Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim.

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alamîn . The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense. You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help. Guide us to the Straight Way. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace , not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray .

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76: (Al-Insan)- Man

(Human)Number of Verses: 31

(The Arabic meaning of 'Insan' is 'Human'. In the English language the words 'mankind' and 'man' are also used for 'Human' and we have used 'man' in the text.)

Sūra al-Insān (Arabic: سورة الإنسان) or Sūra Hal Atā ( سورة هل أتی) or Sūra al-Dahr (سورة الدهر) is the seventy sixth sura of the quran in accordance to the order of its compilation and the ninety sixth sura in the order of revelation. It is a madani sura of the Qur'an.

According to and some exegetes of the Qur'an, the eighth verse of this sura which is known as al-it'am verse is a characterization of a virtue of imam 'ali (a), fatima al-zahra (a), Imam al-hasan (a), Imam al-husayn (a), and their housemaid, Fidda. They fasted for three consecutive days because of their nadhr, but they gave their breakfast (iftar) to a poor person, an orphan, and a prisoner despite their hunger.

In spite of its brevity, this Surah presents a deep, varied and comprehensive theme which can be divided into five sections:

1. Man's creation from a drop of mingled sperm; his guidance and his free‑will.

2. The reward offered to the Righteous /abrar/. (This part has a special occasion for its revelation in relation to the household of the Prophet (S), ie. Ahlul Bayt; which will be discussed at a later point.)

3. The merits which cause one to deserve the rewards.

4. The importance of The Qur'an, the manner of conducting its principles and the demanding road of self‑perfection.

5. The dominance of Allah's Will (even though man has limited free‑will).

There are different titles for this Surah; the most famous are "MAN" (Insan),"TIME" (Dahr) and

"HAS THERE COME" (Hal‑ata)

each of which is taken from one of the words at the beginning of the Surah; however, in the traditions we will discuss, here, about the virtue of the Surah, only Hal‑ata is mentioned.

There is a tradition from the Prophet (S) that says:

"One who studies Surah Hal-ata will be rewarded Heaven and clothes of silk (in Heaven) by Allah."

There is also a narration from Imam Baqir (as) which says:

"One of the rewards for a person who studies Surah Hal-ata every Thursday morning is that he will be with the Prophet (S) on the Day of Judgement."

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Benefits

This Surah is also called al-Insan (The Man). It was revealed in Makkah and it has 31 ayaat. It is narrated from the Holy Prophet (S.w.T.) that the reward for reciting this Surah is Jannah and its bounties.

If a person recites this Surah, especially on Thursday mornings, he will be rewarded with a hundred houries and four thousand slaves in Jannah and he will be given a place close to that of the Holy Prophet (S). Reciting it win war brings victory. Drinking water in which this Surah has been dissolved is good for those with heart problems.

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Lessons

- Creation of Human Being 76:1

Insan, is the plural of the word naas. The origin of the word is from nisyaan which means forgetfulness. Human beings are forgetful beings! We become so engrossed in our lives and think we are something special, we forget there was a time we weren't even worth mentioning!
- Allah created us to test us and has given us all the tools we need to achieve success. 76:2
Physical tools like hearing and sight, as well as His guidance in the Quran and Ahlulbayt. Show your gratitude to Allah by ensuring you use the tools in the right way.
- Importance of giving thanks 76:3
Shakir is one who is thankful and its opposite is Kafr, to be ungrateful which comes from the same word as Kafir, one who hides the truth! Being grateful is part of being a believer.
- Allah guides everyone 76:3
Everyone is given guidance and it is upto us to take it.
- and sincerity of intention 76:7-10
Visual: 

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There was a time when man was something not worth mentioning. We should realise our roots.

Allāh has shown us the way to either be grateful, or be ungrateful. We need to choose wisely.

Feed the poor, orphans, captives and hungry despite your own love for food. Feed them sincerely hoping only for reward from Allāh, not reimbursement from the people.

Whoever fears the Last Day and works accordingly, Allāh shall protect him/her from its horrors and grant them happiness and bliss in return.

Allāh definitely appreciates and acknowledges the efforts of His servants.

Remember Allāh in the morning and evening.

The Qur'ān is a reminder; whoever wishes should take it as a means of acquiring proximity to his Rabb.

It is only Allāh who guides whomsoever He wishes.

Allāh envelops into His Mercy whomsoever He wishes. We should try our best in attracting that Mercy, which is not difficult considering how vast it is.

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 It is generally accepted that it was revealed in Mecca, however, there is some scholarly debate and many scholars believe that the chapter was revealed in Madina. There are even suggestions that part of it was revealed in Medina whilst the majority was revealed in Mecca. The theme of the chapter is to inform humankind of their true position in the world and suggests that he (each human being) should adopt an attitude of gratefulness. After addressing humankind, the chapter goes on to describe Paradise in great detail contrasting the end results for both the evildoers and the righteous. This chapter is a serene discourse encouraging people to turn to God, obey Him, seek His pleasure, remember His favors, and work to avoid His punishment; and it is sometimes referred to as Time (Ad-Dhar).

Verses 1 – 3 At one time we did not exist

God asks, 'Was there not a period of time when the human being was nothing, not even mentioned?' This question requires us to think about where we were before God called us into existence. God creates each human being from a drop of mingled fluid; a combination of both male and female substances. All people were created to undergo a test, thus for this reason God endows the human being with the faculties of hearing and sight. God shows us to the right path, and it is us that make a choice. Will we stay on the right path and be grateful or stray from it thus showing our ingratitude.

