Surah Insan ayat 1 Tafsir Quran 76:1

﴿هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى الْإِنسَانِ حِينٌ مِّنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْئًا مَّذْكُورًا﴾
[ الإنسان: 1]

76:1 Has there [not] come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing [even] mentioned?

Has there ever been — there has indeed been — for man Adam a period of time forty years in which he was a thing unmentioned? — he was during this period a fashioned in clay and not mentioned; alternatively what is meant by insān ‘man’ is the generic noun and by hīn ‘a period of time’ the period of gestation.

Was there not an era when man was not even heard of

Which was revealed in Makkah The Recitation of Surat As-Sajdah and Al-Insan in the Morning Prayer on Friday It has been mentioned previously that it is recorded in Sahih Muslim from Ibn `Abbas that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite in the Morning prayer on Friday: الم تَنزِيلَ ( Alif Lam Mim.
The revelation... )( 32 ) and; هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الإِنسَـنِ ( Has there not been over man... ) ( 76 ) بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Allah created Man after He did not exist Allah informs that He brought man into existence after he was not even a thing worth mentioning, due to his lowliness and weakness.
Allah says, هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الإِنسَـنِ حِينٌ مِّنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْئاً مَّذْكُوراً ( Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning ) Then Allah explains this by saying, إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَـنَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ ( Verily, We have created man from Nutfah Amshaj, ) meaning, mixed.
The words Mashaj and Mashij mean something that is mixed together.
Ibn `Abbas said concerning Allah's statement, مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ ( from Nutfah Amshaj, ) "This means the fluid of the man and the fluid of the woman when they meet and mix." Then man changes after this from stage to stage, condition to condition and color to color.
`Ikrimah, Mujahid, Al-Hasan and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas all made statements similar to this.
They said, "Amshaj is the mixing of the man's fluid with the woman's fluid." Concerning Allah's statement, نَّبْتَلِيهِ ( in order to try him, ) means, `We test him.' It is similar to Allah's statement, لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً ( That He may test you which of you is best in deed. ) ( 67:2 ) Then Allah says, فَجَعَلْنَـهُ سَمِيعاً بَصِيراً ( so, We made him hearer and seer. ) meaning, `We gave him the faculties of hearing and sight so that he would be able to use them for obedience and disobedience.' Allah guided Him to the Path, so Man is either Grateful or Ungrateful Allah says, إِنَّا هَدَيْنَـهُ السَّبِيلَ ( Verily, We guided to him the way, ) meaning, `We explained it to him, made it clear to him and showed it to him.' This is as Allah says, وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَـهُمْ فَاسْتَحَبُّواْ الْعَمَى عَلَى الْهُدَى ( And as for Thamud, We guided them but they preferred blindness to guidance. ) ( 41:17 ) Allah also said, وَهَدَيْنَـهُ النَّجْدَينِ ( And We guided him to the two ways. ) ( 90:10 ) meaning, `We explained to him the path of good and the path of evil.' This is the statement of `Ikrimah, `Atiyah, Ibn Zayd and Mujahid from what is well-known from him and the majority.
Allah then says, إِمَّا شَاكِراً وَإِمَّا كَفُوراً ( Whether he be grateful or ungrateful. ) This is his decree.
Thus, with this he is either wretched or happy.
This is like what has been recorded by Muslim in a Hadith from Abu Malik Al-Ash`ari.
He said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«كُلُّ النَّاسِ يَغْدُو فَبَائِعٌ نَفْسَهُ، فَمُوبِقُهَا أَوْ مُعْتِقُهَا»
( All of mankind wakes up in the morning the merchant of his own soul.
So he either imprisons it or sets it free.
)

(76:1) Was there a period of time when man was not even worthy of a mention?  *1

Has there [not] come upon man a meaning

*1) Most of the conunentators and translators have taken hal in the first sentence hal ata alal-insan-i, in the meaning of qad.
Accordingly, they interpret this sentence to mean; " No doubt, there has indeed passed on man a time. " But, in fact, the word hal in Arabic is used only as an interrogative particle, and its object is not to ask a question in every case, but this apparently interrogative particle is used in different meanings on different occasions.
For example, sometimes, in order to find out whether a certain incident has taken place or not, we ask: " Has this thing happened? " Sometimes we do not mean to ask a question but to deny something and we express the denial, thus: " Can any other also do this? " Sometimes we want somebody to affirm something and so ask him: " Have I paid what was due to you? And sometimes we do not intend to have something just affirmed but we put a question in order to make the addressee pay particular attention to something which follows his affirmation as a sequel.
For example, we ask someone: "Have I harmed you in any way'?" The object is not only to make him affirm that one has not done him any harm, but also to make him think how far one is justified to harm somebody who has not harmed him in any way.
The interrogative sentence in the verse before us illustrates this last meaning.
'i ne object is not only to make man affirm that there has indeed passed on him such a period of time but also to make him think that the God Who developed and shaped him into a perfect man from an insignificant, humble beginning, would not be helpless to create him once again.

