Verse 27

6:3; 15:29, 34; 55:15.

Important Words:

صلصال (dry ringing clay) is derived from صل or صلصل which both mean, it sounded; or it produced or emitted a sound; or it made a clashing, ringing or tinkling sound; or it made a long or repeated sound. صلصل الجرس means, the bell made a prolonged ringing or tinkling sound. صلصل فلانا means, he frightened, threatened or terrified such a one. تصلصل means, it (dry clay) made a crackling sound when trodden upon. تصلصل الغدیر means, the black mud of the pool became dry, because such dry mud makes a crackling sound when trodden upon. صلصال means a noisy ass; an ass or a horse sharp and shrill in voice; clay not made into pottery so-called because of its making a sound; or clay mixed with sand which, when it becomes dry makes a sound and which when baked is فخار; or dry clay that makes a sound by reason of its dryness (Lane & Aqrab).

حمأ (black mud) is the noun from حمأ (hama’a). They say حمئت البئر i.e. the well had in it black (fetid) mud in abundance. حمأالبئر means, he cleansed the well of its black (fetid) mud. حمأ الماء means, the water was or became mixed with black fetid mud, and so was rendered turbid and altered in odour. احمأ البئر means, he threw black fetid mud into the well. حمئی علیه means, he was angry with him. حمأ means, black mud; or black fetid mud (Lane & Aqrab).

مسنون (wrought into shape) is the passive participle from سن. They say سنه i.e. he bit him with his اسنان or teeth; or he formed or fashioned or shaped it; or he sharpened or whetted it. سننت لکم سنة means, I have instituted for you a custom or practice to be followed. They say سن الله سنة i.e. God manifested or made known for the people a right way of acting; سن الطینmeans, he plastered pottery with the clay; or he made the clay into pottery. سن (in the passive voice) means, it became altered for the worse or stinking. مسنون means, bitten with the teeth; sharpened or whetted or polished; made smooth; formed, fashioned or shaped; poured forth into moulds to become hardened and formed into a certain shape; or (mud) altered, for the worse in odour; made long and beautiful (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The creation of Adam has been mentioned at several places in the Quran and it is worthy of special note that wherever the Quran speaks of the creation of Adam, it prefaces the account with a reference to Resurrection, as may be seen from the following passages:

Reference to the creation of Adam. | Reference to Resurrection.

2:31. | 2:29.

7:12. | 7:9-10.

18:51. | 18:48-50.

20:117. | 20:102-105.

38:72. | 38:50-65.

A careful study of these passages leads one to the conclusion that this juxtaposition is not accidental. The Quran does not refer to Resurrection or facts relating to it when it speaks of other Prophets such as Moses or Abraham; but whenever it speaks of the creation of Adam, it invariably precedes this account with a reference to Resurrection. Evidently, there must be some deep connection between the two events which accounts for their simultaneous mention. The same is true of several other subjects mentioned in the Quran; thus indicating that they have been put together with a definite purpose. For instance, we find that whenever the Quran speaks of the universal spread of Islam, it couples this subject with a reference to the account of Jesus, thus indicating that it was through the Promised Messiah who was to appear in the latter days as the counterpart of Jesus that the complete propagation and the universal spread of Islam was to be brought about. See also vv. 9:30-33, 48:29, 30 & 61:7-10.

As for the reason why reference to the creation of Adam is always preceded by a reference to post-mortal Resurrection, it may be noted (1) that the creation of Adam or man being subject to the Law or Shari‘ah demands that there should be a general Resurrection and final Judgement for adjudging the goodness or badness of human actions and for awarding rewards and punishments; while, on the other hand, Resurrection and Judgement of mankind demands that there should be a Law or Shari‘ah, because without such a Law the awarding of rewards and punishments becomes meaningless; (2) that the creation of man constitutes a strong proof of Resurrection.

The following arguments may be given in support of this contention:

(a) Man is the crown and acme of all creation. His creation became complete after a long process of gradual development and evolution. This proves that there is indeed a Day of Reckoning, because if man had been given his present form at the very outset, it could legitimately be said that his creation in his present form was an accident and that, like other things which took their respective shapes as the result of natural changes, he too, received his present form. But the creation of man in his present perfect form, after a long process of gradual change and evolution, and then the stopping of its further development after his having attained his present form, shows that man’s creation was not an accident but the result of a predetermined plan and that he was meant to be the crown and object of the whole creation.

(b) The fact that there exist in nature two powers—one of good and the other of evil and that man possesses the power to do both good or bad deeds, and that these powers are subject to his volition and control, proves that he has been created to rule and dominate creation. The reward and recompense of his works should, therefore, be something more than the direct result of his actions. This presupposes post-mortal existence and a time of reckoning i.e. Resurrection and Judgement.

(c) All material progress of man depends upon the observance and obedience of the laws of nature and not upon moral and spiritual laws. In man’s life, however, moral and spiritual considerations play a much more important part. It, therefore, follows that material progress is not the end of human life and that there must be some other life where he should receive the full reward of his moral and spiritual endeavours.

Man having been created from صلصال (dry ringing clay) signifies that he has been created from matter in which the faculty and attribute of speech lay latent. This shows that he has been endowed with the power to respond to the voice of God. But as صلصال (dry ringing clay) emits a sound only when struck with something extraneous, the word is intended to hint that man’s power to respond is subject to his receiving the Divine Call. This faculty establishes his superiority over the whole creation.

The Quranic words that man has been created from حمأ مسنون (black mud wrought into shape) have been used to draw attention to the fact that man has been created from حمأ (black mud) i.e. earth and water; earth being the source of the body and water of the soul. Elsewhere, the Quran speaks of "earth" and "water" separately as the things of which man has been created (3:60, 21:31). By joining the word صلصال (dry ringing clay) with the word حمأ (black mud), the Quran means to point out that while other living things are created of حمأ (black mud) only, viz. of earth and water, for they too possess a certain kind of undeveloped soul, man is created of حمأ combined with صلصال i.e. the attribute of speech. He is also مسنون i.e. wrought into perfect shape. See also 95:5.

It should be remembered that the verse does not mean that clay became at once moulded into a living man by God having breathed life into it. The Quran repeatedly emphasizes the fact that the creation of the universe was gradual. The verse speaks here of only the first stage of man’s creation. Other stages of creation have been mentioned in other verses of the Quran e.g. 30:21, 35:12, 40:68, 22:6 and 23:15. These should be read in the order in which they are given here in order to understand how the different stages of development and evolution of man, omitted in one verse, are supplied in the others.

The statement of the Quran that man was created out of "earth" (which, incidentally, means that the long process of his creation started with it) also finds corroboration from the fact that even now man’s food is derived from the earth, certain parts being derived directly and others indirectly. This clearly shows that the matter contained in the earth forms the origin of man; for if such had not been the case, he could not have derived his nutrition from it, because only that thing of which a being is made can supply it with nutrition, a foreign element being unable to replenish wastage.

The verse also implies an effective answer to those who disbelieve and wonder at the possibility of God’s speaking to human beings. The verse points out that it is not the phenomenon of revelation that is to be wondered at. On the contrary, it would be a matter for wonder if there had been no such phenomenon, because even from the very beginning of his creation man had been endowed with the power and capacity to receive Divine revelation and respond to it.