Allah created Man after He did not exist

This section of knowledge is from Suratul Al-Insan. This is one of the Suras that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite in the Morning prayer on Fridays (Sahih Muslim)

Allah informs that He brought man into existence after he was not even a thing worth mentioning, due to his lowliness and weakness.

Allah says

هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الإِنسَـنِ حِينٌ مِّنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْئاً مَّذْكُوراً

Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning

Then Allah explains this further by saying

إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَـنَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ

Verily, We have created man from Nutfah Amshaj

The words Mashaj and Mashij mean something that is mixed together. Ibn `Abbas said concerning Allah's statement

مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ

from Nutfah Amshaj

"This means the fluid of the man and the fluid of the woman when they meet and mix." Then man changes after this from stage to stage, condition to condition and color to color. `Ikrimah, Mujahid, Al-Hasan and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas all made statements similar to this. They said, "Amshaj is the mixing of the man's fluid with the woman's fluid."

Concerning Allah's statement,

نَّبْتَلِيهِ

in order to try him

That is "We test him"

Likewise Allah said in Suratul Al-Mulk

Then Allah says

فَجَعَلْنَـهُ سَمِيعاً بَصِيراً

so, We made him hearer and seer

That is "We gave him the faculties of hearing and sight so that he would be able to use them for obedience and disobedience."

Allah guided Him to the Path, so Man is either Grateful or Ungrateful

Then Allah says

إِنَّا هَدَيْنَـهُ السَّبِيلَ

Verily, We guided to him the way,

That is `We explained it to him, made it clear to him and showed it to him.

Allah swt also said in Suratul Al-Fussilat

And as for Thamud, We guided them but they preferred blindness to guidance.

And Allah swt also says in Suratul Al-Balad

And We guided him to the two ways

`Ikrimah, `Atiyah, Ibn Zayd and Mujahid and the majority statement said the meaning is '`We explained to him the path of good and the path of evil.

Then Alla swt says

إِمَّا شَاكِراً وَإِمَّا كَفُوراً

Whether he be grateful or ungrateful

This is his decree. Thus, with this he is either wretched or happy.

Hadith

Recorded by Muslim in a Hadith from Abu Malik Al-Ash`ari. He said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

كُلُّ النَّاسِ يَغْدُو فَبَائِعٌ نَفْسَهُ، فَمُوبِقُهَا أَوْ مُعْتِقُهَا

All of mankind wakes up in the morning the merchant of his own soul. So he either imprisons it or sets it free.

Scholarship References