Surah Ar-Rum (The Romans): Verse 20

When Allah (Exalted is He) commanded glorification (Tasbīḥ) away from evils, and mentioned that all praise (Ḥamd) belongs to Him for creating all things, and clarified His power over causing death and giving life by saying: {So glorify Allah} until {And thus you will be brought forth} (Ar-Rum: 16-20), He then mentioned what is a clear proof and a manifest sign of that.

Among these signs is the creation of man from dust (turāb). The proof for this lies in the fact that dust is the furthest of things from the degree of living beings, due to several aspects:

1. Qualitatively: Dust is cold and dry, whereas life requires heat and moisture.
2. Visually: Dust is dull/murky, while the spirit (Rūḥ) is luminous.
3. Functionally: Dust is heavy, while the spirits that constitute life are light.
4. In terms of Motion: Dust is static, while animals move in all directions (right, left, back, forth, up, and down).

In summary, dust is the furthest substance from accepting life compared to other bodies. This is because the simple elements (Anāṣir) are further removed from life than composite bodies. A composite body, through its composition, is closer to the animal state. Among the elements, dust is the furthest because water possesses clarity, moisture, and movement—all qualities akin to the spirits. Fire is closer because it is like the innate heat, which matures and organizes. Then come the composites, the lowest rank of which is the mineral, which is mixed. The highest rank of minerals is gold, which is close to the lowest rank of plants—that is, the plant that sprouts from the earth but does not emerge or rise high. Then come the plants, the highest rank of which is the trees capable of being revered, whose fruit contains a seed from which a similar tree can grow (like the egg from the chicken, and the chicken from the egg). This is close to the lowest rank of animals, which are the insects that have no flowing blood and do not serve great beneficial purposes like plants. Then come the animals, the highest rank of which is close to the rank of man. For instance, livestock, especially the horse, resembles a carrier, a porter, or a messenger. Then comes man, whose highest ranks are close to the rank of the angels who glorify and praise Allah.

Therefore, the One who created life from the furthest substance from the rank of the living must be in the highest ranks, free from incapacity and ignorance. He deserves all praise for the blessing of life, and He possesses perfect power and effective will, making the origination (Ibda') and the return (I‘ādah) possible from Him.

In the verse, there are two subtleties:

1. The word {إِذَا} (Idhā - when/suddenly): This implies suddenness. It is said, "I went out, and suddenly a lion was at the door." This indicates that Allah created him from dust instantaneously by the command "Be," and it was—not that it gradually became a mineral, then a plant, then an animal, then a human. This points to a jurisprudential issue: Allah first created man, alerting him that He revives the living, the growing, and so on, not that He first created an animal and then made it human. The creation of the species is the primary intention, and subsequent species arise from that initial will. Thus, Allah placed the final rank (man) in something extremely distant from it, without a gradual transition through the intermediate ranks we mentioned.
2. The word {بَشَرٌ} (Bashar - human): This points to the perceptive faculty (al-Quwwah al-Mudrikah), because humans are not defined as "Bashar" by their movement, as other animals also move. The phrase {تَنتَشِرُونَ} (Tantashirūn - you spread out/multiply) points to the motive faculty (al-Quwwah al-Muḥarrikah). Both faculties originating from dust are astonishing: perception, due to its density and solidity; and movement, due to its heaviness and inertness. The phrase {تَنتَشِرُونَ} indicates that the wonder is not exclusive to creating man from dust; rather, creating the spreading animal from static dust is astonishing, let alone creating the human being.

In the verse, there are several issues:

The answer is twofold:

1. It is said that the meaning of {خَلَقَكُمْ} (He created you) refers to the creation of your ancestor (Adam).
2. Alternatively, we say that every human being is created from dust. This is obvious for Adam. As for us, we are created from a sperm-drop (Nuṭfah), and the sperm-drop comes from wholesome nourishment (Ghidhā'), which potentially contains some bodily parts. This nourishment is either from the flesh, milk, or fat of animals, or from plants. Animals also derive their nourishment from plants, and plants originate from dust. A grain of wheat or the pit of a fruit only becomes a tree through the dust, to which aqueous parts are added to enable that plant to nourish.

The Almighty said elsewhere: {And He is the One Who created man from water and made him of lineage and affinity} (Al-Furqan: 2), and {from a fluid, ejected} (Al-Mursalāt: 20). Here, He says {from dust}. How do we reconcile this?

If we adopt the first answer (referring to Adam), the question dissolves. If we adopt the second answer, we say that here He mentioned the most primary origin, whereas in the other verses, He mentioned a secondary origin. This is because the dust that becomes nourishment turns into a fluid (the semen), which then coagulates and forms a human by Allah's creation.

Alternatively, man has two apparent origins: water and dust. Dust does not sprout except with water. Thus, in the plant that is the origin of human nourishment, there is both dust and water. If dust is considered the primary origin and water is for gathering its scattered parts, the matter stands. If water is the primary origin and dust is for stabilizing its moist parts from flowing away, the matter also stands.

If someone asks: Allah knows everything, so He knows which is the true origin. The matter is ambiguous to us; both are possible. If dust is the origin, why did He say {from water}? If water is the origin, why did He say {from dust}? If both are origins, why did He not say "created you from both"?

We respond with a subtlety: The status of being an origin (for dust or water) is not inherent to them but is by the decree of the Creator. Allah, considering His power, could have created man first, then annihilated him into dust, and then dissolved that dust into water. However, wisdom dictated that the deficient should be the means to the perfect, not the perfect being the means to the deficient. Thus, He created dust and water first and made them the origin for that which is more perfect than them—indeed, for that which is the most perfect of all beings: man.

Since their status as origins is not inherent but by a decree, He sometimes made dust the origin and sometimes water, to show that this is by His will and choice. If He wills, He makes this the origin; if He wills, He makes that the origin; and if He wills, He makes both the origin.

The philosophers state that man is composed of the four elements: earth, water, air, and fire. They say: Earth is for stability (since earth crumbles quickly). Water is for cohesion (holding things together). Air is for uprightness (since it is light, like a blown-up skin; without it, there would be no standing or posture). Fire is for maturation and binding these things together.

Is this correct? If so, why did the verse only mention two elements (dust/earth) and not mention creation from fire or wind?

We respond: Their statement has no contradiction with the Sharia, so we do not dispute it unless they claim it is necessarily so by nature. If they say Allah created man from these things by His wisdom, we do not dispute that either.

As for the verses, what you mentioned does not contradict this view. This is because you designated air for uprightness and fire for maturation; these occur after the mixing of water and earth. Therefore, the element present earliest is the dust/earth, and nothing else. That is why the verse specified them. Furthermore, the elements most perceptible in man are usually earth and water, especially since their presence in man is apparent to everyone. Therefore, the apparent and perceptible elements were specified in the mention.