بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ

هَل أَتىٰ عَلَى الإِنسانِ حينٌ مِنَ الدَّهرِ لَم يَكُن شَيئًا مَذكورًا

Has there been for man a period of time when he was not anything worthy of mention?

EXEGESIS

Hal states a fact in the form of a rhetorical question.^{‎[1]Razi, 30/739.} In other words, it is stating that a period of time did indeed pass upon humans when they were not worthy of mention.^{‎[2]Mizan, 20/121.} Stating this reality in the form of a rhetorical question softens the tone in which God speaks to the human being that is doubtful of his Creator (82:6-8).^{‎[3]Tabrisi, 10/614.}

ʿAlā al-insān means upon the human being or humankind.^{‎[4]Razi, 30/739.} Hence, it is as if the verse reads: Has there come upon man a period of time when he was not anything worthy of mention? This raises the question of how can the human being have a period of time ‘come over’ him when he was nothing worthy of mention.

EXPOSITION

The reason for which the human was not anything worthy of mention during the said period can be one of two things: either he did not exist at all in the realm of physical creation, or he existed by way of his constituents but he was not yet formed into a complete human being. Verse 2 answers this question by explaining that indeed the original constituents of the human being first existed, and from it God created a complete human being.^{‎[5]Mizan, 20/121.}

This verse calls those who harbour uncertainty about the Creator to ask themselves: ‘Had there not been vast periods of time in which they were not known or mentioned and then they came to be?’^{‎[6]Tabrisi, 10/614.} It calls the reader to stop in reflection at this well known reality until they understand that they came to be by the Creator of the worlds.^{‎[7]Tabrisi, 10/614.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. It is reported that Imam al-Bāqir (a) narrates in a long hadith that the Messenger of God said to Imam Ali (a): ‘Tell me: what is the first benefaction with which Allah tried and blessed you?’ ‘That he created me, immense be His praise, when I was nothing worthy of mention,’ Imam Ali (a) replied. ‘You have spoken the truth,’ said the Messenger.^{‎[8]Amali.T., 2/106.}
2. From ʿAyyāshī, from Ibn Bukayr, from Zurārah, that Imam al-Bāqir (a) said about he was not anything worthy of mention: ‘He [the human being] was something but he was not worthy of mention.’^{‎[9]Tabrisi, 10/614.}
3. From ʿAyyāshī, from Ḥaddād, that Imam al-Bāqir (a) said about he was not anything worthy of mention: ‘He [the human being] was known in [God’s] knowledge, but not known amongst creation.’ Another narration from ʿAbd al-Aʿlā Mawlā Āl Sām, from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a), confirms the same meaning.^{‎[10] Tabrisi, 10/614.}
4. Majmaʿ al-Bayān reports from ʿAyyāshī, from Ḥumrān, that Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said about he was not anything worthy of mention: ‘He was decreed [or existing in some measure] without being worthy of mention.’ Tabatabai takes this narration to mean the same as the one before it.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Some exegetes have taken insān in verse 1 to refer to Prophet Adam (a),^{‎[11] Tabari, 29/125.} and verse 2 to refer to the children of Prophet Adam (a).^{‎[12] Tabari, 29/126.} There is little evidence or reason for restricting insān to being solely one individual in verse 1,^{‎[13] Amthal, 19/244.} especially that the expression itself means humankind, and the realities being described apply to the human being as a whole.^{‎[14] Mizan, 20/120.} In fact, the term insān has been used over sixty times in the Quran. These instances include verses that inform about the reality of the creation of the human being (15:26, 16:4, 19:67, 23:12, 32:7, 36:77, 50:16, 55:3, 55:14, 70:19, 86:5), or that depict the general state or behaviour of humankind as a whole (10:12, 11:9, 12:5, 17:11, 17:67, 17:83, 18:54), with attention to exceptions (11:11, 95:6, 103:3), or that discuss both creation and the general state of humankind (50:16, 95:4-6). All of these instances use the term insān to refer to humankind, including verses 1-2 of this surah.

As a corollary, this weakens the assertion that ḥīn (period of time) in this verse is forty or 120 years. Exegetes who proposed this duration for ḥīn relied on reports that Prophet Adam (a) was not created as a complete human being except after forty or 120 years, before which he was clay or other transitionary constituents.^{‎[15] Tabari, 29/125-126.}  

[1] Razi, 30/739.
[2] Mizan, 20/121.
[3] Tabrisi, 10/614.
[4] Razi, 30/739.
[5] Mizan, 20/121.
[6] Tabrisi, 10/614.
[7] Tabrisi, 10/614.
[8] Amali.T., 2/106.
[9] Tabrisi, 10/614.
[10] Tabrisi, 10/614.
[11] Tabari, 29/125.
[12] Tabari, 29/126.
[13] Amthal, 19/244.
[14] Mizan, 20/120.
[15] Tabari, 29/125-126.