أَلَم يَكُ نُطفَةً مِن مَنِيٍّ يُمنىٰ
Was he not a drop of emitted semen?
EXEGESIS
Nuṭfah (a drop) refers to limpid water, and has been used for the seminal fluid of the male. The mixture of the male and female reproductive material is also called nuṭfah.
Manī (semen) is from the root manā, which originally means to measure and weigh out. Manā laka al‑mānī means ‘the measurer measured out for you’. The seminal fluid is called manī because it is something measured out by divine power. Death is called maniyyah, for it is something decreed and apportioned.
Tumnā (emitted) is the passive verb from the same root and refers to emission of manī into the womb.
EXPOSITION
This verse presents two profoundly significant yet seemingly paradoxical aspects of man’s creation.
On one side, it echoes a familiar refrain of the Quran, reminding man of his humble origins. It illustrates his weakness, dependence, and need for divine aid, meant to shatter any false sense of self‑sufficiency or independence he may harbour.
Rāzī asks what purpose the word tumnā (emitted) serves in this verse, and he explains that it emphasises man’s creation from a fluid discharged through the same channel as impure bodily waste. A being of such origin should never deem himself too elevated to worship and obey the exalted God.
On the other side, the verse begins to draw attention to the intricate stages of man’s formation, signifying that he is the product of an astonishing and intelligent design. How could man imagine that God has no purpose for him, when his very creation manifests deliberate and meticulous planning by a wise and knowledgeable Creator? God has guided him through every phase of development and continues to do so throughout his existence. He will never abandon him to a futile or meaningless life.
[1] Raghib, p. 811.
[2] Tibyan, 9/437.
[3] Tabrisi, 10/607; Maqayis, 5/276; Raghib, p. 779; Lisan, 15/292.
[4] Baghawi, 5/187; Razi, 30/737; Mizan, 20/115; Bahrayn, 1/399.