Tafsir of Ya seen 36:77

"Does man not consider that We created him from a drop?" This is a new, inaugural statement, brought forth to demonstrate the invalidity of their denial of the Resurrection after they have witnessed in their own selves that which necessitates belief in it, just as the preceding passage was brought forth to demonstrate the invalidity of their associating partners with Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, after they had observed in what they possess that which necessitates monotheism and submission. It has been said that it is a consolation for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), like His saying, "So let not their speech grieve you," by trivializing what they say in relation to their denial of the gathering, but this carries no weight.

The hamzah is for denunciation and astonishment, and the waw is for conjunction with an implied sentence that entails the conjoined clause, as mentioned previously in His saying, "Do they not see..." (i.e., does man not reflect and does he not know that We created him from a drop?). Alternatively, it is the very same sentence, repeated to emphasize the previous denunciation and as a preamble to denounce that which is more deserving of denial, given that what is denied is the very essence of their knowledge regarding the creation of themselves. There is no doubt that a person’s knowledge of his own conditions is more important, and his grasp of them is easier and more complete. Thus, the denunciation and astonishment are regarding the neglect of that; it is as if it were said: Do they not know of His (Exalted is He) creation for the causes of their livelihoods, and do they not also know of His (Exalted is He) creation of themselves, despite such knowledge being at the utmost clarity and the pinnacle of importance? The words of the eminent scholars indicate that the conjunction is to the previous "Do they not see," and what connects them is that both are based on reversal: for He (Exalted is He) created for man what He created so that he might give thanks, yet he disbelieved and denied the Bestower and the blessings; and He (Exalted is He) created him from a vile drop so that he might be submissive and humble, yet he transgressed, became arrogant, and disputed. Man is mentioned instead of the pronoun because the focus of the denunciation relates to his conditions in his capacity as a human.

His saying, "Then suddenly he is a clear adversary," means one who is excessive in enmity and futile argumentation. "Clear" means manifest and overt in that. This is conjoined to the negated sentence and is included within the scope of denunciation and astonishment, as if it were said: Do they not see Us, that We created him from the lowliest and most base of things, and suddenly he challenges Us in a matter whose truth his very origin of creation bears clear witness to? The expression of the sentence as a nominal one is to indicate his persistence in disputation and his continuation upon it. In the margins of al-Khafaji, it is mentioned that following the denunciation with 'fa' (then) and the 'idha' of surprise (suddenly), upon that which dictates the opposite, strengthens the astonishment.

"Man" here refers to the genus, and the adversary is specifically the disbeliever who denies the Resurrection absolutely. Indeed, the verse was revealed regarding a specific disbeliever. A group, including al-Diya' in al-Mukhtarah, narrated from Ibn Abbas, who said: Al-As ibn Wa'il came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with a decayed bone, crumbled it with his hand, and said: "O Muhammad, will Allah (Exalted is He) revive this after it has rotted?" He replied: "Yes, Allah (Exalted is He) will resurrect this, then cause you to die, then revive you, then enter you into the Fire of Hell." Then the verses were revealed, "Does man not consider..." until the end of the surah. In a narration by Ibn Marduyah from him, the culprit who said that was Ubayy ibn Khalaf, the same one whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) killed on the day of Uhud with a spear. This was also narrated by Abu Malik, Mujahid, Qatadah, al-Suddi, Ikrimah, and others, as found in al-Durr al-Manthur. In another narration from the "Scholar" (Ibn Abbas), it is Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, and in yet another, it is Abdullah ibn Ubayy. Abu Hayyan critiqued this, stating that attributing it to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) is an error, because the surah and the verse are Meccan by consensus, and because Abdullah ibn Ubayy never displayed such overt insolence. He narrated from Mujahid and Qatadah that it was Umayyah ibn Khalaf, and he favored the view—claiming it to be the soundest of opinions—that it was Ubayy ibn Khalaf. Then he said: "It is possible that each of these disbelievers did such a thing."

It has also been said that the meaning of His saying "Then suddenly he is a clear adversary" is: then, after he was base water, he became a discerning, articulate man capable of disputation, clear and expressive of what is in his conscience. In this case, it is conjoined to "We created him," and the succession and surprise relate to his creation. "Mubin" (clear) is transitive, and the discourse serves as one of the completions of the evidences for the validity of the Resurrection.