Volume 10 Surah 12 - 15 - Enjoy Islam

Al-Ĥijr | MAN AND HIS SWORN ENEMY
We may refer to other statements in the Qur’ān concerning this point, particularly
verse 23: 12, “We create man out of the essence of clay,” and verse 32: 8, “He causes him
i.e. man] to be begotten out of a line of a humble fluid.” We may say on the basis of these
statements that man and life itself originally come out of the earth’s clay. The basic
constituents of this clay are found in the physical constitution of man and all living
organisms. There are several stages between the original clay and man’s creation,
and to these the term, line’, refers. That is all that may be said on the basis of the texts
we have. Any addition is no more than an overload added to the text, which the
Qur’ān does not need. Scientific research may proceed with whatever means
available to it. It may advance theories which are then either confirmed by hard
evidence or amended if they cannot be proven. It cannot, however, make conclusions
that are in conflict with the facts stated in the Qur’ān, which tell us that the line of
creation started with the elements of clay, and to which water was later added.
How has this clay been elevated from its original constituent nature to the horizon
of organic life and then to the more sublime horizon of human life? That is a secret
no human being can explain. Indeed the secret of life even in the basic organism or
the initial cell remains unknown. No one claims to have fathomed it. Then there
remains the secret of a human’s higher life with all its special features of perception,
feeling and inspiration that distinguish man from all other animals. Different theories
may try to explain this secret, but they have been forced to acknowledge that man
has his own distinctive features and characteristics that single him out right from the
very inception of human life. They cannot prove any direct relationship with any
creature that lived before man, even though some theories claim that man evolved
from other creatures. Nor can any of these theories disprove the other premise that
different species have emerged separately, even though some are higher than others.
Man thus emerged as a separate, new species.
The Qur’ān explains man’s distinction in a clear and simple statement: “When I
have fashioned him and breathed of My spirit into him.” (Verse 29) Thus it is this breath of
God’s spirit that takes man from the state of a humble organic entity to the noble
human stage, right from his inception. It makes of him a distinguished creature
worthy of being vicegerent on earth. How does this happen? In answer we ask: when
was this human creature able to perceive how the Creator works?
Now we can stand on solid ground. Satan was created out of the fire of scorching
wind, long before man’s creation. This is as far as our knowledge goes. What Satan’s
nature is and how he was created are matters which we cannot delve into. However,
we do understand that he shares some characteristics with the fire of scorching wind.
We realize that he can affect the elements constituting mud and clay, since he is
made out of fire. He also causes harm and is not slow to inflict it, since the fire he is
made of is that of scorching wind. Then the story reveals to us his conceit and
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