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.'"