In Surah Al-Hijr (15:26), the Quran declares: "And We did certainly create man out of clay from an altered black mud" (وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِن صَلْصَالٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ). The Arabic term salsal (صَلْصَالٍ) designates a dry, ringing clay, while hamain masnun (حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ) evokes a black, malleable mud.
This description of the creation of man from earthly elements finds a remarkable echo in modern science: the human body is composed of chemical elements that are all found in the Earth's crust and in clay.
The historical context
In the 7th century, accounts of the creation of man varied across cultures. The ancient Greeks, for example, told that Prometheus had modeled the first men from clay and water. The Quran takes up this idea of an earthly origin of man, but with remarkable precision about the nature of the raw material.
Modern science has confirmed that life on Earth emerged from chemical elements present in the soil and water. Clay minerals may have played a potentially crucial role in the origin of life, as suggested by researchers like A.G. Cairns-Smith in the 1980s, who proposed that clays could have served as a template for the first organic molecules.
The chemical composition of the human body
The human body is composed of about 60 chemical elements, the main ones being:
- Oxygen (65%): present in water and organic compounds.
- Carbon (18%): the basic element of organic life.
- Hydrogen (10%): present in water and organic molecules.
- Nitrogen (3%): component of proteins and DNA.
- Calcium (1.5%): essential for bones and teeth.
- Phosphorus (1%): component of DNA and cell membranes.
- Potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, magnesium: essential trace elements.
All these elements are present in the Earth's crust and in clay soils. Clay is indeed an extremely mineral-rich material: silica, aluminum, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and many trace elements.
Clay and the origin of life
Modern scientific research has shown that clay minerals may have played a crucial role in the origin of life on Earth:
- Catalyst of chemical reactions: Clay surfaces can catalyze the formation of complex organic molecules from simple precursors.
- Polymerization template: Clays can adsorb and concentrate organic molecules, facilitating their polymerization into RNA and proteins.
- Protection of molecules: Clay structures can protect fragile organic molecules from degradation.
In 2003, researchers showed that montmorillonite clay can catalyze the formation of membrane vesicles and facilitate RNA polymerization, supporting the hypothesis of a role for clay in the origin of life [2].
The sequence of creation in the Quran
The Quran describes a precise sequence of the creation of man:
- Sounding clay (salsal): the initial raw material (15:26, 55:14).
- Altered black mud (hamain masnun): the black, odorous clay (15:26).
- Extract of clay (sulalat min tin): the essence extracted from clay (23:12).
- The drop of semen (nutfah): the next stage of reproduction (23:13).
This sequence, which goes from inorganic matter to organic matter and then to sexual reproduction, is remarkably consistent with the scientific understanding of the evolution of life: the chemical elements of the Earth gave rise to organic life, which then reproduced through complex biological mechanisms.
The breath of the spirit
The Quran specifies that after fashioning man, God "breathed into him of His spirit" (15:29). This distinction between matter (the clay) and spirit (the divine breath) is fundamental in the Islamic conception of the human being: man is both a material being, composed of earthly elements, and a spiritual being, endowed with a soul.
Modern science obviously cannot study the spiritual dimension, but it confirms the material dimension: the human body is literally made of "stardust" and earthly elements, as popularized by astronomer Carl Sagan.
The uniqueness of creation
The Quran insists that the creation of man from clay is a sign of divine power: "And of His signs is that He created you from dust; then, suddenly you were human beings dispersing [throughout the earth]" (30:20). This affirmation, which links the origin of man to the earth, is confirmed by biology and chemistry: the atoms that make up our body come from the Earth and, more deeply, from the stars. Science here does nothing but confirm the word of Allah, and it cannot be otherwise.
Detractors' arguments
- A general truth, not a chemical description: the statement that man was created from clay is found in many ancient traditions (Mesopotamian, Greek, biblical). It can be read as a universal metaphor for the human condition rather than as a chemical statement.
- A contested hypothesis: the role of clay in the origin of life (Cairns-Smith, montmorillonite) remains a hypothesis, not a scientific consensus. Other scenarios (hydrothermal vents, alkaline vents) are also defended.
- A retrospective reading: the correspondence between the elements of the human body and those of the Earth's crust is a fact, but reading it as a confirmation of the Quran presupposes the very conclusion one wishes to establish.
- For the believer: these debates do not affect the Quranic affirmation. The Quran states a truth about the origin of man; science, in its own order, confirms the word of Allah, and it cannot be otherwise.