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سُورَةُ النَّحۡلِ · 16:4
MeccanRevelation order ٧٠Juzʾ ١٤Page ٢٦٧

خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍۢ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ

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Saheeh International · EN

He created man from a sperm-drop; then at once, he is a clear adversary.

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Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 4 of Sūrat An-Nahl (The Bee), the 70th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 14. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
70 of 114
Surah
An-Nahl (16)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

(He hath created man from a drop of fluid, yet behold! he is an open opponent) [16:4]. This verse was revealed about Ubayy ibn Khalaf al-Jumahi when he brought decaying bones to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and then said: �O Muhammad, do you think Allah will bring this to life after its decay?�. Something similar to this verse is Allah�s words in Surah Yasin (Hath not man seen that We have created him from a drop of seed? Yet lo! He is an open opponent�) [36:77] up to the end of the Surah. This verse was revealed on the occasion of this incident.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

He has created the heavens and the earth with truth. High is He, Exalted above all that they associate as partners with Him (3)He has created man from a Nutfah, then behold, this same (man) becomes an open opponent (4) Allah is the One Who has created the Heavens, the Earth, and Man Allah tells us about His creation of the upper realm, which is the heavens, and the lower realm, which is the earth, and everything in them. They have been created for a true purpose, not in vain, so that لِيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُوا بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا بِالْحُسْنَى (He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done (i.e. punish them in Hell), and reward those who do good, with what is best (i.e. Paradise).)[53:31] Then He declares Himself to be above the Shirk of those who worship others besides Him. He is independent of His creation, alone with no partner or a…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

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And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

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Provenance

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