Verses 4 – 10 Some qualities of righteous people

We have a choice, and God tells us clearly what the outcome of our choice will be. For the disbelievers, those who chose to stray from the path, God has prepared chains, shackles, and a blazing fire. However, those who choose to stay on the path of righteousness will be in Paradise enjoying its delights.

These people, who will be in Paradise, are the ones who fulfil their vows and dread the widespread terror that will occur on the Day of Judgement. They are also compassionate towards those who are less fortunate. They feed the poor, the orphan, and the captive, in spite of having desire for it themselves. They know within their hearts that they feed them for His sake only and do not expect any reward or gratitude from people.

Verses 11 – 22 For those in Paradise

Thus God will keep them safe from the woes on that Day, and they will be radiant with happiness. They will be rewarded for their patience with gardens in Paradise and silken clothing. There they will recline on couches and feel no scorching heat or bitter cold. The trees of Paradise will provide shade, and the fruits of Paradise will hang in low clusters within easy reach. They will be served from silver dishes and crystal cups, and goblets made from clear silver, filled by attendants with everything they desire or fancy. They will be given a drink infused with ginger from a fountain in Paradise known as Salsabil. Their attendants will be boys of eternal youth, and if you saw them you would think that they were scattered pearls. If you could look around you would see blessings and pleasure, splendor and wealth. The residents of Paradise will wear clothing of fine green silk and rich brocade. They will wear fine jeweled bracelets, and their Lord will give them a pure drink. It will be said to them, 'This is your reward, and your endeavors (in the world) have been appreciated.'

Verses 23 – 26 Remember your Lord

This Quran has been revealed to you (O Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him) gradually according to the circumstances. O Prophet, bear patiently the hardships and difficulties that you may face in the great mission that has been entrusted upon you, and do not yield to any disbeliever so as to give up preaching of the true faith or become inclined to make even the least change in the religious beliefs or the moral teachings to please anyone. Remember the name of your Lord at dawn and in the evening. Bow down to Him at night and exalt His praise in the long hours of the night.

Verses 27 – 31 People are free to choose but bear the consequences of their decisions

These disbelievers love the transitory life of this world and neglect to prepare for the heavy Day that is coming. God created them and strengthened their constitution, giving them all the power that they enjoy. If He so willed he could do away with them and replace them with a different creation. This is indeed a warning.

The Quran is a reminder that makes the truth evident. People have been given free will to make their choices. Those who wish to take heed will benefit from it whilst those who knowingly reject the truth will be severely punished.

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Hadiths

Feeding the needy is one of the prominent good deeds of 'the Righteous' and 'the servants of Allah'. This is mentioned not only in the above verses, but it is also emphasized in many other verses of the Qur'an. Hence, it is understood that this good deed is particularly appreciated by Allah.

Nowadays, according to the news broadcasts, every year millions of people die from starvation in some parts of the world, while in some other parts, so much extra food is discarded as garbage. If we pay attention to this, two points will become very clear. First, the absence of morals in today's world, and second, the need for Islamic instruction.

There are many Islamic narration's that seriously refer to this subject, some of which are as follows:

1. A tradition from the Prophet (S) says:

"One who feeds three Muslims, will be fed, by Allah, from three lush gardens in the dominion of the heavens."

2. A narration from Imam Sadiq (as) says:

"One who feeds a Muslim believer to his fill, will be rewarded on the Day of Judgment so much so that neither a man nor an angel nor a Prophet knows the amount except Allah, who is Lord for all."

Another narration from the same Imam says:

"I prefer to feed a needy believer than only to visit him and I prefer to visit him than to free ten slaves."

Notice that the narrations do not emphasize on feeding only the needy and the starved, but some of them denote that feeding the believers is as important as freeing a slave even though the believer is not in need of the food. This shows that the main goal, besides feeding someone, is gaining the hearts and strengthening friendly relations. However, the opposite case is seen among many people today.

Sometimes two close friends or two relatives go to a hotel and each of them pays his own share, as if paying the expenses of the other is something unheard of, especially if the number of the guests is large.

Some narration's stipulate that feeding the starved, in general, (irrespective of believers or unbelievers) is of the best deeds.

For example, a tradition from the Prophet (S) says:

"One of the greatest deeds, in the sight of Allah, is to soothe the heartache and to feed the starved. By Him in Whose hand is Muhammad's soul; the Muslim who, being satisfied with food, sleeps at night while his Muslim brother or neighbor is hungry, has not really believed in me (my prophecy)!"

Although the last part of the aforementioned tradition is about feeding the Muslims, the first part covers all the starved and the vastness of the meaning may cover even the animals.

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It is quoted from Imam Sadiq (as) that,

"(This drink) purifies man's heart and soul from everything except Allah."

It removes any ignorance, unveils any curtain over the truth and makes man worthy of an eternal presence in close proximity to Allah. The pleasure of this pure Drink exceeds any other blessing and is superior to any other gift.

While the filthy wine of this world obliterates man's reason and takes him far away from Allah the pure Drink, which is given by the hand of

'the ones who serve',

alienates him from everything, but Allah and makes him immersed in His Beauty and Glory.

In short, the favor which is included in this verse and in this blessing, is above anything else.

It is concluded from one of the traditions quoted from the Prophet (S) that the fountain of Pure Drink is at the threshold of Paradise; then, with a sip of this Pure Drink, Allah purifies their hearts from envy (and any other vices).

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