Verses 12–22
Having discussed the success of the believers due to their excellent qualities, God continues these verses by describing the creation of humankind and His blessings upon them through His direction of their affairs; a direction that is inseparable from their creation. The verses show that He is the Lord and Sustainer of humankind and all things; thus He alone must be worshiped, without setting any partners for Him.
Commentary
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ سُلَالَةٍ مِنْ طِينٍ ١٢
(23:12) And certainly We fashioned (khalaqnā, from khalq) man (al-insān) of an extract (sulālatin) of clay.
Majmaʿ al-bayān says:
Sulālah is a noun for what is extracted from something, similar [in form] to kusāḥah, which is what is swept and gathered [that is, garbage].
The context suggests that “man” (al-insān) in this verse refers to the human species, including Adam and his entire progeny. Khalq (creation, fashioning) in the verse refers to the initial creation of this species, which started by Adam’s creation from clay. His progeny then continued through nuṭfah (drop, seed, seminal fluid). Hence, this verse and the next one are equivalent to His words: And He began the creation of man from clay. Then He made his progeny of an extract, of water held in light estimation ().
The above interpretation of the verse can be confirmed by the use of the verb jaʿl (to make, to set, to place) in the next verse, as opposed to the verb khalq (to create, to fashion): Then We made him (jaʿalnāhu, from jaʿl) a drop (). If these verses were only about Adam’s progeny but not himself, then the verse should have said, “Then We fashioned him (khalaqnāhu, from khalq) a drop,” just as it uses the verb khalq later: Then We fashioned the drop a clot, so We fashioned the clot a lump of flesh (). Therefore, we cannot say that these verses are only about Adam’s descendants, who are created from clay in the sense that their seed traces back to dust [in nature]. This should answer the exegetes who have interpreted “man” as the children of Adam, and also others who have interpreted it as Adam alone.
It is said that the root meaning of khalq is “to measure” (taqdīr). When one measures a fabric to make some garment out of it he says, “I have measured the garment” (khalaqtu al-thawb). Therefore the meaning is: We measured and fashioned man first, from an extract from the parts of earth that was mixed with water [that is, clay].
ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُطْفَةً فِي قَرَارٍ مَكِينٍ ١٣
(23:13) Then We made him a drop (nuṭfatan) in a firm resting-place (qarārin makīn).
Nuṭfah means “little water.” Sometimes it is used for water in general. In this verse, the word qarār (placement) means maqarr (resting place). This is a case of using a maṣdar (verbal noun, gerund, infinitive) instead of an ism makān (noun of place) to convey emphasis. The word qarār here refers to “the womb,” which is the resting place of the nuṭfah. Makīn means matamakkin (firm, established). It is a quality of the womb, in the sense that the womb protects the drop against loss or damage, or in the sense that the drop is firmly placed in it.
The meaning is: Then We made man a drop in a firm and established place which is the womb, just as We first fashioned him from clay. In other words, We transformed his path of creation from that to this.
ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَامًا فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْمًا ثُمَّ أَنْشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آخَرَ ۚ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ١٤
(23:14) Then We fashioned the drop a clot, so We fashioned the clot a lump of flesh, so We fashioned the lump of flesh bones, so We clothed the bones with flesh, then We caused it to grow into another creation, so blessed be Allah, the best of the creators.
The terms in this verse were discussed under verse () in the previous volume of the book.
…We clothed the bones with flesh…: This is an elegant metaphorical expression.
…then We caused it to grow (anshaʾnāhu, from inshāʾ) into another creation…: According to al-Rāghib, inshāʾ means “to make and foster something,” while nashʾ and nashʾah mean “to originate something and grow it.” A youth of young age is called al-nāshiʾ.
