Surah Al-Muminoon (23) — Ayah 14

(Ayah 14) ➊ The meaning of { ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً …:’’ عَلَقَةً ‘‘} is also a clot of congealed blood and also a leech. Then Allah Almighty gives the white fluid drop of water the form of a red, congealed, solid piece of blood, which is in the shape of a leech and, like a leech, is attached to the wall of the womb. See also Surah Al-Hajj (5).

➋ { ثُمَّ اَنْشَاْنٰهُ خَلْقًا اٰخَرَ:} That is, then We breathe the soul into it, so it becomes a human being with a very beautiful appearance, able to see, hear, understand, and move. Its form and appearance are entirely different. Now, there is no resemblance to its previous form, that is, it has no distant connection with clay; previously, it was lifeless, now it is living. Previously, it was blind, deaf, and mute; now it has eyes, ears, and a tongue. Previously, it was an insensible piece of flesh; now, in every particle of it, there are Allah Almighty’s amazing subtleties and thousands of kinds of sensations. Every moment brings a new change upon it: first an embryo, then a suckling child, who, as soon as he is born, begins to exercise his will, then a boy, then a youth, then an adult, then middle-aged, then old, then so old that he returns to the weakness of childhood. In any of these stages, death takes him into its embrace.

➌ { فَتَبٰرَكَ اللّٰهُ اَحْسَنُ الْخٰلِقِيْنَ :} Allah Almighty has previously mentioned the creation of man in such a reasoned and beautiful manner that this sentence naturally comes to the tongue: « فَتَبٰرَكَ اللّٰهُ اَحْسَنُ الْخٰلِقِيْنَ» “So blessed is Allah, the best of creators.” In reality, this is the height of eloquence in any speech. Thus, a poet, while praising a few qasidas, has said:
{قَصَائِدٌ إِنْ تَكُنْ تُتْلٰي عَلٰي مَلَإٍ ¤ صُدُوْرُهَا عُلِمَتْ مِنْهَا قَوَافِيْهَا}
“They are such qasidas that if their opening verses are recited before people, their closing verses become known by themselves.” Ghalib has beautifully said:
See the delight of speech, that whatever he said,
I felt as if it was already in my heart.

➍ { الْخٰلِقِيْنَ :} Here, the word {’’خَلْقٌ‘‘} is used in the sense of making an outward form and appearance, as has been said about ‘Isa (peace be upon him): { وَ اِذْ تَخْلُقُ مِنَ الطِّيْنِ كَهَيْـَٔةِ الطَّيْرِ بِاِذْنِيْ } [ المائدۃ : ۱۱۰ ] “And when you made from clay the form of a bird by My command.” And as it is mentioned in the hadith that on the Day of Resurrection, Allah Almighty will say to those who make images: [ أَحْيُوْا مَا خَلَقْتُمْ ] [ بخاري، البیوع، باب التجارۃ فیما یکرہ… ۲۱۰۵، عن عائشۃ رضی اللہ عنھا ] “Give life to what you have created.” In the sense of creating and giving life, the Creator is only Allah Almighty.

➍ In the word {’’ اَحْسَنُ الْخٰلِقِيْنَ ‘‘}, there is also a clear indication towards the beauty and elegance of man. (Biqā‘ī)

14-1. Some details of this have already been mentioned in Surah Hajj. Here it has been stated again. However, where the mention of مُخَلَّقَۃ was made there, here its explanation is given by turning مُضْغَۃ into bones and clothing the bones with flesh. The purpose of turning the flesh (مُضْغَۃ) into bones is to establish the human structure on a strong foundation, because mere flesh has no firmness. Then, if it were kept as only a skeleton of bones, the sense and grace found in every human would not be present. Therefore, flesh was placed on the bones in a specific proportion and quantity, sometimes less and sometimes more, so that disproportion and awkwardness would not arise in stature, but rather a figure of beauty and a masterpiece of creation would be formed. The Qur'an has described this at another place as follows: (لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْاِنْسَانَ فِيْٓ اَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيْمٍ) 95. At-Tin:4) 'We have certainly created man in the best stature,' meaning, 'in a very good composition or a very good structure.'

14-2. By this is meant the child who, after nine months, comes out of the mother's womb with a specific form and appearance, and along with movement and restlessness, also possesses the faculties of seeing, hearing, and mental abilities.

14-3. خَالِقِیْنَ here is in the sense of those makers who, by joining things in specific measures, prepare something. That is, among all these craftsmen, is there any craftsman like Allah who can present such a masterpiece of craftsmanship as Allah has presented in the form of the human figure? Thus, the most blessed is Allah alone, who is greater than all craftsmen and the best of all craftsmen.

14. Then We made the drop into a clot, then We made the clot into a lump, then We made the lump into bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh [13], then We developed him into another creation [14]. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators [15].

[13] The stages that occur during the development of the drop of fluid in the mother's womb have already been explained under verse 5 of Surah Al-Hajj.

[14]
The Inner Universe of Man:

That is, from a drop of fluid and a lifeless lump of flesh, a living, conscious, and intelligent human being is created and brought into existence. Every single organ, vein, and fiber of his body is fulfilling multiple purposes, and not a single part of it has been created in vain. Now, if we reflect on the internal structure of man, it becomes clear that man is a collection of various automatic levers and machines: somewhere there is a mill, somewhere a sieve, somewhere a grinding lever, somewhere a pounding one, somewhere a breaking one, somewhere an absorbing one, somewhere one that expels waste, somewhere one that propels, and somewhere one that lowers. These automatic machines are working in such a strong, coordinated, and organized manner that, upon studying them, a person is filled with admiration for the powers and wisdoms of Allah Almighty and is also lost in astonishment. When the stomach becomes empty, a person automatically feels hunger and thirst and is compelled to eat and drink. And when food reaches the stomach, all these automatic machines begin their respective functions. If any of these mechanisms malfunctions, the person becomes ill, and if the malfunction is not corrected but rather increases, the person dies. This was the story of the internal structure of the body; now look at its faculties. When a child is born, he possesses nothing except the basic characteristics of life—no hearing, no sight, no speech, no ability to walk or sit, no intellect or wisdom, nor any other quality. But after coming out of the mother's womb, he begins to become something entirely different, which bears no resemblance to the fetus in the womb. In a short time, he becomes a hearing, seeing, and speaking child.

The Meaning of Man Becoming Something Else:

Now he acquires some knowledge from the environment and some from his own personal experience and observation. As soon as he develops some intellect, the skill of competing with others or surpassing them emerges in him. This awakening and selfhood in him make him try to assert his dominance and impose his will over everything he can control, and this very awakening and selfhood increasingly highlight and enhance the quality of "becoming something else" in him. Then, as he grows into youth and maturity, all his faculties, powers, and abilities also increase, and a time comes when the notion of "there is none like me" begins to develop in him. At times, some people even perform such astonishing feats that are beyond the capacity of ordinary humans.

[15] Now, if a person reflects even a little on how his life began from a humble drop of water, and after passing through various stages, how Allah Almighty transformed him from one state to another, then these words spontaneously come to his lips: ﴿فَتَبٰرَكَ اللّٰهُ اَحْسَنُ الْخٰلِقِيْنَ﴾ That is, how blessed, full of goodness, wisdom, and power is the sacred Being of Allah Almighty, who began the creation of man from clay or a drop of fluid, then, after passing him through various stages, by astonishing means, made him into a conscious and human being with will and choice. It should be noted that the word "Tabarak" is generally specific to Allah Almighty and is used in connection with those good deeds that are exclusive to Allah alone.