76:1
76:1
Has there not been over Man a long period of Time, when he was nothing – (not even)
mentioned?
Ali Unal explains that “each member of humankind has some sort of existence in the world of atoms or particles.” In other words, it has already been determined in God’s Knowledge and by Destiny which particles among the innumerable ones in the world will form the body of a specific individual. These particles, even though widely dispersed in air, water, and earth, had long been designated to constitute the body of that particular person, even before the individual was recognized or mentioned as a human being (The Quran with Annotated Interpretation).
Ali Mirza further elaborates, stating that according to some intellectual interpretations, Allah created humanity in the form of souls. These souls were placed in a dormant state and stored by Allah. Later, Allah decided who would be born at what time and entered each soul into a corresponding body. This period, in which humanity existed spiritually but lacked a physical form, is often not discussed or remembered. Allah made an agreement with our souls, as mentioned in Qur’an 7:172, and while we do not remember this period, it has passed. This was a time when humans had no awareness of their status until Allah granted them a body.
According to Imad Hassan , “Regardless of anyone’s faith, according to the acclaimed Divine revelations, humanity was not a ‘thing’ unworthy of mention after Adam.” In his view, the phrase refers to the species of insan (human) in ancient times when they existed as lower, inferior creatures with no significance on earth compared to later humanity’s dominance. Although the name Adam is assumed, it is not explicitly mentioned in the verse. Hassan continues, “Thus, the stages before this refer to an era when a human was not yet a responsible or thinking creature. The description of Divine guidance applies to human society from Adam onward, which marks the advent of visible human civilization on earth. According to the three Abrahamic faiths, there is no period after Adam when humans were considered insignificant or unworthy of mention” (Shajara Code Decoded).
References:
Evolution ” in ISLAM ??? Reply to Allegation on Dr. ISRAR ﷲ ہﻤﺣر (Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza) .Youtube.
Hassan, Dr. Imad. Shajara Code Decoded . AuthorHouse UK. Kindle Edition
Unal, Ali (2006). The Quran with Annotated Interpretation in Modern English.