AyaSeerah
TopContextThemesRootsMessagesExam Phase 05

0% studied · Top

Surah 76 · Madinah · 31 āyāt

Phase 05 · Hijrah and the building of Madinah(1–5 AH) — view in timeline

Al-InsānThe Human Being

الإنسان

Al-Insān, also called Sūrat ad-Dahr ('Time'), begins by asking whether there was a period when man was not even a thing mentioned, before recounting his creation from a mingled drop as a trial. It praises the righteous who fulfil their vows and feed the needy, the orphan and the captive purely for the sake of Allah's face, seeking neither reward nor thanks, and then unfolds an extended description of the gardens, drinks, garments and company prepared for them. Most commentators, including Ibn Kathīr, hold the surah to be Madinan, largely on the strength of āyah 8 being connected to the household of ʿAlī and Fāṭimah, though some scholars, including a report attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās, class it among the Makkan surahs; the muṣḥaf order and majority position are followed here.

Why it was revealed

The surah describes the general character and reward of the righteous (al-abrār), highlighting believers who feed others despite their own need out of pure love for Allah, and it closes by returning attention to steadfastness upon revelation and remembrance of Allah morning and evening.

Drawn fromIbn Kathīr on 76:11; Ibn Kathīr on 76:2; Ibn Kathīr on 76:8; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, on 76:8 (report regarding the household of ʿAlī, cited with a note on its weak chain)

It is widely reported among exegetes that Ḥasan and Ḥusayn fell ill, and ʿAlī and Fāṭimah vowed to fast three days if they recovered; when they did, the household fasted three days, giving their food each evening — first to a poor man, then an orphan, then a captive — breaking their own fast with water alone, and āyāt 8–9 were said to have been revealed concerning them. Scholars of ḥadīth and tafsīr note this report's chains are weak, so it is cited as widely transmitted tafsīr rather than an established occasion of revelation.

Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr, on 76:8 (report regarding the household of ʿAlī, cited with a note on its weak chain)

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

GuidanceMadinan period · Age — · Madinah

Man's creation from a mingled drop as a trial

The surah opens by describing man's origin from a nuṭfah amshāj, a mingled drop, made so that he could be tried, and given hearing and sight for that purpose.

Recalled in āyah 2

إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَّبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ سَمِيعًۢا بَصِيرًا

Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 76:2

  • Madd — 2 vowels
  • Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
  • Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
  • Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
  • Ghunnah — 2 vowels
  • Qalqalah
  • Ikhfāʾ
  • Ikhfāʾ shafawī
  • Idghām shafawī
  • Idghām with ghunnah
  • Idghām without ghunnah
  • Idghām mutajānisayn
  • Idghām mutaqāribayn
  • Iqlāb
  • Hamzat al-waṣl
  • Lām shamsiyyah
  • Silent letter

Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).

THEME 01Āyāt 1–3

From nothing mentioned to a mingled drop, tried

The surah opens with a rhetorical question: was there not a period when man was not even a thing mentioned? He is then said to have been created from a mingled drop in order to be tried, and given hearing and sight for that trial, before being shown the two ways, whether grateful or ungrateful.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 76:2; Ibn Kathīr on 76:1

1

هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْإِنسَـٰنِ حِينٌ مِّنَ ٱلدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْـًٔا مَّذْكُورًا

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

Has there [not] come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing [even] mentioned?

Loading audio…
2

إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَّبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ سَمِيعًۢا بَصِيرًا

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing.

Loading audio…

From the tafsīr

The question is one of affirmation: man's non-existence before creation is undeniable, establishing that his very being is a granted favour, not a right.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 76:1

'Amshāj' (mingled) refers to the mixture of male and female fluid from which man is formed; hearing and sight are given specifically so he can receive guidance and be answerable for his response to it.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 76:2

Key takeaways

Reflect

How does remembering that you once were not even a thing mentioned change your sense of entitlement over your own life?

Saved on this device · included in your printable study sheet

Check yourself

0 / 2 correct

Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

Questions and options are reshuffled and reworded each attempt

Question 1 of 2

From what does āyah 2 say man was created?

