two rakʿahs, and I began my recitation with:

“Ḥā Mīm.
The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing,
Forgiver of sin, Accepter of repentance, Severe in punishment, Possessor of bounty.” (Ghāfir 40:1–3)

Suddenly there was a man behind me, mounted on a dapple-gray mule and dressed in coarse Yemeni garments. He said to me,
“When you say, ‘Forgiver of sin,’ say: ‘O Forgiver of sin, forgive my sin.’
When you say, ‘Accepter of repentance,’ say: ‘O Accepter of repentance, accept my repentance.’
When you say, ‘Severe in punishment,’ say: ‘O Severe in punishment, do not punish me.’
When you say, ‘Possessor of bounty,’ say: ‘O Possessor of bounty, envelop me in Your mercy.’”

I turned round, but there was no one. I went out and asked, “Did a man on a dapple-gray mule, wearing Yemeni garments, pass by you?” They replied, “No one passed by us.” They thought it could only have been Ilyās. (1)

As for the Almighty’s words, “But they denied him, so they will certainly be brought forth,” this means they will be presented for punishment—either in this world and the Next or in the Hereafter alone; the first meaning is the clearer, as stated by the exegetes and historians.

His words, “Except the chosen servants of Allah,” mean except those among them who believed.

His words, “And We left for him a good remembrance among later generations,” signify that We preserved for him a praise­worthy mention throughout the worlds, so that he is never spoken of except with good.

For that reason He said: “Peace be upon Āl Yāsīn,” that is, peace be upon Ilyās. The Arabs often append a nūn to many names or exchange it for another letter, as they say: Ismāʿīl/Ismaʿīn, Isrāʾīl/Isrāʿīn, Ilyās/Ilyāsīn.

Those who recite “Peace be upon Āl Yāsīn” understand it to mean “upon the family of Muḥammad.”

Ibn Masʿūd and others read, “Peace be upon Idrāsīn.” It is transmitted from him through Isḥāq, from ʿUbaydah ibn Rabīʿah, from Ibn Masʿūd, that he said: “Ilyās is Idrīs.” This was also the view of al-Ḍaḥḥāk ibn Muzāḥim and was reported by Qatādah and Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, yet the sound position is that they are two different persons, as explained earlier. Allah knows best.