Al Imran: (59) The likeness of Jesus...

The exegetes are unanimous that this verse was revealed when the delegation of Najran came to the Prophet (peace be upon him). Among their arguments was their statement: "O Muhammad, since you affirm that he [Jesus] has no human father, it must be that his father is God Almighty. We say: Adam had neither a father nor a mother, yet it was not necessary for him to be the son of God. The same applies to Jesus (peace be upon him)." This is the essence of their argument. Furthermore, if God Almighty could create Adam from dust, why could He not create Jesus from the blood of Mary? Indeed, this is closer to reason, as the generation of an animal from the blood collected in the mother's womb is more analogous than its creation from dry dust. This summarizes their discourse.

Herein lie several issues:

This means his description (or status) is like the description of Adam. This is similar to the Almighty's saying: {The likeness of the Garden promised to the pious} (Ar-Ra'd: 35), meaning the description of the Garden.

This is not a descriptive clause (silah) for Adam, nor an adjective describing him. Rather, it is a new, explanatory statement regarding Adam's condition. Al-Zajjaj said: This is like when you say in speech, "Your likeness is like that of Zayd," intending to compare him to Zayd in some matter, and then you report Zayd's story, saying, "He did such and such."

It is established by reason that there must be a first parent for humanity; otherwise, every offspring would necessitate a preceding parent without end, which is impossible. The Qur'an indicates that this first parent is Adam (peace be upon him), as in this verse, and in His saying: {O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate} (An-Nisa: 1), and {It is He who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate} (Al-A'raf: 189).

The Almighty mentioned several ways regarding the manner of Adam's creation:

1. From dust: As in this verse.
2. From water: God Almighty said: {And He is the One who created man from water and made him of lineage and affinity} (Al-Furqan: 54).
3. From clay (tin): God Almighty said: {Who perfected everything He created and began the creation of man from clay. Then He made his progeny from a sperm-extract of a humble fluid} (As-Sajdah: 7-8).
4. From an extract of clay (sulalah min tin): {And We have certainly created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him a sperm-drop in a firm lodging} (Al-Mu'minun: 11-13).
5. From sticky clay (tin lazib): {Indeed, We created them from sticky clay} (As-Saffat: 11).
6. From hardened clay (salsal): {Indeed, I am creating a human being from sounding clay from altered black mud} (Al-Hijr: 28).
7. From 'ajl (a substance related to creation/haste): {Man was created hasty} (Al-Anbiya: 37).
8. In hardship (kabada): {We have certainly created man in struggle} (Al-Balad: 4).

The philosophers stated that Adam (peace be upon him) was created from dust for several reasons:

1. To be humble.
2. To be a covering/shield (a metaphor for being grounded).
3. To have the strongest attachment to the earth, as he was created to be the vicegerent on Earth, {Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority} (Al-Baqarah: 30).
4. To manifest His power: He created the devils from fire (the brightest of bodies) and afflicted them with the darkness of misguidance; He created the angels from air (the finest of bodies) and gave them perfect strength; and He created Adam (peace be upon him) from dust (the densest of bodies), yet He bestowed upon him love, knowledge, light, and guidance. He created the heavens from waves of seawater and suspended them in the air, so that the creation of these bodies serves as a dazzling proof and clear evidence that He is the Planner without need, and the Creator without mixture or treatment.
5. To extinguish the fire of desire, anger, and greed, as these fires are only quenched by dust. He was created from water so that he might be pure, reflecting the forms of things. Then, the Almighty mixed the earth and the water to form clay, which is the dense substance, as stated in {Indeed, I am creating a human being from clay}. In the fourth stage, He said: {And We have certainly created man from an extract of clay}, where sulalah means the extracted part, as it is taken from the finest elements of the clay. In the sixth stage, He established three types of attributes for him:

• First: That he is from salsal (hardened clay), which makes a rattling sound when moved, like pottery whose interior sounds when shaken.
  • Second: Al-Hama', which is that which has settled in water for a period, causing its color to change to black.
  • Third: The change in its smell, as in {Look at your food and drink; it has not changed} (Al-Baqarah: 259), meaning it has not decayed.

This concludes the discussion on reconciling the verses concerning the creation of Adam (peace be upon him).

There is a difficulty in the verse: The Almighty said, {He created him from dust}, and then said, {then said to him, "Be," and he was}. This implies that Adam's creation preceded the command "Be," which is impermissible.

Answers:

1. Abu Muslim's view: We have explained that creation (khalq) means estimation (taqdir) and shaping (taswiyah). It reverts to God's knowledge of how it will occur and His will to bring it about in a specific manner. All of this precedes Adam's existence eternally. As for {Be}, it is an expression for bringing him into existence. Thus, Adam's creation precedes the saying {Be}.
2. The Judge's view (which he relied upon): He created him from clay, then said to him, "Be," meaning, "Give him life," just as He said, {Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot}. If one objects that the pronoun in {He created him} refers to Adam, and Adam did not exist when he was dust, the Judge replies: He did exist, but only after receiving life. Life itself is not Adam; for Adam is not merely the physical form with a specific shape, but rather a specific essence—either the balanced temperament or the soul. This leads to the complex discussion of what the soul is, which is one of the most obscure issues.
   • The correct response: When that physical structure was such that it would soon become Adam, God named him Adam beforehand, naming what was destined to occur as if it had already happened.
3. The third answer: The phrase {then said to him, "Be," and he was} indicates a sequence in reporting, similar to {Then he was among those who believed} (Al-Balad: 17). A speaker might say: "I gave Zayd a thousand today, then I inform you that I gave him two thousand yesterday." He means: "I gave him a thousand today, and now I inform you that I gave him two thousand yesterday." Similarly, {He created him from dust} means He shaped him into a complete creation, and then He informs you that He created him by saying to him, "Be."

There is another difficulty: It should have been said, "then said to him, 'Be,' and he was" (fa kāna), but instead, it says, {Be, and it is} (fa yakūnu).

The Answer: The interpretation of the statement is: Then He said to him, "Be," and it was. Know, O Muhammad, that whatever your Lord commands "Be" to, it inevitably comes into being.

{The truth is from your Lord, so do not be among the doubters.}