resurrected. This was the number one objection of the mushrikeen/disbelievers from the believers.
2. The life of imaan (6, 122)
أومن كان ميتا فأحييناه وجعلنا له نورا يمشي به في الناس كمن مثله في الظلمات ليس بخارج منها
And is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light with which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge therefrom? ...
{The one who remembers Allaah and the one who does not, their example is like the living and the dead. [Tirmidhi]}
Allaah brings people to life by blessing them with imaan. Previously, there was reference to people who would not believe. Now He is speaking of those who will accept it. Again, we continue to put forth our da'wah because we do not know whom Allaah will bless to come forward from death into life. Look to the examples of Abu Sufyan, Khaalid b. Walid, Ikrimah b. Abi Jahl.
Naktubu| The Recording
This focuses upon accountability. This was another objection of the disbelievers. They could not fathom how anyone could take everyone to account for what they have done.
Aathaarahum| Word Analysis
And their lasting effects or their remaining effects.
But what does that mean?
1. maa qaddamu (= that which they have sent forward) is referring to the good intention that one sends forward.
When a believer makes the intention to do a good deed. Allaah tells the Angel to write.
The Angel responds that the person has not done anything yet.
Allaah says that the person has made the intent to do some good so it should be written for him as a reward.
Then, when the person acts upon the good deed, Allaah again commands the Angel to write it.
In comparison: when the person intends for sin, the Angel asks Allaah if it should be written. Allaah says no do not write it. Then when the person commits the sin, Allaah tells the Angel to write it once. If the person does not commit it, though, Allaah tells the Angel to write down a good deed for the person because he fought his intention and resisted.
من كان يريد حرث الآخرة نزد له في حرثه ومن كان يريد حرث الدنيا نؤته منها وما له في الآخرة من نصيب
Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter – We increase for him in his harvest. And whoever desires the harvest of this world – We give him thereof, but there is not for him in the Hereafter any share. (42, 20)
Allaah did not say man kaana 'amila, but He said man kaana yuridu. The one who would intend, not actually did. Iradah. Just a good intention is a profound good deed upon the believer.
The intention of the believer is better than his action.
Then the aathaar are the actual good deeds upon those intentions.
2. maa qaddamu are the actual good deeds the person does and aathaar are what it encouraged others to do
Whosoever starts a good practice, he will get the reward of it and the reward of anyone who continues to act upon it.
When the human being dies, his actions are cut off except for three things (he still gets rewarded for) (1) perpetual charity (2) knowledge the people continue to benefit from (3) a righteous child who continues to make du'aa for the deceased parent.
So they not only get credit of that which they themselves have done, but the after effects of what they have done.
3. maa qaddamu are the good deeds being written and aathaar are everything that goes into making the deeds reality and comes about because of it.
The scholars quote an incident from the life of the Messenger of Allaah pbuh.
There were a people living on the outskirts of Madinah, Banu Salimah, who accepted Islaam when the message first arrived and supported Islaam.
Their neighbourhood was some distance from the masjid so they made intentions to move into the plot near it (today it is jannat'l-baqi'). He pbuh heard this and went to them. He pbuh said, "Ya Bani Salimah, diyaarakum (stay where you are now). Tubtabu aathaarakum (every little footstep you take to the masjid are written as reward for you).
When a person walks to the masjid, for every step he takes he gets a reward and one sin is wiped away from his slate.
This is like guarding the boundaries of the land of Islaam. Meaning the farther you live from the masjid and yet you still go, it is like preserving the Islaamic state.
Give good news to the people who walk, but walk frequently to the masjid in the darkness of night. They will have the most complete light on the Day of Judgment.
The principle is that when you do a good deed, the effort, time, investment, and intention, everything that goes into making the deed a reality are written for you.
Final Confirmation
Each and every single thing (abnormal sentence structure) (iHsaan) is already taken into account and has been preserved. There are books with the proof, with confirmation.
Imaam here means (according to Ibn Abbaas) the book of deeds, your record. This is because it will be presented before people and people will follow it (e.g. right hand to Paradise, left hand to Hellfire). This again creates that sense of accountability. What we do in this life will determine what happens to us in the Hereafter.
This life is an allusion, but it is significant because our result in the Hereafer depends upon what we've done here. What we do in this life will be our imaam in the Hereafter.
This ends passage one of Ya-Sin.
We've now discussed the validity of the Qur'aan, of the Messenger of Allaah pbuh, and of the concept of their being messengers sent by Allaah to deliver His message to the people.
Then there are two groups people divide into when they are delivered this message. One choose to denounce it and Allaah discusses their situation and condition. The other choose to accepts it and Allaah discusses the reward set aside for them.