The Believers (Al-Mu'minun): Verses 12-16

Know that when the Almighty commanded acts of worship in the preceding verse, engaging in the worship of Allah is not sound except after knowing the Creator God. Consequently, He followed it with mention of what indicates His existence and His attributes of Majesty and Unity. Thus, He mentioned several types of proofs:

The First Type: Deduction from the Stages of Human Creation and Innate Dispositions

This type involves nine stages:

• "Extract" (sulaalah): Means the essence or quintessence, as it is drawn out from the dross. The form (fa''aalat) indicates scarcity, like qalaamah (a small piece) or qumaamah (scraps).
• Interpretation of "Man" (al-insaan):
  1. Ibn Abbas, 'Ikrimah, Qatadah, and Muqatil held that it refers to Adam (peace be upon him). Adam was extracted from clay, and his progeny were created from a humble fluid (maa'in maheen). The pronoun then reverts to the human being who is the offspring of Adam.
  2. Others said that "man" here refers to the offspring of Adam, and "clay" refers to Adam himself. The extract (sulaalah) refers to the earthy particles dispersed in his limbs, which, upon gathering in the receptacles of semen, become semen. This interpretation aligns with the verse: {And He began the creation of man from clay * Then He made his progeny from a summary of a fluid ejected} (As-Sajdah: 7-8).
  3. Another view: Man is truly generated from the semen (nutfah), which is generated from the residue of the fourth digestion, which in turn comes from foods—either animal or plant-based. Animal sustenance ultimately traces back to plants, and plants are generated from the pure essence of the earth and water. Thus, man is truly generated from an extract of clay. This extract then passes through the stages of creation and innate disposition, becoming semen. This interpretation conforms to the literal wording without needing forced interpretations.

• This means that Allah first created the essence of man as clay, then transformed that essence into a semen drop (nutfah) in the loins of the fathers. Through sexual intercourse, the semen is ejected into the woman's womb, which becomes a firm resting place (qaraar makeen) for this drop.
• "Resting place" (qaraar): Refers to the location of rest (the womb), named using the verbal noun (masdar).
• "Firm/Secure" (makeen): Describes the resting place, either because of its inherent stability or because it is established and secured.

• This means We transformed the semen drop from its previous characteristics into the characteristics of an adherent clot (alaqah), which is congealed blood.

• We made that congealed blood into a chewed lump of flesh (mudghah), meaning a piece of flesh resembling something that has been chewed, or the size of a mouthful scooped up (ghurfah).
• This transformation is called creation because Allah annihilates some of its existing attributes and creates new ones. Thus, the creation of new attributes is termed creation for the entity itself, as if Allah creates additional parts within it.

• We turned it into bones (i'zaam). Ibn 'Amir recited it as singular (i'zaam), meaning the plural, like {and the angels in ranks} (malakun saffan saffan).

• This is because the flesh covers the bones, so Allah made it like a covering (kiswah) for them.

• This means a creation distinct from the first creation. How far removed it is! He made him a living being when he was inanimate, a speaking being when he was mute, a hearing being when he was deaf, and a seeing being when he was blind.
• He placed within his interior and exterior—indeed, every one of his organs and every part of his being—wonders of innate disposition and marvels of wisdom that no describer can encompass, nor can any explainer detail.
• Al-'Awfi narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that this refers to Allah's management of him after birth through his stages: childhood and beyond, until he reaches the prime of youth; the creation of understanding and intellect; and beyond that until death. The evidence for this view is that it is followed by: {Then indeed, after that, you are to die}. This meaning is also narrated from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar.
• He said {We developed him} (ansha'naahu) because the creation of the spirit within him and the completion of his physical form constitute a new development (inshaa').
• They stated that this verse indicates the falsehood of the position of Al-Nazzam, who claimed that man is only the spirit, not the body. This is because Allah clarified that man is the composite of these attributes.
• It also refutes the philosophers who claim that man is an indivisible entity and not a body.

