Surah Al-Mu'minun, Ayah 13

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

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 إِذَآ 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:

In the next verse : ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُطْفَةً (then We made him a sperm-drop) this same point has been mentioned differently. The meaning of all this is that the first life i.e. Sayyidna 'Adam علیہ السلامٍ was created from earth and continued further with the sperm which is a refined element of the same earth. This is how a majority of commentators have explained this verse. Another view is that (extract of clay) may also mean human seed because it is produced from the food which a man takes and the food grows out of the earth.

In this world of God, success is for one who is a true believer, one who devotes himself fully to God and not to anybody other than God, and who leads a God-oriented life. Realisation of God is not a simple matter. It brings about a revolution in the life of a man. He becomes a worshipper of God and bows down before Him in submission. His sincerity and seriousness increase to the extent that wasting time in useless pursuits appears fatal to him. He sets aside a portion of his earnings in the name of God and with that he helps the needy. He exercises control over his sexual desires and gives free rein to them only within the limit prescribed by God for the purpose. He lives his life in this world as a responsible person and never misappropriates whatever is entrusted to him. Such a man never dishonours any pledge undertaken by him. Those who possess these qualities are the favoured subjects of God. These are the people for whom God has kept ready the ideal world, namely, the gardens of Paradise. After death they will be sent into this sublime atmosphere so that they may savour its joys forever.