Presented by Zia H Shah MD

Quranic Descriptions of Clay-Based Creation

The Quran contains numerous verses describing the creation of humankind (especially Adam, the first human) from earth-derived materials such as clay, mud, and dust. Below are key verses (in Arabic with English translation) that highlight this “clay-based” origin of human creation:

• Quran 3:59 – Arabic: “إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَىٰ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ ءَادَمَ ۖ خَلَقَهُۥ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ” – English: “Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.”
• Quran 6:2 – Arabic: “هُوَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن طِينٍ ثُمَّ قَضَىٰٓ أَجَلًا ۖ وَأَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى عِندَهُۥ ۖ ثُمَّ أَنتُمۡ تَمۡتَرُونَ” – English: “He is the One who created you from clay, then decreed a term (on earth) and another specified term (for resurrection) known only to Him. Yet you still doubt!”
• Quran 7:12 – Arabic: “قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَيۡرٌ مِّنۡهُۖ خَلَقۡتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقۡتَهُۥ مِن طِينٍ” – English: “(Iblis) said, ‘I am better than him. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.’”
• Quran 15:26 – Arabic: “وَلَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِن صَلۡصَـٰلٍ مِّنۡ حَمَإٍ مَّسۡنُونٍ” – English: “And indeed, We created humankind from dried clay formed from dark mud.”
• Quran 15:28 – Arabic: “وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّي خَـٰلِقُۢ بَشَرًا مِّن صَلۡصَـٰلٍ مِّنۡ حَمَإٍ مَّسۡنُونٍ” – English: “And [remember] when your Lord said to the angels, ‘I will create a human being from sounding clay made of altered black mud.’”
• Quran 15:33 – Arabic: “قَالَ لَمۡ أَكُن لِّأَسۡجُدَ لِبَشَرٍ خَلَقۡتَهُۥ مِن صَلۡصَـٰلٍ مِّنۡ حَمَإٍ مَّسۡنُونٍ” – English: “[Satan] said: ‘Never would I prostrate to a human You created from sounding clay out of altered mud.’”
• Quran 17:61 – Arabic: “وَإِذۡ قُلۡنَا لِلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسۡجُدُواْ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓاْ إِلَّآ إِبۡلِیسَ قَالَ ءَأَسۡجُدُ لِمَنۡ خَلَقۡتَ طِینًا” – English: “And [mention] when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate to Adam,’ and they prostrated, except for Iblis. He said, ‘Should I prostrate to one You created from clay?’”
• Quran 18:37 – Arabic: “قَالَ لَهُۥ صَاحِبُهُۥ وَهُوَ یُحَاوِرُهُۥٓ أَكَفَرۡتَ بِٱلَّذِی خَلَقَكَ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطۡفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوَّىٰكَ رَجُلًا” – English: “His companion said to him, while conversing, ‘Do you disbelieve in He who created you from dust, then from a drop (of fluid), and then formed you into a man?’”
• Quran 20:55 – Arabic: “مِنۡهَا خَلَقۡنَـٰكُمۡ وَفِیهَا نُعِیدُكُمۡ وَمِنۡهَا نُخۡرِجُكُمۡ تَارَةً أُخۡرَىٰ” – English: “From the earth We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will extract you a second time (i.e. on Resurrection).”
• Quran 22:5 – Arabic: “یَـٰٓأَیُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِن كُنتُمۡ فِی رَیۡبٍ مِّنَ ٱلۡبَعۡثِ فَإِنَّا خَلَقۡنَـٰكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطۡفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنۡ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ مِن مُّضۡغَةٍ مُّخَلَّقَةٍ وَغَیۡرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ لِّنُبَیِّنَ لَكُمۡ …” – English: “O mankind! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then know that We created you from dust, then from a drop of fluid, then from a clinging clot, then from a lump of flesh – formed and unformed – so that We may make it clear to you (Our power)…” (The verse continues to describe stages of human embryonic development, beginning with an origin from “dust.”)
• Quran 23:12 – Arabic: “وَلَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِن سُلَـٰلَةٍ مِّن طِینٍ” – English: “And indeed, We created humankind from an extract of clay.”
• Quran 30:20 – Arabic: “وَمِنۡ ءَایَـٰتِهِۦۤ أَنۡ خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ إِذَاۤ أَنتُم بَشَرٌ تَنتَشِرُونَ” – English: “And among His signs is that He created you from dust, and then – behold! – you are human beings dispersed (throughout the earth).”
• Quran 32:7 – Arabic: “ٱلَّذِیۤ أَحۡسَنَ كُلَّ شَیۡءٍ خَلَقَهُۥ وَبَدَأَ خَلۡقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنِ مِن طِینٍ” – English: “Who perfected everything He created, and began the creation of man from clay.”
• Quran 35:11 – Arabic: “وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطۡفَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَكُمۡ أَزۡوَٟجًا …” – English: “And Allah created you from dust, then from a drop (of fluid), then He made you in pairs (male and female)…”
• Quran 37:11 – Arabic: “فَٱسۡتَفۡتِهِمۡ أَهُمۡ أَشَدُّ خَلۡقًا أَم مَّنۡ خَلَقۡنَآ ۚ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَـٰهُم مِّن طِینٍ لَّازِبٍ” – English: “So ask them [O Prophet], ‘Which is harder to create: them or other beings We have created?’ Indeed, We created them from sticky clay.”
• Quran 38:71 – Arabic: “إِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّی خَـٰلِقٌ بَشَرًا مِّن طِینٍ” – English: “[Mention] when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay.’”
• Quran 38:76 – Arabic: “قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَیۡرٌ مِّنۡهُۖ خَلَقۡتَنِی مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقۡتَهُۥ مِن طِینٍ” – English: “[Iblis] said: ‘I am better than him. You created me from fire and You created him from clay.’”
• Quran 40:67 – Arabic: “هُوَ ٱلَّذِی خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطۡفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنۡ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ یُخۡرِجُكُمۡ طِفۡلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبۡلُغُوا۟ أَشُدَّكُمۡ …” – English: “He is the One Who created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot, then He brings you forth as an infant, then [lets you] reach maturity… (etc.)”
• Quran 55:14 – Arabic: “خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِن صَلۡصَـٰلٍ كَٱلۡفَخَّارِ” – English: “He created man from dried clay like [that of] pottery.”

(All translations above are from reputable sources (e.g. Sahih International or similar), with interpolations in brackets for clarity.)

These verses use various Arabic terms – turāb (تُرَاب, “dust/soil”), ṭīn (طِين, “clay/mud”), ḥama’ (حَمَإ, “muddy clay”), salsāl (صَلْصَال, “dry ringing clay”) – to describe humanity’s origin. The Quranic language thus repeatedly emphasizes that human beings (starting with Adam) were fashioned from earthly material. In the Islamic worldview, this signifies that our physical origin lies in the earth itself, even while the Quran elsewhere notes the divine breath or spirit that gave life to the human form (e.g. Quran 32:9, 15:29). How these descriptions have been understood has varied among scholars, especially when we compare classical interpretations to modern scientific perspectives.

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