His saying: "Has there [not] been over man" means: There has indeed been over man, meaning Adam, "a period of time when he was not a thing worth mentioning" in creation, though he was mentioned with Allah as the One who would create him. Allah created the foundations of creation in six days, and He created Adam on Friday, the last of the six days.
Yahya: On the authority of al-Khalil ibn Murrah, he said: "Umar ibn al-Khattab recited 'Has there [not] been over man a period of time when he was not a thing worth mentioning,' and he raised his voice and said: 'Would that it had been completed.'"
Yahya: On the authority of Ash'ath, from 'Asim ibn 'Ubayd Allah, from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amir ibn Rabi'ah, from his father: "That 'Umar ibn al-Khattab picked up a piece of straw from the ground and said: 'Would that I were this straw! Would that my mother had not given birth to me! Would that I were a thing forgotten and passed out of mind! Would that I had not been a thing worth mentioning.'"
قَوْله: ﴿هَل أَتَى﴾ يَعْنِي: قَدْ أَتَى ﴿عَلَى الإِنْسَانِ﴾ يَعْنِي: آدَمَ ﴿حِينٌ مِنَ الدَّهْرِ لم يكن شَيْئا مَذْكُورا﴾ فِي الْخَلْقِ وَهُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَذْكُورٌ أَنَّهُ خَالِقُهُ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ أُصُولَ الْخَلْقِ فِي الْأَيَّامِ السِّتة، وَخَلَقَ آدَمَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ آخِرَ الْأَيَّامِ السِّتَّةِ.
يَحْيَى: عَنِ الْخَلِيلِ بْنِ مُرَّةَ قَالَ: ((قَرَأَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ ﴿هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الإِنْسَانِ حِينٌ مِنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يكن شَيْئا مَذْكُورا﴾ فَرَفَعَ صَوْتَهُ، وَقَالَ: يَا لَيْتَهَا تَمَّتْ))
يَحْيَى: عَنْ أَشْعَثِ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَامِرِ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ: ((أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ أَخَذَ تِبْنَةً مِنَ الْأَرْضِ، فَقَالَ: يَا لَيْتَنِي هَذِهِ التِّبْنَةُ، يَا لَيْتَ أُمِّي لَمْ تَلِدْنِي، يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنْتُ نَسْيًا مَنْسِيًّا، يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَكُنْ شَيْئا يذكر)).
