Tafsir of Al-Mu'minoon 23:14

Then We created the drop as a clot: That is, congealed blood, done by the addition of the accidents of blood upon it, so it becomes blood in terms of description. This is a case of movement in quality.

And We created the clot as a lump: That is, a piece of flesh the size of what can be chewed, having no clarity or differentiation in it. This transformation, according to what is said, is according to the essence, like the transformation of water into stone and vice versa. Its reality is the removal of the first form from the matter and the outpouring of another form upon it, which is a matter of coming-to-be and passing-away. This is not devoid of movement in the preparatory quality; for the readiness of water, for example, for the first corruptible form begins to diminish, and its readiness for the second occurring form begins to intensify. The first continues to decrease and the second to increase until the matter reaches a state where the first form is removed from it, and the second occurs in it at once. Thus, these preparations, which are of the category of quality, succeed one another upon a single subject.

And We created the lump: (referring to) most of it, the majority of it, or all of it.

Into bones: Small bones, and bones as wisdom dictates. This transformation is by way of hardening for that which is intended to be made into bones from the lump; this is also a transformation by way of description, so it falls into the first category.

In the words of the scholar al-Baydawi, there is a hint toward the totality of what we have mentioned, and it necessitates the statement that the drop and the clot are unified in essence, and the difference is only in accidents, like redness and whiteness, for example. Likewise, the lump and the bones are unified in essence, and the difference is only in terms of softness and hardness; and that the clot and the lump are different in essence just as they are different in accidents. The apparent meaning is that these stages succeed one another upon one substance, with forms corresponding to the succession of preparations until it ends at the human form. We hold this view until evidence to the contrary is established, so contemplate it.

And We covered the bones with flesh: (the well-known) flesh. That is, We made it a covering for each of them like a garment. It is possible that this flesh is from the flesh of the lump, in that not all of it was made into bones, but rather some remained and was spread over the bones to cover them. It is also possible that it is other flesh that God Almighty created upon the bones from the blood in the womb.

And all the (bones), unlike the others in the stages, because they are diverse in form and hardness, unlike the others. Do you not see the bone of the shin, the bone of the fingers, the ends of the ribs, and the number of bones in general, according to what is said, are two hundred and forty-eight bones, which is the number of "Rahm" (womb) according to the greater Abjad calculation? Some have made this the number of parts of a human. And God Almighty knows best.

Ibn Amir, Abu Bakr from ‘Asim, Aban, al-Mufaddal, al-Hasan, Qatadah, Harun, al-Ju‘fi, Yunus from Abu ‘Amr, and Zayd bin ‘Ali (may God be pleased with them) read it as singular (bone) in both places, sufficing with the generic noun that applies to both the few and the many, with no confusion, as in His saying: “Eat of some of your belly” (implying the plural). The restriction of such (usage) to necessity, as reported from Sibawayh, is not devoid of scrutiny. The singular here is a form of assimilation to what was mentioned before in the stages, as Ibn Jinni mentioned.

Al-Sulami, Qatadah, al-A‘raj, al-A‘mash, Mujahid, and Ibn Muhaysin also read it with the first in the singular and the second in the plural. Abu Raja, Ibrahim bin Abi Bakr, and Mujahid also read with the first in the plural and the second in the singular.

Then We produced it as another creation: Differing from the first creation in a difference so vast, where it was made a speaking, hearing, and seeing animal. Into every organ of it and every part, He deposited wonders and rarities that cannot be grasped by description nor reached by explanation. Hence it was said: “And you claim that you are a small body, while the greater universe is folded within you.”

It is said that the "other creation" is the spirit, meaning the speaking soul. The meaning is: We brought into existence for it, or within it, another creation. The immediate understanding of the production of the spirit is its creation. The outward appearance of the conjunction "then" requires its occurrence after the occurrence of the body, which is the statement of most Muslims, and Aristotle held this view. It is said its production is its breathing into the body; for some, this is an expression for making it attached to it, and for most Muslims, making it permeate it. If the animal spirit is intended by the "spirit," then there is no dispute about its occurrence after the body and its permeation into it. It is also said: the "other creation" is the sensitive faculties. Al-Dahhak said—and it is nearly laughable in what ‘Abd bin Humayd narrated from him—that the "other creation" is the teeth and hair. It was said to him: "Is he not born with hair on his head?" He replied: "What about the pubic hair and the armpits?"

The indication we pointed out, that "then" is for temporal ordering, is what most of its usages require. It is possible for it to be for rank-based ordering, for the second creation is greater than the first and its rank is higher. The first conjuncts came some with "then" and some with "fa" (then/so), and they did not all come with "then" or "fa" despite the possibility of doing so in such contexts, to indicate the variance in the transformations. That which is conjoined with "then" is unlikely to be obtained from what precedes it, so the intellectual or rank-based unlikelihood is placed in the position of sensory delay and distance. For the acquisition of a drop from earthen parts is very strange, and likewise making the white flowing drop into solid red blood, unlike making blood into flesh similar to it in color and form. Likewise, the hardening of the lump until it becomes bone, and likewise the stretching of its flesh over it to cover it. Thus it is said, and it is not free of discussion.

Imam Abu Hanifa used His saying: “Then We produced it...” as evidence that whoever usurps an egg and it hatches in his possession, he is liable for the egg, not the chick, because it is "another creation." Al-Kashf states: There is scrutiny in this reasoning based on the principles of his opponents, because its difference from the first does not remove it from his ownership according to them. The author of al-Taqrib said: His inclusion of the chick is because it is a part of the usurped item, not because it is the same as it or named by its name. There is much debate and long discourse on this issue to be sought in the extensive books of jurisprudence.

