سُوْرَةُ الدَّهْرِ
Surah Al-Insaan (76) — Ayah 1
هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْإِنسَـٰنِ حِينٌ مِّنَ ٱلدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْـًٔا مَّذْكُورًا ﴿1﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning?
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
هَلْ
hal
Has
أَتَىٰ
atā
(there) come
عَلَى
ʿalā
upon
ٱلْإِنسَـٰنِ
l-insāni
man
حِينٌۭ
ḥīnun
a period
مِّنَ
mina
of
ٱلدَّهْرِ
l-dahri
time
لَمْ
lam
not
يَكُن
yakun
he was
شَيْـًۭٔا
shayan
a thing
مَّذْكُورًا
madhkūran
mentioned
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
1. Has there not come upon man a period of endless time [1] when he was not even a thing mentioned?
[1]
The Literal Meaning of "Dahr", and "Dahr" Refers to Allah's Essence:
Dahr means the time of the universe, the duration of the world, the period from when the universe began until its end (Mufradat). Ibn al-Faris says that the meaning of dominance and overpowering is found in "dahr", and this is because time inevitably passes over everything and prevails over it. (Maqayis al-Lughah) And "dahr" is connected to the divine will. Thus, the Prophet ﷺ said: ﴿لا تسبوا الدهر فان الله هوالدهر﴾ meaning, do not speak ill of Dahr, for Allah Himself is Al-Dahr. [بخاری۔ کتاب الادب۔ باب لا تسبوا الدھر]
And a "dahri" is a person who does not believe in the creation of the universe, but rather considers it to have existed eternally, and thinks that this universe has no creator, but came into existence by chance. In this verse, it is being stated that there was a time upon man when the human race had not yet been created, and there was no name or trace of it on the face of existence. Then, after passing through many stages and forms, it came into being as a drop of fluid. And its other meaning could be that when man was in the state of a drop, compared to his present honor and dignity, that state was not even worthy of being mentioned.
[1]
The Literal Meaning of "Dahr", and "Dahr" Refers to Allah's Essence:
Dahr means the time of the universe, the duration of the world, the period from when the universe began until its end (Mufradat). Ibn al-Faris says that the meaning of dominance and overpowering is found in "dahr", and this is because time inevitably passes over everything and prevails over it. (Maqayis al-Lughah) And "dahr" is connected to the divine will. Thus, the Prophet ﷺ said: ﴿لا تسبوا الدهر فان الله هوالدهر﴾ meaning, do not speak ill of Dahr, for Allah Himself is Al-Dahr. [بخاری۔ کتاب الادب۔ باب لا تسبوا الدھر]
And a "dahri" is a person who does not believe in the creation of the universe, but rather considers it to have existed eternally, and thinks that this universe has no creator, but came into existence by chance. In this verse, it is being stated that there was a time upon man when the human race had not yet been created, and there was no name or trace of it on the face of existence. Then, after passing through many stages and forms, it came into being as a drop of fluid. And its other meaning could be that when man was in the state of a drop, compared to his present honor and dignity, that state was not even worthy of being mentioned.
