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Surah 76. Al-Insan

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بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Bismi All a hi a l rra h m a ni a l rra h eem i
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:1
  - Mohammad Asad

According to most of the authorities, this invocation (which occurs at the beginning of every surah with the exception of surah 9) constitutes an integral part of "The Opening" and is, therefore, numbered as verse {1}. In all other instances, the invocation "in the name of God" precedes the surah as such, and is not counted among its verses. - Both the divine epithets rahman and rahim are derived from the noun rahmah, which signifies "mercy", "compassion", "loving tenderness" and, more comprehensively, "grace". From the very earliest times, Islamic scholars have endeavoured to define the exact shades of meaning which differentiate the two terms. The best and simplest of these explanations is undoubtedly the one advanced by Ibn al-Qayyim (as quoted in Manar I,48): the term rahman circumscribes the quality of abounding grace inherent in, and inseparable from, the concept of God's Being, whereas rahim expresses the manifestation of that grace in, and its effect upon, His creation - in other words, an aspect of His activity.

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
In the Name of Allah- the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
  - Mustafa Khattab
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful. 19
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Arabic words "Rahman" and "Rahim" translated "Most Gracious" and "Most Merciful" are both intensive forms referring to different aspects of God's attribute of Mercy. The Arabic intensive is more suited to express God's attributes than the superlative degree in English. The latter implies a comparison with other beings, or with other times or places, while there is no being like unto God, and He is independent of Time and Place. Mercy may imply pity, long-suffering, patience, and forgiveness, all of which the sinner needs and God Most Merciful bestows in abundant measure. But there is a Mercy that goes before even the need arises, the Grace which is ever watchful, and flows from God Most Gracious to all His creatures, protecting the, preserving them, guiding them, and leading them to clearer light and higher life. For this reason the attribute Rahman (Most Gracious) is not applied to any but God, but the attribute Rahim (Merciful), is a general term, and may also be applied to Men. To make us contemplate these boundless gifts of God, the formula: "In the name of God Most Gracious, Most Merciful": is placed before every Sura of the Qur-an (except the ninth), and repeated at the beginning of every act by the Muslim who dedicates his life to God, and whose hope is in His Mercy.

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76:1
هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْإِنسَـٰنِ حِينٌ مِّنَ ٱلدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْـًٔا مَّذْكُورًا Hal at a AAal a alins a ni h eenun mina a l ddahri lam yakun shayan ma th koor a n
HAS THERE [not] been an endless sup of time1 before man [appeared - a time] when he was not yet a thing to be thought of?2
  - Mohammad Asad

Implying, according to all the classical commentators, "there has indeed been an immensely long [or "endless"] span of time" - the interrogative particle hal having here the positive meaning of qad. However, this meaning can be brought out equally well by interpolating the word "not".

Lit., "a thing mentioned" or "mentionable" - i.e., non-existent even as a hypothetical concept. The purport of this statement is a refutation of the blasphemous "anthropocentric" world-view, which postulates man as he exists - and not any Supreme Being - as the centre and ultimate reality of all life.

Has there not passed over man a period of time when he was nothing- -not even mentioned?
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Is there not a period of time when each human is nothing yet worth mentioning?1
  - Mustafa Khattab

 This is the time before a human comes into being and as an embryo.

Hath there come upon man (ever) any period of time in which he was a thing unremembered?
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Has there not been over Man a long period of Time when he was nothing--(not even) mentioned? 5830 5831
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The undoubted fact is mentioned in the form of a question, to get the assent of man. It is certain that the physical world existed long before man was ever heard of or mentioned, as geological records prove. It is also true that the world existed long before man came on the scene: see ii. 30-31. Man is here taken in a generic sense.

Dahr is Time as a whole, or for a long period.

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76:2
إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَّبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ سَمِيعًۢا بَصِيرًا Inn a khalaqn a alins a na min nu t fatin amsh a jin nabtaleehi fajaAAaln a hu sameeAAan ba s eer a n
Verily, it is We who have created man out of a drop of sperm intermingled,3 so that We might try him [in his later life]: and therefore We made him a being endowed with hearing and sight.
  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "with the female ovum": cf. {86:6-7}.

Indeed, We have created man from the sperm drop containing both sexes, so that We may test him. Therefore, We gave him the faculties of hearing and sight.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
'For' indeed, We 'alone' created humans from a drop of mixed fluids,1 'in order' to test them, so We made them hear and see.
  - Mustafa Khattab

 The mixture of male and female gametes (sperm and egg) which form the zygote after fertilization.

