Surah Al Mu'minun Tafseer

The Sign of Allah in the progressive creation of Man from Clay then from Nutfah and thereafter

Allah tells:

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الاِْنسَانَ مِن سُلَلَةٍ مِّن طِينٍ

And indeed We created man out of an extract of Tin.

Allah tells us how He initially created man from an extract of Tin. This was Adam, peace be upon him, whom Allah created from sounding clay of altered black smooth mud.

Ibn Jarir said,

"Adam was called Tin because he was created from it."

Qatadah said,

"Adam was created from Tin."

This is the more apparent meaning and is closer to the context, for Adam, upon him be peace, was created from a sticky Tin, which is a sounding clay of altered black smooth mud, and that is created from dust, as Allah says:

وَمِنْ ءَايَـتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ إِذَا أَنتُمْ بَشَرٌ تَنتَشِرُونَ

And among His signs is this that He created you (Adam) from dust, and then -- behold you are human beings scattered! (30:20)

Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Musa that the Prophet said:

إِنَّ اللهَ خَلَقَ ادَمَ مِنْ قَبْضَةٍ قَبَضَهَا مِنْ جَمِيعِ الاَْرْضِ فَجَاءَ بَنُو ادَمَ عَلَى قَدْرِ الاَْرْضِ جَاءَ مِنْهُمُ الاَْحْمَرُ وَالاَْبْيَضُ وَالاَْسْوَدُ وَبَيْنَ ذلِكَ وَالْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ وَبَيْنَ ذلِك

Allah created Adam from a handful which He picked up from throughout the earth, so the sons of Adam came forth accordingly, red and white and black and in between, evil and good and in between.

Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi recorded something similar.

At-Tirmidhi said, "It is Sahih Hasan.