The Creation and Formation of Humankind; The Sixth Stage: Sounding Clay
Selections from the Book The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (98)
Allah Almighty said: {He created man from clay like [that of] pottery.} [Ar-Rahman: 14]. ''Clay'' here refers to dry/sounding clay that produces a sound when struck, resembling the pottery from which jars and vessels are made, known for their ability to preserve and cool water. These vessels allow air to penetrate the depths of the water, imparting a new essence and a vibrant taste to it—thus, it represents life.
The human body is a vessel or a small mine composed of twenty-three elements found in the earth. The Messenger, peace be upon him, expressed the stage before the soul was breathed into Adam by saying: “I am the servant of Allah, the Seal of the Prophets, and Adam, peace be upon him, was still lying in his clay”. This human figure lying on the ground was formed from:
- Dust
- Mixed with water, turning into clay.
- Left for as long as Allah willed until it became sticky clay, adhering to itself.
- Then left for as long as Allah willed until it became altered clack mud, perhaps beginning to show some features of human formation.
- Finally, left for a period (as Allah willed) until it became dry/sounding clay like pottery.
These could be four, five, or three stages, resembling the stages of a fetus in its mother’s womb, where each stage lasts forty days, similar to the days of the fetus. It might be considered as part of Allah's days, wherein a chemical reaction took place over many years known only to Allah, allowing this clay mass to ferment, forming DNA and then living cells.
The verses that discuss our father Adam, peace be upon him, before the soul was breathed into him do not contradict each other. Rather, each verse informs us about a stage in the process of his creation. One verse speaks about the stage of his creation from dust, while another describes the second stage involving dust and water, the stage of clay. A third verse refers to the stage of creating him from sticky clay, a fourth discusses his creation from clay from altered black mud, and a fifth verse mentions his creation from dry clay like pottery.
Therefore, it is essential to gather the scattered verses that talk about these stages and consider them collectively to better understand them and extract their meanings accurately. Only Allah knows the duration of each stage, whether it is an epoch or a specific period.
Likewise, only He knows the manifestations of development in this sticky clay, the altered black mud, and the sounding/dry clay like pottery, as well as the factors that influenced the interactions within it. Allah is the one who transitioned Adam from one stage to another; He created him and brought him into existence from nothing, guiding him through these stages.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him, pp. 718-720.
- My father taught me Adam, Al-Awda, p. 21.
- Biography of Adam, peace be upon him, Al-Khalidi, p.38.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