The Imam said: They said that in the verse is evidence of the invalidity of the statement of al-Nazzam: that the human is the spirit, not the body, for He explained that the human is composed of these things. And (evidence) of the invalidity of the statement of the philosophers: that the human does not divide and is not a body. As if they intended that the human is the speaking soul and the "Commanded Spirit" (al-ruh al-amriyyah) which is abstract, for it is that which is not a body according to them and does not accept division in any way, and is neither inside the body nor outside it.

So blessed is God: That is, exalted and sanctified be His status, Glorified be He in His encompassing knowledge and dazzling power. "Tabaraka" is a past tense verb that does not inflect. Most assign it to a non-feminine subject. The turning (iltifat) to the Majestic Name is to instill awe and induce terror, and to signal that what was mentioned of the wondrous actions are among the decrees of Divinity, and to signal that it is the right of everyone who hears what has been detailed of the traces of His power—Mighty and Majestic is He—or observes it, to hasten to speak it in glorification and veneration of His status—Exalted is He.

The best of creators.

This is an adjective for the Majestic Name. The idafa (genitive construction) of the superlative is pure, so it provides definition if it is added to a definite noun, according to the more correct view.

Abu al-Baqa said: It is not permissible to be an adjective because it is indefinite, even if added, because the added-to noun is a substitute for "min" (from), and such is the entire category of "af‘al minka" (more... than you). He considered it a substitution, which is rare in derivatives, or a predicate for a hidden subject, i.e., "He is the best of creators." The basis is the absence of a hidden estimation, and the tamyiz (specification) of the "af‘al" is omitted because the "creators" (al-khaliqin) indicates it, i.e., "the best of creators in creation." So the excellence is for the creation. It is said: Its parallel is the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): "Verily God Almighty is beautiful, He loves beauty," meaning His action is beautiful, so the added noun was deleted and the added-to noun was put in its place, and it became nominative, then became hidden. "Khalq" in the sense of "taqdir" (measurement/design) is a description attributed to others than He, as in His saying: “And when you fashion (takhluqu) from clay like the form of a bird,” and the saying of Zuhayr: “And you cut through what you have measured (khalaqta), and some people measure (yakhluqu) then do not cut through.” In the meaning of that is its interpretation as "manufacture," as Ibn ‘Atiyyah did. It is not correct to interpret it as "bringing into existence" according to us, as there is no creator in that sense other than He, unless it is for the sake of assumption and estimation. The Mu‘tazilah interpret it as such, due to their statement that the servant is the creator of his own actions and brings them into existence independently. Thus, the creator-bringer-into-existence is multiple according to them, and the theological books have exerted themselves in refuting them.

The meaning of the excellence of His creation—Exalted is He—is its perfection and firmness. It is possible that by "excellence" the opposite of ugliness is meant, and everything from Him—Glorified is His status—is beautiful, not described by ugliness at all in terms of it being from Him, so there is no evidence in it for the Mu‘tazilah that He—Exalted is He—does not create disbelief and sins, as is not hidden.

It is narrated that ‘Abdullah bin Sa‘d bin Abi Sarh used to write for the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), and he (peace be upon him) dictated to him His saying: “And We created man...” until when he reached (peace be upon him): “Then We produced it as another creation,” ‘Abdullah spoke His saying: “So blessed is God...” etc., before he could dictate it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him: "It was revealed thus." ‘Abdullah then said: "If Muhammad is a prophet to whom revelation is sent, then I am a prophet to whom revelation is sent." So he apostatized and went to Mecca as a disbeliever, then he became Muslim before the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and his Islam was good. It is said: He died a disbeliever. Some attacked the authenticity of this narration, saying that the Surah is Meccan and his apostasy (occurred later), as the narration requires. It was answered that it is possible to combine them by saying that the verse was revealed in Mecca and he (peace be upon him) had him write it in Medina, so what happened happened; or to maintain that the verse is Medinan because of this report, and the statement that the Surah is Meccan is in consideration of the majority. On this, the limitation of al-Jalal al-Suyuti to excluding His saying: “Until We seized their affluent ones,” to His saying: “...are despondent,” is a shortcoming, so remember that. This concurrence is also narrated from Mu‘adh bin Jabal. Ibn Rahwayh, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Tabarani in al-Awsat, and Ibn Marduyah narrated from Zayd bin Thabit (may God be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) dictated to me this verse: “And We created man from an extract of clay” to His saying: “...another creation.” Mu‘adh bin Jabal (may God be pleased with him) said: “So blessed is God, the best of creators,” and the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) laughed. Mu‘adh said to him: "What are you laughing at, O Messenger of God?" He said: "With it, it was concluded." It is also narrated from ‘Umar (may God be pleased with him). Al-Tabarani, Abu Nu‘aym in Fada’il al-Sahabah, and Ibn Marduyah narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas (may God be pleased with them) who said: When “And We created man from an extract of clay” to the end of the verse was revealed, ‘Umar (may God be pleased with him) said: “So blessed is God, the best of creators,” and it was revealed as he said. Ibn ‘Asakir and a group narrated from Anas that ‘Umar (may God be pleased with him) used to boast of that and mention that it was one of his four concurrences with his Lord—Mighty and Majestic is He. Furthermore, this is from the excellence of the composition of the Holy Quran, as the opening of many of its verses indicates its miraculous nature, and some poems have been praised for this. It was said: “Poems that, if they are recited before an assembly, their openings inform you of their rhymes.” It is not said: "Humans have indeed spoken initially with the like of the composition of the Quran, and that undermines its miracle," because what is beyond human ability, according to the correct view, is what is estimated as the shortest surah of it. Moreover, the miracle of this noble verse is contingent upon what precedes it, as the "fa" (so) expresses it. It is an intercalary tail-piece confirming the content of what precedes it.