This expression involves a change in the theme of the verse, because so far the verse was talking about khalq (creation, fashioning) but at this point it says, “then We caused it to grow into another creation” instead of saying, “then We fashioned it…” This transition is meant to indicate the onset of something new [in human creation] that was not included in, or accompanied by, the previous material stages. There is no such fundamental transition in the previous stages, such as the stage of creation of the clot (ʿalaqah). Even though the clot does not have the same qualities as the drop (nuṭfah)—such as color, taste and so on—it nevertheless has the same kind of qualities. For example, the drop is white as opposed to the clot which is red; they are not the same but they are both colors. However, in the last stage of man’s creation, what God makes to grow is a soul that has life, knowledge and power. This is the substantial essence of humankind, which we refer to by saying “I.” There is no equivalent for the human soul in the previous stages of creation, including the stages of the drop, the clot, the lump of flesh and the bones that are covered with meat. There is nothing in those stages that would have attributes of life, power and knowledge. Hence it is a new origination that is made to grow from non-existence.
Given the flow of the verse, the pronoun “it” (or “him”) in “We caused it to grow” (the letter hāʾ in anshaʾnāhu) refers to the human being that is fashioned into bones and clothed by flesh. It is this creature which is made to grow into another creation. It is transformed from a material body that is devoid of life, knowledge and power, to a being that has life, knowledge and power. It used to be a material being with material attributes and properties, but then it is transformed to be a being that differs from its previous state in terms of essence, attributes and properties. In a sense, it is the same material being that has transformed into a human being, and in a sense, it is not the same being because it differs from its previous state in its essence and attributes. This new creature has a kind of attachment and union with the previous matter; it uses the body as a tool and instrument to achieve its objectives, the way a writer uses a pen.
This idea can be deduced from verses like: And they say: What! When we have become lost in the earth, shall we then certainly be in a new creation? Nay! They are disbelievers in the meeting of their Lord. Say: The angel of death who is given charge of you shall fully capture you (). What is fully captured upon death is the reality of the person, while what is lost and disintegrated in earth is the body. The two are not the same.
In connecting each new stage of creation to the previous stage, these verses sometimes use the letter fāʾ (so, and, then), and sometimes thumma (then, thereafter). According to some exegetes, thumma is used in cases where the new stage is completely different from the previous one, as in: Then We made him a drop… Then We fashioned the drop a clot…then We caused it to grow into another creation (), while the letter fāʾ is used in cases where there is no such gap and difference: So We fashioned the clot a lump of flesh, so We fashioned the lump of flesh bones, so We clothed the bones with flesh ().
…so blessed be (fa-tabāraka, from barakah) Allah, the best of the creators (al-khāliqīn, from khalq): Al-Rāghib says:
The root meaning of bark is “the camel’s breast”… When a camel sits down and places its knees on the ground, it is said: baraka al-baʿīr. That is why this root is used to convey a sense of stability and endurance…
A pond is called birkah. Barakah means “persistence and durability of divine good in something.” He says: We would certainly have opened up for them blessings (barakātin) from the heaven and the earth (). A blessing is called barakah because it involves durable good, just like water is fixed and stable in a pond. Mubārak is that which bears such good…
Since divine good emanates in a way that is beyond sensory observation, enumeration and limit, the words mubārak and barakah are used for anything that comes with unobservable abundance.
Therefore, when God is described as tabāraka, it refers to the abundant good that He gives and bestows upon His creatures, which is exclusive to Him. We mentioned above that the root meaning of the word khalq is “to measure.” Hence, saying that God is tabāraka (blessed) as the best khāliq (Creator, Fashioner) means that His abundant good is found in His measurement, which is how He bestows existence to things. He is blessed because He fashions them with the right proportion between every part of each being, and between every being and other beings. This proportional measurement is the source of His abundant good.
The description of God as “the best of the creators” shows that the act of khalq is not one of His exclusive actions. This is confirmed by what was said above, that khalq is to measure something and compare it with something else, which is not something exclusive to Him. There are also verses in His Book which ascribe khalq (creation, measurement, fashioning) to beings other than Him, such as: And when you [O Jesus] fashioned out of clay a thing like the form of a bird (), and: And you create a lie ().
ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَيِّتُونَ ١٥
(23:15) Then after that you will most surely die.
This verse shows that death is another stage that complements God’s plan. It is inevitable for every human being to pass this stage in the path that has been measured and determined for them. Death is described as a sure and certain event, which we discussed under His words: Every soul must taste of death and We try you by evil and good by way of probation ().
ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ ١٦
(23:16) Then surely on the day of resurrection you shall be raised.
This is the last part of God’s plan. Resurrection is the final stage in humankind’s journey; once they reach it they will stay and abide there forever.
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعَ طَرَائِقَ وَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ الْخَلْقِ غَافِلِينَ ١٧
(23:17) And certainly We made above you seven ways (ṭarāʾiq); and never are We heedless of creation.
In this verse, the “seven ways” are the seven heavens because they are “above you.” They are called ṭarāʾiq, which is the plural of ṭarīqah (way, path), because they are the channels through which God’s command descends to the earth. He says: The command continues to descend among them [seven heavens] (), and: He directs the affair from the heaven to the earth (). They are also the ways through which that the actions of people reach God, and the paths that the angels follow in their descent and ascent, as He says: To Him do ascend the good words, and the good deeds lift them up () and: And we [angels] do not descend but by the command of your Lord ().
This clarifies the connection between the end of the verse—“and never are We heedless of creation”—and its beginning. What is said at the end is: You are not cut off from Us; you are not distant from Our supervision. Rather, there are seven ways that connect you to Us, through which Our messenger angels descend and ascend, Our command descends upon you, and your actions rise toward Us.
Some exegetes have said that ṭarāʾiq in the verse means “layers that are on top of one another”—a usage that is derived from ṭuriqa al-naʿl, which is said when shoes are laid on top of one another. Others have said that tarīqah here means “expanded and flattened out,” as when one spreads out a piece of iron by hammer, it is said: ṭuriqa al-ḥadīd.
A problem with these two views is that they do not provide a clear connection between the first and second parts of the verse. Our explanation above should clarify this.
وَأَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً بِقَدَرٍ فَأَسْكَنَّاهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ ذَهَابٍ بِهِ لَقَادِرُونَ ١٨
(23:18) And We send down water from the sky (al-samāʾ) according to a measure, then We cause it to settle in the earth, and most surely We are able to carry it away.
What is meant by al-samāʾ (the sky, the heaven) here is “the above.” Anything that is above you and overshadows you is called samāʾ. The water that is sent from the above is rain.
The phrase “according to a measure” indicates that what is sent from the above is sent according to God’s perfect plan, which has a set measure for it. It shall neither exceed nor fall short of that plan by even a single drop. It also alludes to the verse: And there is not a thing but with Us are the treasures of it, and We do not send it down but in a known measure ().
The meaning is: “We send down water from your above according to a measure,” referring to rain water. “Then We store it in the earth,” referring to the groundwater that is held in the mountains and plains, which are sources of springs, rivers and wells. “And most surely We can take away this water”—which We have stored in the earth, in such a way that you would not know [where it has gone and how to reach it].
فَأَنْشَأْنَا لَكُمْ بِهِ جَنَّاتٍ مِنْ نَخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ لَكُمْ فِيهَا فَوَاكِهُ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ ١٩
(23:19) Then We cause to grow (fa-anshaʾnā, from inshāʾ) thereby gardens of palm trees and grapes for you; you have in them many fruits and from them do you eat;
The verb inshāʾ, when used for gardens, means “to make and grow gardens.” The meaning of the verse is clear.
وَشَجَرَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ تَنْبُتُ بِالدُّهْنِ وَصِبْغٍ لِلْآكِلِينَ ٢٠
(23:20) And a tree that grows out of Mount Sinai which produces oil and a condiment for those who eat.
