Surah Al-Insan

Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.

The Name · Bismillah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Copy LinkCard

✦

Save guideDownload offline text

The Surah · Al-Insan

﴾١﴿ هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْإِنسَٰنِ حِينٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْـًۭٔا مَّذْكُورًا

Hal ata 'ala al-insani hinun mina ad-dahri lam yakun shay'an madhkura

Has there come upon the human being a period of time when he was not a thing worth mentioning?

﴾٢﴿ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍۢ نَّبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَٰهُ سَمِيعًۢا بَصِيرًا

Inna khalaqna al-insana min nutfatin amshajin nabtalihi faja'alnahu sami'an basira

We created the human being from a mingled drop, testing him, so We made him hearing and seeing.

﴾٣﴿ إِنَّا هَدَيْنَٰهُ ٱلسَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًۭا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا

Inna hadaynahu as-sabila imma shakiran wa imma kafura

We showed him the way, either grateful or ungrateful.

﴾٤﴿ إِنَّآ أَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَٰفِرِينَ سَلَٰسِلَا۟ وَأَغْلَٰلًۭا وَسَعِيرًا

Inna a'tadna lil-kafirina salasila wa aghlalan wa sa'ira

For the disbelievers We have prepared chains, shackles, and a blaze.

﴾٥﴿ إِنَّ ٱلْأَبْرَارَ يَشْرَبُونَ مِن كَأْسٍۢ كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا كَافُورًا

Inna al-abrara yashrabuna min ka'sin kana mizajuha kafura

The righteous will drink from a cup whose mixture is camphor,

﴾٦﴿ عَيْنًۭا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا عِبَادُ ٱللَّهِ يُفَجِّرُونَهَا تَفْجِيرًۭا

'Aynan yashrabu biha 'ibadullahi yufajjirunaha tafjira

a spring from which the servants of Allah drink, making it gush forth abundantly.

﴾٧﴿ يُوفُونَ بِٱلنَّذْرِ وَيَخَافُونَ يَوْمًۭا كَانَ شَرُّهُۥ مُسْتَطِيرًۭا

Yufuna bin-nadhri wa yakhafuna yawman kana sharruhu mustatira

They fulfill their vows and fear a day whose evil is widespread,

﴾٨﴿ وَيُطْعِمُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ مِسْكِينًۭا وَيَتِيمًۭا وَأَسِيرًا

Wa yut'imuna at-ta'ama 'ala hubbihi miskinan wa yatiman wa asira

and they give food, despite loving it, to the needy, the orphan, and the captive.

﴾٩﴿ إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ ٱللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَآءًۭ وَلَا شُكُورًا

Innama nut'imukum liwajhillahi la nuridu minkum jaza'an wa la shukura

We feed you only for the Face of Allah. We want no reward from you and no thanks.

﴾١٠﴿ إِنَّا نَخَافُ مِن رَّبِّنَا يَوْمًا عَبُوسًۭا قَمْطَرِيرًۭا

Inna nakhafu min Rabbina yawman 'abusan qamtarira

We fear from our Lord a day frowning and severe.

﴾١١﴿ فَوَقَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ شَرَّ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمِ وَلَقَّىٰهُمْ نَضْرَةًۭ وَسُرُورًۭا

Fawaqahumullahu sharra dhalika al-yawmi wa laqqahum nadratan wa surura

So Allah protected them from the evil of that day and gave them radiance and joy,

﴾١٢﴿ وَجَزَىٰهُم بِمَا صَبَرُوا۟ جَنَّةًۭ وَحَرِيرًۭا

Wa jazahum bima sabaru jannatan wa harira

and rewarded them, for their patience, with a garden and silk.

﴾١٣﴿ مُّتَّكِـِٔينَ فِيهَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرَآئِكِ ۖ لَا يَرَوْنَ فِيهَا شَمْسًۭا وَلَا زَمْهَرِيرًۭا

Muttaki'ina fiha 'ala al-ara'iki la yarawna fiha shamsan wa la zamharira

Reclining there on couches, they will see neither burning sun nor bitter cold.

