Al-Hijr: (26-27) And verily, We created man...

There are several issues in this verse:

Issue 1: The Seventh Proof for Monotheism

When the Almighty previously used the creation of animals as proof for the validity of Monotheism, He followed it up by using the creation of man as proof for this same objective.

Issue 2: The Creation of the First Man

It is established by conclusive proofs that it is impossible for events to exist without a beginning. If this is established, it becomes necessary that events must terminate in a First Event, which is the beginning of all events. If this is the case, humanity must terminate in a First Man who is the first of mankind. Since this First Man was not created with parents, He must have been created by the power of God Almighty.

Therefore, His saying, {And verily, We created man} refers to that First Man. The commentators are unanimous that this refers to Adam, peace be upon him.

In the books of the Shia, it is narrated from Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (peace be upon him) that he said: "A million Adams or more have passed before the Adam who is our father." I say: This does not invalidate the created nature of the world. However it may be, there must be an end point in a First Man who is the first of mankind. As for whether that Man is our father Adam, there is no way to prove it except through revelation (Sam').

Know that the body is created (muhdath). Thus, it is certain that Adam (peace be upon him) and all other bodies were created from absolute nothingness.

Furthermore, His saying, {Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam: He created him from dust} (Al 'Imran: 59), indicates that Adam was created from dust. Another verse indicates he was created from clay, which is His saying: {Indeed, I am creating a human being from clay} (Sad: 71).

This verse states that Adam (peace be upon him) was created from "sounding clay from altered black mud" (salṣāl min ḥamā’in masnūn). The most likely sequence is that the Almighty first created him from dust, then from clay, then from altered black mud, and finally from sounding clay like baked pottery.

Undoubtedly, the Almighty is capable of creating him from any type of body, or even creating him ab initio (from the beginning). He created him in this manner either due to pure Will, or because it contained a sign for the angels and served their benefit and the benefit of the Jinn. This is because creating man from these elements is more astonishing than creating something from its own form and kind.

Issue 3: The Meaning of Al-Ṣalṣāl (Sounding Clay)

There are two opinions regarding al-ṣalṣāl:

1. It is said that al-ṣalṣāl is dry clay that makes a sound (yaṣlasil), which is clay that has not been baked. If it is baked, it becomes pottery (fakhkhār). They say that if you perceive a drawn-out sound in its noise, it is ṣalīl, and if you perceive a reverberation, it is ṣalṣalah. The commentators said that God Almighty created Adam (peace be upon him) from clay, fashioned him, and left him in the sun for forty years, so it became sounding clay like pottery. No one knew what was intended by it, and they saw nothing resembling the form until the Spirit was breathed into him. The reality is that the Almighty created Adam from clay in the shape of a human, and when it dried, the wind passing over it would produce a sound (ṣalṣalah), which is why God Almighty named it ṣalṣāl.

2. The second opinion is that al-ṣalṣāl means putrid or foul-smelling, derived from the saying ṣalla al-laḥm (the meat became putrid/changed). I consider this opinion weak because the Almighty said: {from sounding clay from altered black mud}. The description of it being ḥamā’in masnūn (altered black mud) already indicates putrefaction and change. The apparent meaning of the verse suggests that this ṣalṣāl resulted from the ḥamā’in masnūn. Therefore, its being ṣalṣāl must be different from its being ḥamā’in masnūn. If being ṣalṣāl merely meant putrefaction and change, there would be no distinction between it being ṣalṣāl and being ḥamā’in masnūn.

As for Al-Ḥamā’ (Black Mud): Al-Layth said al-ḥamā’ah (singular) is on the pattern of fa‘lah, and the plural is al-ḥamā’, meaning black, foul-smelling clay. Abu ‘Ubaydah and the majority said ḥamā’ on the pattern of kuma’ah.

