16:4 An-Nahl (The Bee)

{ خَلَقَ الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ } لم يزل يدبرها ويرقيها وينميها حتى صارت بشرا تاما كامل الأعضاء الظاهرة والباطنة، قد غمره بنعمه الغزيرة، حتى إذا استتم فخر بنفسه وأعجب بها { فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مُبِينٌ } يحتمل أن المراد: فإذا هو خصيم لربه، يكفر به، ويجادل رسله، ويكذب بآياته. ونسي خلقه الأول وما أنعم الله عليه به، من النعم فاستعان بها على معاصيه، ويحتمل أن المعنى: أن الله أنشأ الآدمي من نطفة، ثم لم يزل ينقله من طور، إلى طور حتى صار عاقلا متكلما، ذا ذهن ورأي: يخاصم ويجادل، فليشكر العبد ربه الذي أوصله إلى هذه الحال التي ليس في إمكانه القدرة على شيء منها.

ثم نبه على خلق جنس الإنسان من نطفة أي مهينة ضعيفة فلما استقل ودرج إذا هو يخاصم ربه تعالى ويكذبه ويحارب رسله وهو إنما خلق ليكون عبدا لا ضدا كقوله تعالى "وهو الذي خلق من الماء بشرا فجعله نسبا وصهرا وكان ربك قديرا ويعبدون من دون الله ما لا ينفعهم ولا يضرهم وكان الكافر على ربه ظهيرا" وقوله "أولم ير الإنسان أنا خلقناه من نطفة فإذا هو خصيم مبين وضرب لنا مثلا ونسي خلقه قال من يحيي العظام وهي رميم قل يحييها الذي أنشأها أول مرة وهو بكل خلق عليم" وفي الحديث الذي رواه الإمام أحمد وابن ماجه عن بشر بن جحاش قال: بصق رسول الله في كفه ثم قال "يقول الله تعالى: ابن آدم أنى تعجزني وقد خلقتك من مثل هذه حتى إذا سويتك فعدلتك مشيت بين برديك وللأرض منك وئيد فجمعت ومنعت حتى إذا بلغت الحلقوم قلت أتصدق؟ وأنى أوان الصدقة؟ ".

Allah is the One Who has created the Heavens, the Earth, and Man

Allah tells us about His creation of the upper realm, which is the heavens, and the lower realm, which is the earth, and everything in them. They have been created for a true purpose, not in vain, so that

لِيَجْزِىَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَيِجْزِى الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُواْ بِالْحُسْنَى

(He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done (i.e. punish them in Hell), and reward those who do good, with what is best (i.e. Paradise).) 53:31 Then He declares Himself to be above the Shirk of those who worship others besides Him. He is independent of His creation, alone with no partner or associate. For this reason He deserves to be worshipped Alone, without partners. Then He mentions how man has been created from a Nutfah, i.e., something that is insignificant, weak and has no value - but when man becomes independent and is able to fend for himself - then he begins to dispute with his Lord, may He be exalted, and disbelieves in Him and fights His Messengers. But man was created to be a servant, not an opponent, as Allah says:

وَهُوَ الَّذِى خَلَقَ مِنَ الْمَآءِ بَشَراً فَجَعَلَهُ نَسَباً وَصِهْراً وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ قَدِيراً - وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلاَ يَضُرُّهُمْ وَكَانَ الْكَـفِرُ عَلَى رَبِّهِ ظَهِيراً

(And it is He Who has created man from water, and gave him descendants, and made Him kindred by marriage, and your Lord is capable (of all things). And they worship besides Allah, that which can neither profit them nor harm them; and the disbeliever is ever a helper (of Shaytan) against his Lord) (25: 54-55). And;

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الإِنسَـنُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَـهُ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مٌّبِينٌ - وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلاً وَنَسِىَ خَلْقَهُ قَالَ مَن يُحىِ الْعِظَـمَ وَهِىَ رَمِيمٌ - قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِى أَنشَأَهَآ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ خَلْقٍ عَلِيمٌ

(Does not man see that We have created him from Nutfah. Yet, behold he stands as an open opponent. And he puts forth for Us a parable, and forgets his own creation. He says: "Who will give life to these bones after they are rotten and have become dust" Say: "He will give life to them Who created them the first time! And He is the knower of every creature!") (36:77-79). Imam Ahmad and Ibn Majah reported that Busr bin Jahhash said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ spat in his palm, then he said,

«يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى: ابْنَ آدَمَ أَنَّى تُعْجِزُنِي وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِنْ مِثْلِ هَذِهِ، حَتَّى إِذَا سَوَّيْتُكَ فَعَدَلْتُكَ مَشَيْتَ بَيْنَ بُرْدَيْكَ وَلِلْأَرْضِ مِنْكَ وَئِيدٌ، فَجَمَعْتَ وَمَنَعْتَ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْحُلْقُومَ قُلْتَ: أَتَصَدَّقُ، وَأَنَّى أَوَانُ الصَّدَقَة»

(Allah, may He be exalted, says: "O son of Adam, how could you be more powerful than I when I have created you from something like this, and when I have fashioned you perfectly and made you complete, you walk wearing your two garments and the earth makes a sound (beneath your feet). You collect money but do not give anything to anyone, then when the soul of a dying person reaches the throat, you say, `I want to give in charity', but it is too late for charity.")

He created man from a drop of fluid of sperm until He makes him strong and tough yet behold! he is disputatious extremely quarrelsome openly making this disputatiousness clear in his rejection of resurrection contending Who shall revive the bones when they are decayed? Q. 3678.

Commentary

The verses affirm the Oneness of Allah through the great signs of the creation of the universe. The first such creation pointed to is the creation of the heavens and the earth. Then comes the creation of human beings whom Allah Ta’ ala has made the ones who are served by the whole universe. How did man originate? The text says that he was created from an insignificant drop. at happened then was: فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مُّبِينٌ (and soon he turned into a quarrelsome person expressing himself openly). In other words, when the elementally weak man was endowed with strength and speech, he turned into a critic of the Creator Himself disputing His Being and Attributes publicly.

(He hath created man from a drop of fluid, yet behold! he is an open opponent) [16:4]. This verse was revealed about Ubayy ibn Khalaf al-Jumahi when he brought decaying bones to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and then said: �O Muhammad, do you think Allah will bring this to life after its decay?�. Something similar to this verse is Allah�s words in Surah Yasin (Hath not man seen that We have created him from a drop of seed? Yet lo! He is an open opponent�) [36:77] up to the end of the Surah. This verse was revealed on the occasion of this incident.