In the second sentence, hin um-min ad-dahr the word dahr implies the endless time, the beginning and end of which are unknown to tnan and hin is the particular period of tune which might at some time have passed during this endless period.
What is meant to be said is that in this immensely long span of time there has passed g long period when human race was altogether non-existent.
Then a time came in it when a species called Man was created, and in the same period a time has passed on every person when a beginning was made to bring him into existence from nothingness.

The third sentence, "when he was not yet a thing worthy of mention" implies that a part of him existed in the form of a microscopic gene in the sperm drop of the father and a part in the form of a microscopic ovum in the mother.
For long ages man did not even know that he comes into being when the sperm gene and the ovum combine.
Now both have been observed by means of powerful microscopes but even now no one can say how much of man exists in the father's germ and how much in the mother's ovum.
Then, the initial cell that comes into being by the combination of the two at the time of conception is such an insignificant thing that it can be seen only through highly powerful microscopes and seeing it also no one at first sight can claim that it is a man taking shape, nor that even if a man emerges from this humble beginning, what will be his size and stature, what will be his form and figure, and what will be his capabilities and personality like.
This is the meaning of the sentence that at that tithe he was not yet a thing worthy of any mention although a beginning of his being as a man had been made.

 

Which was revealed in Makkah The Recitation of Surat As-Sajdah and Al-Insan in the Morning Prayer on Friday It has been mentioned previously that it is recorded in Sahih Muslim from Ibn `Abbas that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite in the Morning prayer on Friday: الم تَنزِيلَ ( Alif Lam Mim.
The revelation... )( 32 ) and; هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الإِنسَـنِ ( Has there not been over man... ) ( 76 ) بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Allah created Man after He did not exist Allah informs that He brought man into existence after he was not even a thing worth mentioning, due to his lowliness and weakness.
Allah says, هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الإِنسَـنِ حِينٌ مِّنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْئاً مَّذْكُوراً ( Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning ) Then Allah explains this by saying, إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَـنَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ ( Verily, We have created man from Nutfah Amshaj, ) meaning, mixed.
The words Mashaj and Mashij mean something that is mixed together.
Ibn `Abbas said concerning Allah's statement, مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ ( from Nutfah Amshaj, ) "This means the fluid of the man and the fluid of the woman when they meet and mix." Then man changes after this from stage to stage, condition to condition and color to color.
`Ikrimah, Mujahid, Al-Hasan and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas all made statements similar to this.
They said, "Amshaj is the mixing of the man's fluid with the woman's fluid." Concerning Allah's statement, نَّبْتَلِيهِ ( in order to try him, ) means, `We test him.' It is similar to Allah's statement, لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً ( That He may test you which of you is best in deed. ) ( 67:2 ) Then Allah says, فَجَعَلْنَـهُ سَمِيعاً بَصِيراً ( so, We made him hearer and seer. ) meaning, `We gave him the faculties of hearing and sight so that he would be able to use them for obedience and disobedience.' Allah guided Him to the Path, so Man is either Grateful or Ungrateful Allah says, إِنَّا هَدَيْنَـهُ السَّبِيلَ ( Verily, We guided to him the way, ) meaning, `We explained it to him, made it clear to him and showed it to him.' This is as Allah says, وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَـهُمْ فَاسْتَحَبُّواْ الْعَمَى عَلَى الْهُدَى ( And as for Thamud, We guided them but they preferred blindness to guidance. ) ( 41:17 ) Allah also said, وَهَدَيْنَـهُ النَّجْدَينِ ( And We guided him to the two ways. ) ( 90:10 ) meaning, `We explained to him the path of good and the path of evil.' This is the statement of `Ikrimah, `Atiyah, Ibn Zayd and Mujahid from what is well-known from him and the majority.
Allah then says, إِمَّا شَاكِراً وَإِمَّا كَفُوراً ( Whether he be grateful or ungrateful. ) This is his decree.
Thus, with this he is either wretched or happy.
This is like what has been recorded by Muslim in a Hadith from Abu Malik Al-Ash`ari.
He said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, «كُلُّ النَّاسِ يَغْدُو فَبَائِعٌ نَفْسَهُ، فَمُوبِقُهَا أَوْ مُعْتِقُهَا» ( All of mankind wakes up in the morning the merchant of his own soul.
So he either imprisons it or sets it free.
)

And from his narration on the authority of Ibn ’Abbas that he said regarding the interpretation of Allah’s saying ( Hath there come upon man (ever )): ’( Hath there come upon man (ever )) there has come upon Adam ( any period of time ) a period of 40 years when he was created and fashioned ( in which he was a thing unremembered? ) not knowing who he was, what his name was or what Allah wanted from him.

Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was nothing to be mentioned?

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