As for {Masnūn} (Altered/Seasoned): There are several interpretations:

1. Ibn al-Sikkit said he heard Abu ‘Umar say regarding masnūn that it means changed. Abu al-Haytham said: It is said sanna al-mā’ (the water changed) so it becomes masnūn. The proof for this is His saying: {it did not change} (lam yatasannah) (Al-Baqarah: 259).
2. Masnūn means rubbed/scraped, derived from sanantu al-ḥajar (I rubbed the stone against it). What comes out between them is called al-sanan. The sharpening stone (al-misann) is named so because iron is sharpened upon it.
3. Al-Zajjaj said this word is derived from being placed on the path (sannat al-ṭarīq), because when it is so, it has changed.
4. Abu ‘Ubaydah said masnūn means poured out. The words sann and ṣabb (pouring) are used interchangeably; one says sanna al-mā’ ‘alā wajhihi sannan (he poured the water over his face).
5. Sibawayh said masnūn means shaped according to a form and model, derived from sinnat al-wajh (the face's contour/shape).
6. It is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that he said masnūn means moist clay. This reverts to Abu ‘Ubaydah’s opinion, because if it is moist, it flows and spreads on the ground, thus masnūn means poured out.

Regarding His saying: {And the Jānn, We created him before}

They differed on who the Jānn refers to:

• ‘Aṭā’ narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that it means Iblīs. This is the view of Al-Ḥasan, Muqātil, and Qatādah.
• Ibn ‘Abbas, in another narration, said that al-Jānn is the father of the Jinn, which is the view of the majority.

He was named Jānn because of his concealment from sight, just as the fetus (janīn) is named for this reason—the fetus is concealed in the mother's womb. The meaning of al-Jānn in the language is that which conceals (al-sātir), from the saying janna al-shay’a idhā satarahu (he concealed the thing when he covered it).

The Jānn mentioned here could be named Jānn because he conceals himself from the eyes of the children of Adam, or it could be an active participle used in the sense of a passive participle, as in lābin (player/played with) and tāmir (one with dates/having dates), or mā’un dāfiq (gushing water) and ‘ayshatun rāḍiyah (a pleasing life).

They also differed regarding the Jinn: Some said they are a species distinct from the devils (shayāṭīn). The sounder view is that the devils are a division of the Jinn. Every one of them who is a believer is not called a devil, but every one who is a disbeliever is called by this name. The proof for this is that the word Jinn is derived from concealment; whoever is characterized by concealment belongs to the Jinn.

His saying: {We created him before} Ibn ‘Abbas said this means before the creation of Adam.

His saying: {from smokeless fire} (min nār al-samūm). The meaning of al-samūm in the language is the hot wind that occurs during the day, and sometimes at night. According to this, the hot wind contains fire and has a scorching heat and burning intensity, as mentioned in the narration that it is a breath of Hellfire. It is said it is named samūm because of its subtlety, it enters the pores (masāmm) of the body—these are the subtle openings in human skin from which sweat and internal vapor emerge. Ibn Mas‘ūd said: This samūm is a part of seventy parts of the fire that God created the Jinn with, and he recited this verse.

If it is asked: How is the creation of the Jinn from fire conceivable? We reply: This is clear according to our doctrine (of the Ash'arites), because structure/composition is not a prerequisite for the possibility of life. God Almighty is capable of creating life and knowledge in individual substances (al-jawāhir al-fard), so He is likewise capable of creating life and intellect in a hot body.

Some used the argument that life cannot occur in the stars, saying: The sun is extremely hot, and whatever is so cannot have life. We refute this by His saying: {And the Jānn, We created him before, from smokeless fire}. Rather, the basis for denying life to the stars is consensus (al-ijmā‘).

7 < {And [mention] when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will create a human being from sounding clay from altered black mud. *So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down to him in prostration." *So the angels prostrated, all of them entirely, *Except for Iblīs. He refused to be among those who prostrated. *[Allah] said, "O Iblīs, what is [the matter] with you that you are not among those who prostrate?" *He said, "I would not prostrate to a human being whom You created from sounding clay from altered black mud." *[Allah] said, "Then get out of it, for indeed, you are expelled. *And indeed, upon you is the curse until the Day of Recompense."}> 7

<