Long before any of us existed, we were not a name on anyone's lips. Surah Al-Insan opens with a question every heart should answer.
At Darus Saulieghien Quraan Academy, we spend our days with the words of Allah (SWT). Surah Al-Insan opens with a question that is addressed to each of us personally, not to humanity in general:
هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْإِنسَٰنِ حِينٌ مِّنَ ٱلدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْـًٔا مَّذْكُورًا
"Has there not come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing worth mentioning?" (Surah Al-Insan 76:1)
Think about it. The universe is billions of years old. For all of that time, you were not spoken of, not planned for, not known. Even your own parents did not know who you would be.
Why Allah Starts Here
The next ayah reminds us we came from a humble beginning, and then Allah (SWT) made us hearing and seeing (76:2). Ibn Kathir explains that this was so we could be tested: we were given ears and eyes that can be used for obedience or disobedience.
We did not earn our place in the story. We were given it, and it came with a test.
The Prophet ﷺ used to recite Surah As-Sajdah and Surah Al-Insan in the Fajr prayer on Fridays (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim), which makes this a surah well worth learning by heart.
This is the first of five reflections in Remembered by Allah, inspired by a khutbah on Surah Al-Insan by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan to graduating students, with notes from the tafsir of Ibn Kathir.
Take Home
Today, before you do anything else, say Alhamdulillah once and mean it: I was not mentioned, and now I am here.