Lo! We create man from a drop of thickened fluid to test him; so We make him hearing, knowing.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Verily We created Man from a drop of mingled sperm in order to try him: so We gave him (the gifts) of Hearing and Sight. 5832
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Mingled: the female ovum has to be fertilised with the male sperm before a new animal can be born. Man as an animal has this humble origin. But he has been given the gift of certain faculties of receiving instruction (typified by Hearing) and of intellectual and spiritual insight (typified by Sight). His life has therefore a meaning: with a certain amount of free-will, he is to be vicegerent on earth (ii. 30). But he must be trained and tried, and that is the whole problem of human life.

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76:3
إِنَّا هَدَيْنَـٰهُ ٱلسَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا Inn a hadayn a hu a l ssabeela imm a sh a kiran waimm a kafoor a n
Verily, We have shown him the way:4 [and it rests with him to prove himself] either grateful or ungrateful.
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., God has not only endowed man with "hearing and sight", i.e., with reason and the instinctive ability to discern between right and wrong, good and evil (cf. 90:10 ), but He also actively guides him by means of the revelation bestowed on the prophets.

Then We guided him to the Way: Now, it is his choice either to be grateful or to be a disbeliever.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
We already showed them the Way, whether they 'choose to' be grateful or ungrateful.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Lo! We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or disbelieving.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
We showed him the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will). 5833
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Besides the gift of the faculties, Man has been shown the Way by means of Revelation, through men of the highest spiritual standing. If he is grateful, he will accept Guidance, be of the Righteous, and join the company of the Blessed. If not, he puts chains round himself, thus burdening himself with sin, and gets into the Blazing Fire of Punishment. See next verse. His choice rests on his will.

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76:4
إِنَّآ أَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ سَلَـٰسِلَا۟ وَأَغْلَـٰلًا وَسَعِيرًا Inn a aAAtadn a lilk a fireena sal a sila waaghl a lan wasaAAeer a n
[Now,] behold, for those who deny the truth5 We have readied chains and shackles, and a blazing flame6 -
  - Mohammad Asad

In this context, the "denial of the truth" (kufr) apparently relates to man's deliberate suppression of his inborn cognition of God's existence (cf. 7:172 and the corresponding note [139]) as well as to his disregard of his own instinctive perceptions of good and evil.

Sc., "of despair". For the metaphor of "shackles and chains" - i.e., the consequence of the sinners' blind surrender to their own passions and to false values, and the resulting enslavement of their spirit - see surah {34}, note [44]; also Razi's elaborate comments (quoted in note [7] on {73:12-13}) on this allegory of suffering in the hereafter.

For the disbelievers, We have prepared chains, fetters and a blazing fire.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains, shackles, and a blazing Fire.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Lo! We have prepared for disbelievers manacles and carcans and a raging fire.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
For the Rejecters We have prepared Chains Yokes and a Blazing Fire. 5834
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xiii. 5; xxxiv. 33 and xl. 71.

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76:5
إِنَّ ٱلْأَبْرَارَ يَشْرَبُونَ مِن كَأْسٍ كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا كَافُورًا Inna alabr a ra yashraboona min kasin k a na miz a juh a k a foor a n
[whereas,] behold, the truly virtuous shall drink from a cup flavoured with the calyx of sweet smelling flowers:7
  - Mohammad Asad

The Lisan al-'Arab gives "the calyx (kimm) of the grape before its flowering" as the primary significance of kafur; according to other lexicologists (e.g., Taj al-'Arus), it denotes "the calyx of any flower"; Jawhari applies it to the "spathe of a palm tree". Hence, this - and not "camphor" - is evidently the meaning of kafur in the above context: an allusion to the sweet, extremely delicate fragrance of the symbolic "drink" of divine knowledge (cf. {83:25-28} and the corresponding notes [8] and [9]).

The righteous shall be in paradise drinking from a cup of wine mixed with Kafoor (camphor-water),
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Indeed, the virtuous will have a drink 'of pure wine'- flavoured with camphor-
  - Mustafa Khattab
Lo! the righteous shall drink of a cup whereof the mixture is of water of Kafur,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
As to the Righteous they shall drink of a Cup (of Wine) mixed with Kafur 5835
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Kafur is literally Comphor. It is a fountain in the Realms of Bliss. It is a seasoning added to the Cup of pure, beatific Wine, which causes no intoxication (lvi. 18- 19), but stands for all that is wholesome, agreeable, and refreshing. Camphor is cool and refreshing, and is given as a soothing tonic in Eastern medicine. In minute doses its odour and flavour are also agreeable.

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