Surah Yaseen 36:18 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection

قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا تَطَيَّرْنَا بِكُمْ ۖ لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهُوا۟ لَنَرْجُمَنَّكُمْ وَلَيَمَسَّنَّكُم مِّنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ

English: but they answered, ‘We think you are an evil omen. If you do not stop, we shall stone you, and inflict a painful torment on you.’

Bengali: তারা বলল, আমরা তোমাদেরকে অশুভ-অকল্যাণকর দেখছি। যদি তোমরা বিরত না হও, তবে অবশ্যই তোমাদেরকে প্রস্তর বর্ষণে হত্যা করব এবং আমাদের পক্ষ থেকে তোমাদেরকে যন্ত্রনাদায়ক শাস্তি স্পর্শ করবে।

Meaning & Reflection

The townspeople said: 'We see you as an evil omen; if you do not stop, we will stone you and inflict a painful punishment on you.' al-Biqa'i and Ibn Ashur note the move: they recast the messengers — the bringers of guidance — as the *cause* of their misfortune, a bad omen to be silenced. It is the ancient reflex of blaming the one who disturbs your comfort with an unwelcome truth. Ask yourself: when someone's honesty makes my life harder, is my instinct to weigh whether they're *right*, or to resent them as the source of my discomfort and wish they'd just be quiet? This verse shows how naturally the human heart blames the messenger to avoid the message.

Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Biqa'i, al-Saadi.

Reflect with the Five Lenses

Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Yaseen 36:18:

• 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?