Tafseer of The Bee · An-Nahl · 16:4
He created man from a sperm-drop; then at once, he is a clear adversary.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah the Exalted says: among His proofs against you, O people, is also the fact that He created man from a drop of sperm (nuṭfa). From a lowly water He brought forth a marvelous creature, which He caused to change in form within three darknesses, one after another, in order then to bring it out into the light of the world after the creation was completed and the soul had been breathed into it. He nourished him, provided him with sustenance, and made him grow, until he was fully grown — whereupon he became ungrateful for the favor of his Lord, denied his Governor, began to worship that which can bring neither harm nor benefit, contradicted his God, and said: مَنْ يُحْيِي الْعِظَامَ وَهِيَ رَمِيمٌ (who will give life to the bones when they are decayed?) — and forgot the One Who created him and fashioned him in perfect form from a lowly water. By الْمُبِينُ (the one who makes manifest) is meant: he who makes his contradiction manifest by means of his speech and disputes with his Creator with his tongue — that is his expression. By "man" the whole of mankind is meant: the singular form was used while the plural meaning is intended.