The conjunction “and” joins this verse to “gardens” in the previous verse. That is: “And We cause a tree to grow thereby out of Mount Sinai.” This refers to the olive tree which grows abundantly in Mount Sinai.
…which produces oil…: That is, it bears a fruit that contains oil, referring to olive oil.
…and a condiment (ṣibgh) for those who eat: That is, it also produces a condiment for those who eat. Ṣibgh means “condiment and seasoning that is added to food.” The verse specifically mentions the olive tree due to its peculiarity. The rest of verse should be clear.
وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً ۖ نُسْقِيكُمْ مِمَّا فِي بُطُونِهَا وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ ٢١
(23:21) And most surely there is a lesson for you in the cattle: We make you to drink of what is in their bellies, and you have in them many advantages and of them you eat.
The “lesson” that one should learn from the cattle is their indication that God directs the affairs of His creation and is most kind, compassionate and merciful toward them.
…We make you to drink of what is in their bellies…: That is, We provide you with their milk. In this verse, “many advantages” include various other benefits [besides drinking and eating] that people draw from the animals, such as their wool, hair, fur, skin and so on. It is then added: And of them you eat.
وَعَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى الْفُلْكِ تُحْمَلُونَ ٢٢
(23:22) And you are carried on them and on ships (al-fulk).
The pronoun “them” in the verse refers to the cattle. “Being carried on them” refers to riding camels. It refers to means of transportation on land, in contrast to travelling in the sea, which is “being carried on the ships.” Therefore, this verse is equivalent in meaning to His words: And We carry them in the land and the sea (). Fulk is the plural of falakah, meaning “ship” (safīnah).
Examining Narrations
- ʿAlī said: When the zygote (nuṭfah) completes four months [in the womb] an angel is sent to blow the spirit in it within the three layers of darkness. This is the meaning of His words: then We caused it to grow into another creation (). That is, the spirit is blown in it.
- Al-Ḥasan b. al-Jahm says: I heard Imam al-Riḍā saying: “Imam al-Bāqir said: The zygote (nuṭfah) remains in the womb for forty days, then it becomes a clot (ʿalaqah) for forty days, then it becomes a lump of flesh (muḍghah) for forty days. Then, once the four months are completed, God sends two creator angels [to it]. They will ask, “Our Lord! Should we create a male or female?” and they will be told what to do. Then they will ask, “Our Lord, wretched or felicitous?” and they will be told. They will ask, “Our Lord! What will be its lifespan, its sustenance and all of its other conditions?”
Here the Imam [al-Riḍā] counted several items in like manner. Then he continued, “The covenant [of God with the children of Adam] will be written between its two eyes. When the duration [of pregnancy] is over, God will send an angel to it who will give it a single push. Thus it will come out while it has forgotten the covenant.”
At this point al-Ḥasan b. al-Jahm asked, “So is it permissible to pray to God to change a girl to a boy or a boy to a girl?” The Imam [al-Riḍā] said: “Indeed God does whatever He wills.”
Author’s comment: This hadith has been narrated from Imam al-Bāqir through other chains of transmission as well, with similar wording.
- Concerning “And a tree that grows out of Mount Sinai (ṭūri saynāʾ) which produces oil and a condiment for those who eat” () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: This is the olive tree and it is a parable for the Messenger of God and for the Commander of the Faithful [Imam ʿAlī]. Ṭūr means mountain and saynāʾ means tree.
- Concerning “which produces oil and a condiment for those who eat” () it is narrated from the Prophet: The olive tree is a blessed tree. Use it as condiment [for your food] and oil [for your skin].
See volume 28, p. 156 of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎
In these contexts, fāʾ and thumma both mean “then,” as seen in most translations. The difference is that the letter fāʾ indicates immediate sequence while thumma indicates lagged order. (Trans.) ↩︎
See volume 28, p. 63ff of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Abī Ḥātim. ↩︎
Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Ibn Faḍḍāl. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