﴾١٤﴿ وَدَانِيَةً عَلَيْهِمْ ظِلَٰلُهَا وَذُلِّلَتْ قُطُوفُهَا تَذْلِيلًۭا

Wa daniyatan 'alayhim zilaluha wa dhullilat qutufuha tadhlila

Its shade will be close over them, and its clusters of fruit brought low in humility.

﴾١٥﴿ وَيُطَافُ عَلَيْهِم بِـَٔانِيَةٍۢ مِّن فِضَّةٍۢ وَأَكْوَابٍۢ كَانَتْ قَوَارِيرَا۠

Wa yutafu 'alayhim bi-aniyatin min fiddatin wa akwabin kanat qawarira

Vessels of silver and cups of crystal will be passed around them,

﴾١٦﴿ قَوَارِيرَا۟ مِن فِضَّةٍۢ قَدَّرُوهَا تَقْدِيرًۭا

Qawarira min fiddatin qaddaruha taqdira

crystal made of silver, measured out to a precise measure.

﴾١٧﴿ وَيُسْقَوْنَ فِيهَا كَأْسًۭا كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا زَنجَبِيلًا

Wa yusqawna fiha ka'san kana mizajuha zanjabila

And they will be given to drink there a cup whose mixture is ginger,

﴾١٨﴿ عَيْنًۭا فِيهَا تُسَمَّىٰ سَلْسَبِيلًۭا

'Aynan fiha tusamma salsabila

from a spring there named Salsabil.

﴾١٩﴿ وَيَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ وِلْدَٰنٌۭ مُّخَلَّدُونَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ حَسِبْتَهُمْ لُؤْلُؤًۭا مَّنثُورًۭا

Wa yatufu 'alayhim wildanun mukhalladuna idha ra'aytahum hasibtahum lu'lu'an manthura

Immortal youths will circulate among them. When you see them you would think them scattered pearls.

﴾٢٠﴿ وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ ثَمَّ رَأَيْتَ نَعِيمًۭا وَمُلْكًۭا كَبِيرًا

Wa idha ra'ayta thamma ra'ayta na'iman wa mulkan kabira

And when you look there, you will see bliss and a great dominion.

﴾٢١﴿ عَٰلِيَهُمْ ثِيَابُ سُندُسٍ خُضْرٌۭ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٌۭ ۖ وَحُلُّوٓا۟ أَسَاوِرَ مِن فِضَّةٍۢ وَسَقَىٰهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَابًۭا طَهُورًا

'Aliyahum thiyabu sundusin khudrun wa istabraqun wa hullu asawira min fiddatin wa saqahum Rabbuhum sharaban tahura

Upon them will be garments of fine green silk and brocade, and they will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a pure drink.

﴾٢٢﴿ إِنَّ هَٰذَا كَانَ لَكُمْ جَزَآءًۭ وَكَانَ سَعْيُكُم مَّشْكُورًا

Inna hadha kana lakum jaza'an wa kana sa'yukum mashkura

This is your reward, and your effort has been appreciated.

﴾٢٣﴿ إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ تَنزِيلًۭا

Inna nahnu nazzalna 'alayka al-Qur'ana tanzila

We have sent the Quran down upon you in stages.

﴾٢٤﴿ فَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تُطِعْ مِنْهُمْ ءَاثِمًا أَوْ كَفُورًۭا

Fasbir li-hukmi Rabbika wa la tuti' minhum athiman aw kafura

So be patient for the decision of your Lord, and do not obey any sinner or ingrate among them.

