أَوَلَا يَذْكُرُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰهُ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ يَكُ شَيْـًٔا 67
Translations
Does man not remember that We created him before, while he was nothing?
Transliteration
Awa laa yadhkuru al-insanu anna khalaqnahu min qabl wa lam yak shay'an
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah poses a rhetorical question reminding mankind that Allah created him from nothing before, so why does he doubt resurrection? The verse emphasizes human forgetfulness of his own creation ex nihilo as evidence that Allah's power to resurrect is absolute. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as a powerful argument (hujjah) against those who deny the Day of Judgment—if Allah brought man into existence from non-existence initially, resurrection is certainly possible.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Maryam, a Meccan surah primarily concerned with refuting disbelief in resurrection and divine power. The broader context (ayahs 66-72) addresses the doubters of the Hereafter, using the miracle of human creation as logical proof of Allah's ability to resurrect. This reflects the early Meccan preaching period when denial of resurrection was prevalent among the Quraysh.
Related Hadiths
Related thematically to the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The creation of each of you is gathered in the mother's womb for forty days as a nutfah (sperm drop), then for forty days as an alaqah (blood clot), then for forty days as a mudghah (morsel of flesh).' This emphasizes Allah's creative power at every stage. Also relevant is the hadith in Sahih Muslim about the angel's role in forming the fetus.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us to reflect upon our own creation as a sign of Allah's infinite power and a basis for certainty in the Hereafter. When we contemplate how Allah created us from absolute nothingness, it should strengthen our conviction that resurrection is not merely possible but inevitable, freeing us from spiritual doubt and negligence.
Related Ayahs
عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ أَمْثَـٰلَكُمْ وَنُنشِئَكُمْ فِى مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
In that We will change your likenesses and produce you in that [form] which you do not know.
قَالَتْ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِى وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِى بَشَرٌ ۖ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكِ ٱللَّهُ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ
She said, "My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?" [The angel] said, "Such is Allāh; He creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is.
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَـٰوَٰتٍ وَمِنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ يَتَنَزَّلُ ٱلْأَمْرُ بَيْنَهُنَّ لِتَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عِلْمًۢا
It is Allāh who has created seven heavens and of the earth, the like of them. [His] command descends among them so you may know that Allāh is over all things competent and that Allāh has encompassed all things in knowledge.