Surah al-Insan

It is called Surat al-Dahr (The Age), al-Abrar (The Righteous), al-Amshaj (The Mingled Fluids), and Hal Ata (Has There Not Come). It is Meccan according to the majority, as stated in al-Bahr. Mujahid and Qatadah said it is entirely Medinan. Al-Hasan, Ikrimah, and al-Kalbi said it is Medinan except for one verse, which is Meccan: "And do not obey from among them any sinner or ungrateful [disbeliever]." It is also said that it is Medinan except for His saying, the Exalted: "So be patient for the decision of your Lord..." until the end, for that is Meccan. Ibn Adil narrates from the majority that it is absolutely Medinan, and the Shia concur with this. Its verses are thirty-one without disagreement. The connection between it and the preceding surah is extremely clear.

Surah Al-Insan: (1) Has there come upon...

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Has there come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing mentioned?

Its origin—as has been stated—is Hal (Has) used for affirmation (taqrir), meaning to compel an admission of that which follows it. The one being compelled is he who denies, knowing well that they (the disbelievers) would say, "Yes, a period has indeed passed over man when he was not as such." Thus, it is said: Does He who brought him into existence after he was naught find it impossible to resurrect him after his death?

Hal here carries the meaning of Qad (Indeed). It is used for bringing the past near to the present. Since Hal occupied the position of the hamza (interrogative), it indicated both its own meaning and the meaning of the hamza together. Consequently, it became established in usage as having both the function of affirmation and bringing the past near to the present. Proof of this origin is found in the statement of Zayd al-Khayl:

Did the knights of Yarbu' ask about our intensity? Did they see us at the base of the valley, at the place of the dunes?

It has been said that it is for interrogation without bringing the past near, and that the hamza in the verse is for emphasis, as in his saying: "...nor to the confounded ones...". Rather, emphasis here is more likely due to the lack of verbal unity (between the particles). As-Sirafi said that the correct narration is Am hal ra’awna (Or did they see us), noting that am is the disjunctive type, meaning "rather." As-Suyuti mentioned in Sharh Shawahid al-Mughni that which I saw in an ancient manuscript of Zayd's divan: Fahal ra'awna (So did they see us), with the fa.

From Ibn Abbas and Qatadah, it is interpreted here as meaning Qad (indeed). It has been interpreted as such by a group of grammarians such as Al-Kisa'i, Sibawayh, Al-Mubarrad, and Al-Farra, in the sense of bringing the past near. Some people have understood it in the sense of establishing the truth (tahqiq). Abu Ubaydah said its figurative meaning is "Indeed, a period of time has come upon man," and it is not an interrogation. He likely meant it is not an interrogation in reality, but rather an interrogative used for affirmation, and it ultimately returns to Qad ata. Perhaps those who interpreted it as such, like Ibn Abbas and others, intended what was mentioned—that it is Qad in literal meaning. In al-Mughni, there is that which will grant you insight if you consult it, so refer to it.

The intent by "man" is the species, according to what Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Ibn Abbas. A "period" (hin) is a limited portion of time, encompassing both the much and the little. Ad-dahr (Time/Age) is the extended, unlimited time; it applies to the entire duration of the world and to any long, indefinite time. Time (zaman) is general for everything, and dahr is the vessel for time—a philosophical discussion. Imam Abu Hanifah remained cautious regarding the meaning of dahr—meaning the intended meaning in customary use for oaths—so as to ask: "By what does one break an oath if he says, 'By Allah, I will not speak to him for a dahr'?" The defined meaning according to him is the duration of the swearer's life, in the absence of a specific intention. The same applies to his two companions. The indefinite meaning, according to them, is like hin—whether defined or indefinite—and like zaman, which is six months if there is no intention, or whatever was intended according to the sounder opinion. The famous anecdote regarding the difference of opinion among the four Caliphs on this matter during his time—peace and blessings be upon him—each citing evidence, and his saying (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) after it was raised to him: "My companions are like the stars; whichever of them you follow, you will be guided"—except that he (Abu Hanifah) chose the verdict of the Commander (Ali), may Allah honor his countenance, that the hin is a day and a night, due to the ease it contains, as is not hidden from the discerning critic. Had it been authentic, he would not have turned away from the verdict of the Commander—the mine of courage and chivalry—after the City of Knowledge and the pride of the Message and Prophethood had chosen it.

The meaning here is: "Indeed, there has come—or has there come—upon the human species, before a recent time, a limited, measured portion of this extended time, during which he was not a thing mentioned." Rather, he was a thing not mentioned as being human at all; i.e., not known by that status. This implies that the negation returns to the specific attribute. The intent is that it is known he did not exist by himself; rather, what existed was his origin, which is not called a human and is not known by the title of "humanity." This is his remote substance—namely, the elements—or the intermediate substance, which is nourishment; or the near substance, which is the drop (nutfah) generated from the nourishment created from the elements.

The sentence "he was not a thing mentioned" is a state (hal) of "man"; i.e., he was not mentioned. It is also permissible that it is an adjective for "period" (hin) by omitting the referent (the pronoun), i.e., "a period in which he was not a thing mentioned," as in His saying: And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all.

Applying "man" to his substance is a metaphor, by treating that which is in potentiality as if it were in actuality; or it is of the first category of metaphors. It has been said that the intent by "man" is Adam, peace be upon him. The first interpretation is supported by His saying: [The verse continues to describe the creation].