﴾٢٥﴿ وَٱذْكُرِ ٱسْمَ رَبِّكَ بُكْرَةًۭ وَأَصِيلًۭا

Wadhkuri isma Rabbika bukratan wa asila

And remember the name of your Lord morning and evening,

﴾٢٦﴿ وَمِنَ ٱلَّيْلِ فَٱسْجُدْ لَهُۥ وَسَبِّحْهُ لَيْلًۭا طَوِيلًا

Wa mina al-layli fasjud lahu wa sabbihhu laylan tawila

and in the night prostrate to Him, and glorify Him a long night.

﴾٢٧﴿ إِنَّ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ يُحِبُّونَ ٱلْعَاجِلَةَ وَيَذَرُونَ وَرَآءَهُمْ يَوْمًۭا ثَقِيلًۭا

Inna ha'ula'i yuhibbuna al-'ajilata wa yadharuna wara'ahum yawman thaqila

These people love the immediate and leave behind them a heavy day.

﴾٢٨﴿ نَّحْنُ خَلَقْنَٰهُمْ وَشَدَدْنَآ أَسْرَهُمْ ۖ وَإِذَا شِئْنَا بَدَّلْنَآ أَمْثَٰلَهُمْ تَبْدِيلًا

Nahnu khalaqnahum wa shadadna asrahum wa idha shi'na baddalna amthalahum tabdila

We created them and strengthened their frames, and when We will, We can replace them entirely with others like them.

﴾٢٩﴿ إِنَّ هَٰذِهِۦ تَذْكِرَةٌۭ ۖ فَمَن شَآءَ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ سَبِيلًۭا

Inna hadhihi tadhkiratun faman sha'a ittakhadha ila Rabbihi sabila

This is a reminder, so whoever wills may take a road to his Lord.

﴾٣٠﴿ وَمَا تَشَآءُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًۭا

Wa ma tasha'una illa an yasha'allahu inna Allaha kana 'Aliman Hakima

And you do not will unless Allah wills. Allah is Knowing and Wise.

﴾٣١﴿ يُدْخِلُ مَن يَشَآءُ فِى رَحْمَتِهِۦ ۚ وَٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ أَعَدَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًۢا

Yudkhilu man yasha'u fi rahmatihi waz-zalimina a'adda lahum 'adhaban alima

He admits whom He wills into His mercy, and for the wrongdoers He has prepared a painful punishment.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What The Surah Means

Overview

Surah Al-Insan is thirty-one verses, chapter 76, and it is also known as Ad-Dahr, meaning the passage of time. It opens on the period before you existed and closes on the will of the One who brought you into it. Between those two points it does something no other surah in this juz does at this length. It describes the reward in physical, unhurried detail, and it spends more lines on the reward than on the warning.

The hinge of the surah is verse 8 and verse 9. Food given while the giver still wants it, to three named recipients, with the motive stated out loud and both possible returns refused in advance. No reward and no thanks. That is the third time in this juz that feeding is placed at the center of the file, after Al-Haqqah and Al-Ma'arij.

They gave the food while they still wanted it, and told the recipients not to thank them.

Verses 1–3 · Before You Were Mentioned

Has there come upon the human being a period of time when he was not a thing worth mentioning?

Hal ata 'ala al-insani hinun mina ad-dahri lam yakun shay'an madhkura: the surah opens with a question about your own non-existence. Not that you did not exist, but that you were not a thing mentioned, not on any list, not named anywhere.

Inna khalaqna al-insana min nutfatin amshajin nabtalih: from a mingled drop, and We test him. The test is stated as part of the design in the same verse as the biology.

Faja'alnahu sami'an basira: so We made him hearing and seeing. Two instruments issued at the factory, and both are inputs. The equipment given is the equipment for receiving.

Inna hadaynahu as-sabila imma shakiran wa imma kafura: We showed him the way, either grateful or ungrateful. The road was shown, not hidden, and then the two responses are named with nothing in between them.

You were not a thing mentioned. Then you were mingled, tested, given hearing and sight, and shown the road.

Verses 5–10 · Food They Still Wanted

They fulfill their vows and fear a day whose evil is widespread, and they give food, despite loving it, to the needy, the orphan, and the captive.

