Surah Al-An'aam
Chapter 6 · Verse 98 · Revealed in Makkah
“And it is He who produced you from one soul and [gave you] a place of dwelling and of storage. We have detailed the signs for a people who understand.”
Translation: Saheeh International
Listen to recitation
Mishary Rashid Alafasy
Reflection — Ibn Kathir
وَهُوَ الَّذِى أَنشَأَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ
(It is He Who has created you from a single person,) 6:98 in reference to Adam, peace be upon him. In another Ayah, Allah said;
يَـأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيراً وَنِسَآءً
Reflection — Maarif ul Quran
In the fourth verse (98), it was said: وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فَمُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمُسْتَوْدَعٌ(And He is the One who created you from one person, then, you have a place to dwell, and a place to sojourn). The word فَمُسْتَقَرّ :(mustaqarr) used in the text is from: قَرَار (qarar). So, mustaqarr denotes a place of qarar, of rest and peace, for someone or something. As for the word: مُستوَدَع (mustawda' ) in the text, it is a derivation from wadifah which means to keep something with someone temporarily for a few days. So, "mustawda"' will denote a place where something is placed temporarily for a few days.
Thus, the sense of the sentence would be: It is the sacred-most Being of Allah Ta` ala that has created man from one person, that is, Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) . Then, made for him a mustaqarr, that is, a place to dwell for a certain length of time - and a mustawda`, that is, to stay temporarily for a few days.
What does this verse bring up for you today?