The word يا is just what you use when addressing people in questions. It essentially is what is used in Arabic instead of a comma like in the English translation.

Here are some examples:

ماذا تظن عن هذا يا امير؟ What do you think about that, Amir?

هل هذا صحيح يا نعيمة؟ Is that correct, Naima?

It's like saying : O' maha O' people... It's a way of calling. It's used a lot in religious books

Maha is a girl’s name

A girl's name. Derived from a beautiful animal called Al-Maha.