Yufuna bin-nadhri: they fulfill what they bound themselves to. The portrait of the righteous opens with keeping a commitment nobody could enforce.

Wa yut'imuna at-ta'ama 'ala hubbihi: they give the food while still loving it. Ibn Kathir carries both readings, love of the food and love of Allah, and both make the same point. The giving happens at the moment of wanting, not after the appetite has passed.

Miskinan wa yatiman wa asira: the needy, the orphan, and the captive. Three named recipients, and al-Qurtubi notes that the captive in that period included prisoners of the enemy. The food goes to a man who may have been fighting them.

Innama nut'imukum liwajhi Allahi la nuridu minkum jaza'an wa la shukura: we feed you only for the Face of Allah, we want no reward from you and no thanks. They say it out loud, to the recipient, which removes the one payment a giver can always still collect.

Then the reason given, that they fear from their Lord a day frowning and severe. The generosity is driven by fear of a day, not by warmth toward the recipient, and the Quran presents that motive without apology.

Given at the moment of wanting, to three people who can do nothing for you, with the thanks refused in advance.

Verses 11–22 · The Reward Described

So Allah protected them from the evil of that day and gave them radiance and joy.

Wa jazahum bima sabaru jannatan wa harira: He rewarded them, for their patience, with a garden and silk. The reward is attached to sabr specifically, which reframes everything in the previous passage as endurance rather than charity.

Muttaki'ina fiha 'ala al-ara'ik, la yarawna fiha shamsan wa la zamharira: reclining on couches, seeing neither burning sun nor bitter cold. The climate itself is described, which tells you the audience knew both extremes intimately.

Wa dhalilat qutufuha tadhlila: its clusters of fruit brought low in humility. The same root as dhalul in Al-Mulk 15, where the earth was made tame. The creation lowers itself toward them.

Wa yutafu 'alayhim bi-aniyatin min fiddatin wa akwabin kanat qawarira, qawarira min fiddah: vessels of silver and cups that are crystal, crystal made of silver. A material that does not exist in this world, described precisely enough that you notice it does not exist.

Wa idha ra'ayta thamma ra'ayta na'iman wa mulkan kabira: when you look there, you see bliss and a great dominion. The word is mulk, the same word Surah Al-Mulk opened this juz with. The dominion that was in His hand alone is given to them.

Silk, shade, silver that is crystal, and a great dominion. The men who refused thanks are handed a kingdom.

Verses 23–26 · Sent Down in Stages

We have sent the Quran down upon you in stages. So be patient for the decision of your Lord.

Inna nahnu nazzalna 'alayka al-Qur'ana tanzila: sent down progressively. The form of the verb carries the staging. The revelation arrived over twenty-three years, matched to events as they occurred.

Fasbir li-hukmi Rabbika: be patient for the decision of your Lord. The same command as Al-Qalam 48, and the same object. Patience is owed to a verdict, not to a general condition.

Wa la tuti' minhum athiman aw kafura: do not obey any sinner or ingrate among them. The two categories are named separately, which covers both the man who is corrupt and the man who is merely ungrateful. Both are disqualified as sources of instruction.

Wadhkuri isma Rabbika bukratan wa asila, wa mina al-layli fasjud lah wa sabbihhu laylan tawila: remember His name morning and evening, prostrate to Him at night, and glorify Him a long night. The daily structure is given in one and a half verses.

Staged revelation, patience for a verdict, no instruction taken from the corrupt or the ungrateful, and the name kept on the tongue at both ends of the day.

Verses 27–31 · The Heavy Day Left Behind

These people love the immediate and leave behind them a heavy day.

Inna ha'ula'i yuhibbuna al-'ajilah wa yadharuna wara'ahum yawman thaqila: they love the hurried thing and leave a heavy day behind them. This is the same diagnosis as Al-Qiyamah 20, in the next surah over, using the same word. The two chapters sit beside each other and file the identical charge.