Question 2 of 2

Why, according to al-Saʿdī, were hearing and sight given to man?

THEME 02Āyāt 5–10

Feeding the needy, orphan and captive for love of Him

The righteous are described as fulfilling their vows and fearing a Day of widespread evil, and as giving food, despite their love for it, to the needy, the orphan and the captive, saying only that they feed for the sake of Allah's face, wanting neither reward nor gratitude in return.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 76:9; Ibn Kathīr on 76:8

8

وَيُطْعِمُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive,

Loading audio…
9

إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ ٱللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَآءً وَلَا شُكُورًا

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

[Saying], "We feed you only for the face [i.e., approval] of Allāh. We wish not from you reward or gratitude.

Loading audio…

From the tafsīr

'On spite of love for it' (ʿalā ḥubbihi) is read either as their love for the food itself, showing sacrifice at a time of want, or their love for Allah motivating the giving; both meanings are held by exegetes.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 76:8

Naming the three recipients together — needy, orphan, captive, including a captive who may be a non-Muslim prisoner — shows the giving was not confined to one's own community but extended even to an enemy in need.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 76:9

Key takeaways

Reflect

Think of the last time you gave something you genuinely wanted to keep — did you give it while still wanting acknowledgement?

Saved on this device · included in your printable study sheet

Check yourself

0 / 2 correct

Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

Questions and options are reshuffled and reworded each attempt

Question 1 of 2

What do the givers say in āyah 9 about their motive?

Question 2 of 2

Who are the three people named as recipients of food in āyah 8?

THEME 03Āyāt 11–12

Protected from the evil of that Day

In recompense for their patience, Allah protects the righteous from the evil of that Day and meets them with radiance and joy, and rewards them for what they bore with a garden and silk.

Drawn fromIbn Kathīr on 76:11

11

فَوَقَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ شَرَّ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمِ وَلَقَّىٰهُمْ نَضْرَةً وَسُرُورًا

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

So Allāh will protect them from the evil of that Day and give them radiance and happiness

Loading audio…

From the tafsīr

The protection promised is comprehensive — from the terror, the reckoning, and the punishment of that Day — granted specifically as a return for patience shown in giving despite hardship.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 76:11

Key takeaways

  • Patience in giving in this life is directly linked to protection from the difficulty of the next.

    Drawn fromIbn Kathīr on 76:11

  • Radiance and joy are given as a visible reward, matching the sacrifice made unseen.

    Drawn fromIbn Kathīr on 76:11

  • Recompense is described as proportionate: for what they bore, they are given garden and silk.

    Drawn fromIbn Kathīr on 76:11

Reflect

What difficulty are you currently bearing patiently that this āyah tells you is not unseen?

Saved on this device · included in your printable study sheet

Check yourself

0 / 1 correct

Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

Questions and options are reshuffled and reworded each attempt

Question 1 of 1

What does Allah do for the righteous according to āyah 11?

THEME 04Āyāt 13–22

Couches, silver vessels, and eternal youths

The righteous recline on adorned couches, seeing neither burning sun nor freezing cold, served by vessels of silver and cups of glass-like clarity, circulated by eternal young attendants likened to scattered pearls, dressed in green silk and brocade, adorned with silver bracelets, and given a purifying drink by their Lord.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 76:13; Ibn Kathīr on 76:21

13

مُّتَّكِـِٔينَ فِيهَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرَآئِكِ ۖ لَا يَرَوْنَ فِيهَا شَمْسًا وَلَا زَمْهَرِيرًا

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

[They will be] reclining therein on adorned couches. They will not see therein any [burning] sun or [freezing] cold.

Loading audio…
19

۞ وَيَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ وِلْدَٰنٌ مُّخَلَّدُونَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ حَسِبْتَهُمْ لُؤْلُؤًا مَّنثُورًا

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

There will circulate among them young boys made eternal. When you see them, you would think them [as beautiful as] scattered pearls.

