Tafsir of Al-Hijr 15:26

(And We have certainly created man): That is, this species, by creating its origin and the first individual among its members in a wondrous creation that contained the creation of all other members in a summary fold.

(From Salsal): That is, dry mud that emits a sound (yusalsil), meaning it rings when tapped. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded this from Qatada, and it was narrated in al-Durr al-Masun from Abu Ubayda. It was also reported from Abu Hayyan that he said: It is mud mixed with sand—this is also a narration from Ibn Abbas. In another narration from him, it is the refined clay from which pottery is made. In another, it is similar to the first [definition]. It is also said: It is from salsala, meaning "it stank," which is the doubling of salla. It is said, "The tie of kinship salla and asalla," meaning it became rancid. This type of doubled [verb] is a verbal noun, opened in its first letter and kasra in its second, like zilzal. Its morphological pattern (wazn) according to the majority of Basrians is fa'lal. Al-Farra' and many grammarians said it is fa'fa', with the repetition of the fa, ayn, and lam. However, they were corrected in al-Durr al-Masun because the minimum [letters for] a root are three: a fa, an ayn, and a lam. Basrians and Kufans said it is fa'fal. It was also attributed to al-Farra'; indeed, it is said it is the famous [view] from him, and from another Kufan, that its measure is fa'l, with a shadda on the ayn, and that the root was salal, for instance. When three identical letters gathered, the second was replaced with a letter of the fa type. Some restricted this disagreement to cases where the meaning is not ruined by dropping the third letter, like lamlam and kabkab, for you can say lam and kab. If the meaning would not hold by dropping it, like simsim, there is no disagreement regarding the originality of all [the letters]. Al-Yamani said: The meaning of their saying "the root is salal" is not that a sad was added, but rather that it is quadriliteral like zalzala. Participation in the root meaning does not necessitate that it is derived from it, as evidence proves that the fa is not increased, but the addition of a letter indicates an increase in meaning. It is mentioned in al-Bahr that salsal is in the meaning of musalsal (ringing), like qudad (fragments) in the meaning of muqadqad (fragmented); thus, it is a verbal noun in the sense of a description, and there are many such examples.

**(From Hama')**: From mud that has changed [in state] and turned black due to proximity to water. The singular is called hama'a. Al-Layth said it with a fatha on the mim, but he was mistaken in that. They said: We do not know hama'a in the speech of the Arabs except with a quiescent mim. Abu Ubayda and the majority follow this. The prepositional phrase (jar wa majrur) is in the position of an adjective for salsal, as is the common convention for a prepositional phrase after an indefinite noun; meaning, from salsal that is from hama'. Al-Hufi said: It is a substitute (badal) for what precedes it by repeating the preposition, as if it were said: "We created him from hama'."

(Masnun): That is, shaped from the sunna (form) of the face, which is its image. Ibn Abbas cited for this the verse of his uncle Hamza, praising the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): Bright-faced, as if the full moon were the form (sunna) of his face; The radiant light cleared the darkness from it, and it dispersed. Others cited the verse of Dhu al-Rumma: It shows you the form (sunna) of a face that is not coarse, Smooth, with neither mole nor scar. Or [it means] poured from the sann (pouring) of water, [the pouring of it]. It is also said with a shin (shann), meaning shaped into the form of a human, just as images are cast from melted materials in molds. Qatada and Mu'mar said: Al-Masnun is the malodorous [mud]. It is said: It is from "you rubbed (sananta) the stone against the stone," if you abrade it with it; that which flows between them is sanin and can only be malodorous. It is also said: It is from "you sharpened (sananta) the blade on the whetstone" if you alter it by sharpening. Its origin is persistence in one direction, from their saying, "He is on one sunan (path)." It is an adjective for hama', and it is permissible for it to be an adjective for salsal. There is no harm in the non-explicit adjective preceding the explicit one; for Al-Radi has said: If an indefinite noun is described by a singular, a prepositional phrase, or a sentence, the singular is usually placed first, but it is not obligatory—contrary to some. Evidence for this is the saying of the Almighty: "And this is a blessed book We have revealed" (6:92). However, it requires a point of refinement (nukta), especially in the speech of Allah, for one does not depart from the standard without a necessitating cause. Perhaps the point here is the appropriateness of the precursor to what follows it, in that both are of the same material category. It is also said: The explicit adjective was delayed to draw attention to the fact that the beginning of its being masnun (shaped/refined) was not while it was salsal, but while it was hama'. It is as if He, Glory be to Him, poured the hama' and fashioned from it the image of a hollow human, then it dried until it sounded when tapped, then He altered it stage by stage until He blew into it from His spirit. So Blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators. It is also said: Al-Masnun is the attributed one, meaning his progeny was attributed to him. This is as you see.