Nahnu khalaqnahum wa shadadna asrahum, wa idha shi'na baddalna amthalahum tabdila: We created them and strengthened their frames, and when We will We can replace them entirely with others like them. The same replacement clause that closes Al-Ma'arij. No one in this juz is treated as necessary.

Inna hadhihi tadhkirah, faman sha'a ittakhadha ila Rabbihi sabila: this is a reminder, so whoever wills may take a road to his Lord.

Wa ma tasha'una illa an yasha'a Allah: and you do not will unless Allah wills. The surah that began before you existed ends by placing your own willing inside His, and then closes on His mercy and His justice together.

They love what is fast and leave a heavy day behind them. The road is open to whoever takes it.

Structural Summary

The Dispatch

Join The Dispatch

Essays, study notes, and disciplined reflections from Mike Rashid King.

Thirty-One Verses. Fed While They Wanted It.

Verses 1–3The BeginningA period when you were not a thing mentioned. A mingled drop, hearing and sight, and the road shown.

Verses 4–6The Two EndsChains and a blaze for the deniers. A spring mixed with camphor for the righteous.

Verses 7–10The FoodVows kept, and food given while still wanted, to the needy, the orphan, and the captive, with thanks refused.

Verses 11–18The ProtectionRadiance and joy, a garden and silk for their patience, neither burning sun nor bitter cold.

Verses 19–22The DominionImmortal youths, silver that is crystal, and when you look there, bliss and a great dominion.

Verses 23–26The StructureSent down in stages. Be patient for the verdict, obey no sinner or ingrate, and keep His name morning, evening, and night.

Verses 27–31The ChoiceThey love the immediate and leave a heavy day. Replacement is possible, and the road is open to whoever takes it.

Why This Surah Is For You

Verse 8 is the standard, and it is harder than the number in your zakat calculation. They gave the food while they still wanted it. Giving after the appetite has passed, out of surplus, at the end of a good quarter, is not what this verse describes.

Verse 9 removes the last payment a giver can collect. No reward, and no thanks. Say it out loud to the recipient and the transaction closes completely. Most generosity leaves a small debt behind on purpose. This verse cancels it in advance.

Verse 20 uses the word mulk for what the righteous are given, the same word that opened this entire juz in the hand of Allah alone. The men who refused to be thanked for a meal are the ones handed a great dominion. That is the exchange rate this juz keeps quoting.

Verse 27 and Al-Qiyamah verse 20 are the same charge in two consecutive surahs, using the same word for the immediate. Read them together. When the Quran repeats a diagnosis back to back, it is not for emphasis. It is because the condition is the default.

The Practice · Daily Integration

Thirty-One Verses. Refuse the Thanks.

Give something you currently want. Verse 8 sets the timing at the moment of wanting, not at the moment of surplus.

Say the words in verse 9 out loud when you give, in your own language. No reward and no thanks. It ends the transaction and it protects the recipient's dignity.

Cover the three recipients in verse 8 deliberately over a year. The needy, the orphan, and the one in captivity or confinement. Each requires a different kind of finding.

Fix the structure in verses 25 and 26. His name at both ends of the day, and prostration in the night. The reward passage in this surah is attached to sabr, and sabr is built on a fixed schedule.

They gave while they still wanted it and told the man not to thank them. Then they were handed a great dominion.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verse 11 / 62

The Verse

هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْإِنسَٰنِ حِينٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْـًۭٔا مَّذْكُورًا

Hal ata 'ala al-insani hinun mina ad-dahri lam yakun shay'an madhkura

What does this verse say?

AWe created them and strengthened their frames, and when We will, We can replace them entirely with others like them.Band in the night prostrate to Him, and glorify Him a long night.CHas there come upon the human being a period of time when he was not a thing worth mentioning?DThey fulfill their vows and fear a day whose evil is widespread,

The Dispatch

Join The Dispatch

Essays, study notes, and disciplined reflections from Mike Rashid King.

Hifz: Off