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 by saying,

[إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَـنَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ]

(Verily, We have created man from Nutfah Amshaj,) meaning, mixed. 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,) means, `We test him.' It is similar to Allah's statement,

[لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً]

(That He may test you which of you is best in deed.) (67:2) Then Allah says,

[فَجَعَلْنَـهُ سَمِيعاً بَصِيراً]

(so, We made him hearer and seer.) meaning, `We gave him the faculties of hearing and sight so that he would be able to use them for obedience and disobedience.'