Quran Universe
36:6

لِتُنذِرَ قَوۡمٗا مَّآ أُنذِرَ ءَابَآؤُهُمۡ فَهُمۡ غَٰفِلُونَ

Litunthira qawman ma onthira abaohum fahum ghafiloona

That you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned, so they are unaware.

Word by word
  1. لِتُنذِرَThat you may warn
  2. قَوۡمٗاa people
  3. مَّآnot
  4. أُنذِرَwere warned
  5. ءَابَآؤُهُمۡtheir forefathers
  6. فَهُمۡso they
  7. غَٰفِلُونَ(are) heedless
Ya-Sin · 36:6Makkah

Their fathers were not warned, so they drifted unaware.

Why the Messenger was sent to them

The situation
the forefathersno warner came
so
heedlessunaware
then came
the warnerthe Prophet ﷺ
Is heedlessness an excuse?
no one told me
now you are toldthe warner has come

Ibn Kathir says this refers to the Arabs, to whom no warner had come before him. He adds that mentioning them does not exclude others, for the Prophet's mission ﷺ is to all mankind.

Maybe your parents did not pray, and you grew up without anyone teaching you much. That is how drift starts. But now the warner has reached you. Your story can start differently.

My upbringing explains why I am the way I am.

Whatever I inherited, the message has now reached me. I can start fresh.

Try this

Learn one small thing about your faith today that no one ever taught you.

Related7:158
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 36:1)

The Virtues of Surah Ya Sin

Al-Hafiz Abu Ya'la recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

مَنْ قَرَأَ "يس" فِي لَيْلَةٍ أَصْبَحَ مَغْفُورًا لَهُ، وَمَنْ قَرَأَ "حٰم" الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا الدُّخَانُ أَصْبَحَ مَغْفُورًا لَهُ

(Whoever recites Ya Sin in the night, will wake up forgiven, and whoever recites Ha Mim in which Ad-Dukhan (the Smoke) is mentioned, will wake up forgiven.) Its chain of narration is good (Jayyid) .

Ibn Hibban recorded in his Sahih that Jundub bin 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

مَنْ قَرَأَ "يس" فِي لَيْلَةٍ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ غُفِرَ لَهُ

(Whoever recites Ya Sin in the night, seeking the Face of Allah, will be forgiven.)

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ 

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

يس - وَالْقُرْآنِ الْحَكِيمِ - إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ - عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ - تَنْزِيلَ الْعَزِيزِ الرَّحِيمِ - لِتُنْذِرَ قَوْمًا مَا أُنْذِرَ آبَاؤُهُمْ فَهُمْ غَافِلُونَ - لَقَدْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَىٰ أَكْثَرِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

(1. Ya Sin.)(2. By the Qur'an, full of wisdom,)(3. Truly, you are one of the Messengers,)(4. On the straight path.)(5. Sent down by the Almighty, the Most Merciful,)(6. In order that you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned, so they are heedless.)(7. Indeed the Word has proved true against most of them, so they will not believe.)

The Messenger (ﷺ) was sent as a Warner

We have already discussed the individual letters at the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah.

وَالْقُرْآنِ الْحَكِيمِ

(By the Qur'an, full of wisdom) means, Al-Muhkam (perfect) which falsehood cannot come to from before it or behind it.

إِنَّكَ

(Truly, you) means, O Muhammad,

لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ - عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

(are one of the Messengers, on the straight path.) means, following a straight methodology and religion, and an upright Law.

تَنْزِيلَ الْعَزِيزِ الرَّحِيمِ

(Sent down by the Almighty, the Most Merciful.) means, this path which you have brought is a revelation from the Lord of might Who is Most Merciful to His believing servants. This is like the Ayah:

وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ - صِرَاطِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ أَلَا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَصِيرُ الْأُمُورُ

(And verily, you are indeed guiding (mankind) to the straight path. The path of Allah to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. Verily, to Allah all matters return.)(42:52-53).

لِتُنْذِرَ قَوْمًا مَا أُنْذِرَ آبَاؤُهُمْ فَهُمْ غَافِلُونَ 

(In order that you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned, so they are heedless.) This refers to the Arabs, for no warner had come to them before him. The fact that they alone are mentioned does not mean that others are excluded, just as mentioning some individuals does not mean that all others are excluded. We have already mentioned the Ayat and Mutawatir Hadiths which state that the mission of the Prophet ﷺ is universal, when we discussed the meaning of the Ayah:

قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا

(Say: "O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah.")(7:158).

لَقَدْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَىٰ أَكْثَرِهِمْ 

(Indeed the Word has proved true against most of them,) Ibn Jarir said, "The punishment has become inevitable for most of them, because Allah has decreed in the Mother of the Book (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz) that they will not believe.

فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ 

(so they will not believe.) in Allah, or in His Messengers.