۞ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا 19
Translations
Indeed, mankind was created anxious:
Transliteration
Inna al-insana khuliqua halū'ā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes that human beings were created with an inherent nature of impatience, anxiety, and restlessness (halū'ā). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain that this characteristic manifests in humans' tendency to despair during hardship and become stingy during prosperity, reflecting an unstable emotional and spiritual state. The verse serves as a foundational statement for the surah's subsequent description of human weaknesses and the contrasting patience of the righteous.
Revelation Context
This ayah opens the second major theme of Surah Al-Ma'arij, which was revealed in Mecca during the early Islamic period. It provides context for understanding human nature and why believers must strive against their base inclinations through remembrance of Allah and righteous deeds, setting up the contrast with the patient believers described in the following verses (70:19-35).
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The greatest sins are to associate partners with Allah and to be disobedient to parents, and false witness' (Sahih Bukhari 2654). Additionally, the hadith 'The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer' (Sahih Muslim 2664) relates thematically to overcoming the halū'ā nature mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
Understanding that impatience and restlessness are part of human nature encourages believers to be compassionate with themselves and others while actively working to cultivate patience, gratitude, and trust in Allah's wisdom through consistent spiritual practice and remembrance.