Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Insan Verse 1

Mufti Taqi Usmani

There has come upon man a period of time in which he was nothing worth mentioning.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Is there not a period of time when each human is nothing yet worth mentioning?[[ This is the time before a human comes into being and as an embryo.]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

Was there not a period of time when man was not a thing [even] mentioned?

A. J. Arberry

Has there come on man a while of time when he was a thing unremembered?

Abdul Haleem

Was there not a period of time when man was nothing to speak of ?

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Surely there hath come upon man a space of time when he was not a thing worth mentioning.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Has there not been over Man a long period of Time, when he was nothing - (not even) mentioned?

Abul Ala Maududi

Was there a period of time when man was not even worthy of a mention?

Ahmed Ali

WAS THERE NOT a time in the life of man when he was not even a mentionable thing?

Ahmed Raza Khan

Indeed there has been a time for man, when even his name did not exist anywhere.

Ali Quli Qarai

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

Ali Ünal

Did there pass (– and surely there did pass –) over human a stretch of time when he was a thing not mentioned and remembered (as human)?

Amatul Rahman Omar

There did pass over a human being a while of a long space of time when he was not a thing worth mentioning.

English Literal

Did (it) come on the human/mankind (a) period of time from the long time he was not a mentioned/remembered thing?

Faridul Haque

Indeed there has been a time for man, when even his name did not exist anywhere.

Hamid S. Aziz

Was there not over man a long period of time when he was a thing unremembered (nothing, not worth mention).

Hilali & Khan

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

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Surely there came over man a time when he was nothing that could be mentioned.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

There surely came over man a period of time when he was a thing not worth mentioning.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Hath there come upon man (ever) any period of time in which he was a thing unremembered?

Muhammad Sarwar

There was certainly a time when there was no mention of the human being.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Indeed, there came upon the human a period of time when he was an unremembered thing.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning

Wahiduddin Khan

Was there not a period of time when man was nothing worth mentioning?

Talal Itani

Has there come upon man a period of time when he was nothing to be mentioned?

Tafsir jalalayn

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 insn, `man', is the generic noun and by hn, `a period of time', the period of gestation.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

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 الاِْنسَانِ حِينٌ مِّنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْيًا مَّذْكُورًا




Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning?

Then Allah explains this by saying