• As for the statement: {So blessed is Allah, the best of creators}, "Blessed" (tabaaraka) means exalted. The meaning of blessing (barakah) relates to extension and increase; whatever exceeds something has surpassed it. Alternatively, it could mean that all blessings and goodness originate from Allah. It is also said that its root is al-buruk, meaning firmness, so it is as if He said: Permanence and eternity belong to Him, and all blessings are from Him, making Him worthy of glorification and praise.
• "The best of creators" (ahsan al-khaaliqeen): Means the best of those who determine measure (taqdeer). The mention of the plural (al-khaaliqeen) implies the existence of others who create, which is understood from the context. Here are several issues:

• Al-Ka'bi said that although this verse indicates that the servant is a creator, the name "Creator" is only applied to the servant with a qualifier, just as one may say "the master of the house" (rabb ad-daar) but not simply "Master" (rabb) without addition. A slave does not call his master "my Master" (rabbii).
• They argue that Allah said this because He described Jesus (peace be upon him) as creating from clay the likeness of a bird.
• Our response (two points):
  1. The apparent meaning of the verse implies that Allah is "the best of creators" among a group (plural), so restricting it only to Jesus is incorrect.
  2. If it is valid to describe Jesus as creating, is it not valid to describe other image-makers (musawwireen) as creating as well?
• Our companions' response: This verse is countered by the verse: {Allah is the Creator of all things} (Az-Zumar: 62). Therefore, this verse must be interpreted as referring to the "best of creators" according to your belief and assumption, similar to His saying: {And it is easier for Him} (Ar-Rum: 27), meaning it is easier for Him in your estimation.
• A second response: Creation (khalq) means determination (taqdeer). The verse indicates that Allah is the best of determiners. Determination relates to estimation and conjecture, which is impossible for Allah. Thus, the verse is among the ambiguous ones (mutashabihaat).
• A third response: The verse implies that the servant creates in the sense of determining, but why do you assume that creation means bringing into existence (iijaad)?

• Response: Some scholars interpret "best" (husn) as referring to the perfection and excellence in structure and composition. Even if we accept their premise, we maintain that Allah makes everything good, as there is no command or prohibition above Him that would prevent Him from doing anything.

• Sa'id ibn Jubayr narrated from Ibn Abbas that when this verse was revealed, 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab said: {So blessed is Allah, the best of creators}. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) replied: "Thus it was revealed, O 'Umar." 'Umar used to say: My Lord agreed with me in four matters: praying behind the Maqam (station), imposing the veil upon the wives, telling them: "If you cease, perhaps Allah will substitute for him wives better than you," (which was later revealed: {It may be that his Lord, if he divorces you, will substitute for him wives better than you...} [At-Tahrim: 5]), and my saying: {So blessed is Allah, the best of creators}, to which he replied: "Thus it was revealed."
• The knowers of Allah said this incident was the cause of happiness for 'Umar and the cause of misery for 'Abdullah, as Allah says: {By it He misleads many and by it He guides many} (Al-Baqarah: 26).
• If one argues that based on all narrations, humans initially produced speech similar in structure to the Qur'an, which undermines its miraculous nature as 'Abdullah thought, the response is: This is not implausible if the degree of creation was such that the miraculous nature was not apparent, thus invalidating 'Abdullah's suspicion.

• Ibn Abi 'Abla and Ibn Muhaysin recited it as {lamaa'itoon}. The difference between mayyit (dead) and maa'it (one who is dying/becoming dead) is that mayyit is a fixed attribute, like "alive." Maa'it indicates origination, like saying "Zayd is mayyit now" and "maa'it tomorrow," similar to "he dies" (yamuut). It is like the difference between dayyiq (narrow) and daa'iq (constricting) in the verse: {and your chest becomes tight because of it} (Hud: 12).

• Allah made death (the annihilation of life) and resurrection (the return of what He annihilated) as two proofs of His immense power following creation and invention. Here are some questions:

Question 1:

What is the wisdom behind death? Why were the rewards and bliss of the Hereafter not immediately joined with the bliss of this world, which would have been a greater bounty?

• Response: This would be a detriment (mafsadah) to the accountable person. If a person immediately received reward for the hardships endured in obedience, their performance would be for the sake of those benefits, not for the sake of obeying Allah. Consider if someone praying and fasting were told: "If you do this, We will admit you to Paradise immediately." They would only perform the act to seek Paradise. Therefore, Allah postponed it, followed by death and then resurrection, so that the servant worships his Lord through obedience for the sake of obedience, not for the sake of seeking benefit.

Question 2:

This verse implies the negation of the punishment of the grave, because He said: {Then indeed, after that, you are to die * Then indeed, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be resurrected}, without mentioning revival in the grave between the two states.

• Response (two points):
  1. Mentioning two lives (this life and the resurrection) does not negate a third one (life in the grave).
  2. The purpose of mentioning these three categories—creation, death, and resurrection—is to establish power. What is omitted is of the same category as the resurrection (i.e., a form of return).