“And We left for him honorable mention among later generations: Peace be upon Elijah. Indeed, this is how We reward those who do good. He was truly one of Our believing servants. And Lot was indeed among the messengers. When We saved him and all his family, except for an old woman among those who remained behind. Then We destroyed the others. You surely pass by them in the morning, and at night. Will you not then understand? And Jonah was indeed among the messengers.” (129–139)

“And We left for him honorable mention among later generations: Peace be upon Elijah.” Nafi‘ and Ibn ‘Amir recited it as “Peace be upon the family of Yasin,” with the hamzah fully lengthened with an open vowel and the lam carrying a kasrah, the two words being read separately, since they are written separately in the mushaf. The other reciters read it as “Peace be upon Ilyasin,” with a kasrah on the hamzah and a silent lam, joining the two as one word. (1)

Regarding the one who recites “the family of Yasin” as two separate words, it was said that this means the family of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. But this view is far-fetched, since Muhammad has not been mentioned previously. It was also said that it means the family of Elijah.

The well-known recitation joins the word as one, and scholars differed over its meaning. It was said that Ilyasin is a variant form of the name Elijah, just as Ishmael may be rendered Ishma‘in, and Michael Mika‘in.

Al-Farra’ said: It is a plural, referring to Elijah and his believing followers. It is thus like “the Ash‘arites” and “the non-Arabs,” pronounced without gemination. In the reading of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, it is: “Peace be upon Idrasin,” meaning Idris and his followers, because he recited: “And Idris was indeed among the messengers.” (2)

“Indeed, this is how We reward those who do good. He was truly one of Our believing servants. And Lot was indeed among the messengers. When We saved him and all his family, except for an old woman among those who remained behind”—that is, among those left to suffer the punishment.

“Then We destroyed the others.” Destruction means annihilation.

“You surely pass by them”—by their ruins and dwellings—“in the morning,” that is, at daybreak.

“And at night”: that is, you pass by them by day and by night when you set out on your journeys and when you return. “Will you not then understand?”—and thus take warning from them?

The statement of the Exalted: “And Jonah was indeed among the messengers”—that is, among the messengers of Allah.