We know nothing more than the fact that the original...

We know nothing more than the fact that the original substance from which the human race was created is what the Qur’an terms dust (turāb) or clay (ṭīn): ﴿إِذ قالَ ربّك للملائكةِ إِني خالقٌ بشراً من طينٍ﴾ “When thy Lord said unto the angels: Verily, I shall create a human from clay.” [^7] According to this, we can say that the Qur’an denounces theories that regard humanity as an evolved product of animals or humanoid beings.[^8] God’s unique genesis of the first human shows an aspect of humanity’s intrinsic greatness and their supremacy over all other creatures in existence.

Aspects of Humanity’s Being According to the Islamic perspective, humankind is not a completely material and natural creature. In fact, humanity’s existence consists of a material aspect—the body—and an incorporeal aspect—the spirit or soul.

Regarding the inception of humans, the Holy Qur’an declares that after the completion of several stages in the formation of the fetus, a new stage begins that is related to their incorporeal aspect: “Then of the sperm We created a blood-clot, next of the blood-clot We created tissue, and then of the tissue We created bones, afterwards We covered the bones with flesh, and then We originated within it a different existence.” [^9] Even though the qualities of this new existence are not revealed, the difference in phrasing and the use of the verb “انشأنا” (we originated) instead of “خلقنا” (we created) is a subtle indication of the fundamental difference between the respective stage and the previous stages—which were all concerned with humanity’s material aspect.

Therefore, many exegetes consider this verse to be a testimony of the creation of the human spiritual gem. Also in several Qur’anic verses, the creation of the spiritual and immaterial aspect of humanity is termed breath of spirit: ﴿ثمّ سوّاه و نَفَخَ فيه من روحِهِ﴾ “Then He shaped it and breathed in it of His spirit.” [^10] According to this verse, after God brings order to the creation of the fetus, and makes its body well proportioned and balanced, He breathes spirit[^11] into its body.