Loading audio…
21

عَـٰلِيَهُمْ ثِيَابُ سُندُسٍ خُضْرٌ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٌ ۖ وَحُلُّوٓا۟ أَسَاوِرَ مِن فِضَّةٍ وَسَقَىٰهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَابًا طَهُورًا

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

Upon them [i.e., the inhabitants] will be green garments of fine silk and brocade. And they will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a purifying drink.

Loading audio…

From the tafsīr

The absence of extreme sun or cold signals a climate of perfect ease, free of the discomforts that mark worldly comfort even at its best.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 76:13

The drink described as 'ṭahūran' (purifying) is understood to cleanse the drinker inwardly, unlike worldly wine which corrupts; it is paired with garments and adornments as complete provision for body and soul.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 76:21

Key takeaways

Reflect

Which single sensory detail of Paradise described here would mean the most to you personally, and why?

Saved on this device · included in your printable study sheet

Check yourself

0 / 2 correct

Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

Questions and options are reshuffled and reworded each attempt

Question 1 of 2

According to āyah 13, what will the people of Paradise not see there?

Question 2 of 2

How is the final drink in āyah 21 described?

FROM CLASS

Upload your handwritten notes

Photograph or scan the pages you wrote in class — several at once. Each page is transcribed, translated into English if you wrote in Arabic or Urdu, matched to the theme it belongs to, and added to your notes for this surah.

Up to 3 pages at a time · JPG, PNG or HEIC

10 of 10 free AI pages left today

VOCABULARY

Roots from this surah

Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.

د ه ر

āyāt 1

time, an age

  • الدَّهْرِtime, an age
  • دَهْرًاa period of time
  • الدُّهُورages, eras

ب ل و

āyāt 2

to test, try

  • نَبْتَلِيهِthat We may try him
  • بَلَاءa trial
  • ٱبْتُلُوا۟they were tested

ط ع م

āyāt 8, 9

to feed, food

  • يُطْعِمُونَthey give food
  • ٱلطَّعَامَthe food
  • نُطْعِمُكُمْwe feed you

ح ب ب

āyāt 8

to love

  • حُبِّهِۦlove for it
  • يُحِبُّhe loves
  • أَحَبّmore beloved

ش ك ر

āyāt 9

to thank, be grateful

  • شُكُورًاgratitude
  • شَاكِرًاgrateful
  • ٱشْكُرُوا۟be grateful

ن ض ر

āyāt 11

radiance, freshness

  • نَضْرَةًradiance
  • نَاضِرَةradiant, glowing
  • أَنْضَرَmade radiant

ط ه ر

āyāt 21

purity, cleanliness

  • طَهُورًاpurifying
  • طَاهِرpure
  • يَتَطَهَّرُونَthey purify themselves

Carry this with you

  • Man's existence itself is a granted favour, once preceded by pure non-being.
  • Life, from the mingled drop onward, is a trial for which hearing and sight are the tools.
  • The righteous give food they themselves love, to the needy, orphan and captive alike.
  • Charity given for the face of Allah expects neither reward nor thanks from people.
  • Patience under hardship is met with protection from the evil of the Last Day.
  • Paradise is described with concrete comfort — no burning sun, no freezing cold.
  • Even minor worldly discomforts are named specifically as absent from the reward.
  • The final drink of Paradise is described as purifying, not merely pleasurable.
  • The scholarly note on this surah's timing shows classification by evidence, not assumption.

Where this surah connects

Cross-surah threads

Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.

The four trials2 movementsRefuge, protection and the unseen harm2 movementsThe Hour and the accounting1 movementProvision, wealth and the tongue that forgets1 movementPatience while the answer is delayed1 movement
All threads →

Sources behind Sūrah Al-Insān

Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.

FINAL ASSESSMENT

Full exam — the whole surah, from memory

Every question from every theme, interleaved and reworded. Interleaving is what turns recognition into recall. Each answer updates your review schedule, your mistakes list and your mastery score for that theme.

Al-Insān — full exam

1 / 7 · 0 correct

7 questions across 4 themes.

Al-Insān · Couches, silver vessels, and eternal youths

How is the final drink in āyah 21 described?

Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol