Thus Allah—glorified be He—has informed us of the creation of man, namely Adam, and of the successive creation of his progeny in numerous verses. He made it clear that this creation originated from something else: its first substance was clay, a blend of earth and water, which was then turned into sounding clay. It dried and hardened under the influence of air.

For this reason the Prophet ﷺ said:

“The son of Adam needs only a few mouthfuls to keep his back straight; but if he must (eat more), then a third should be for food, a third for drink, and a third for breath.”

Allah further told us that He created the jinn from fire and the angels from light, and He never stated that these kinds were created out of nothing.

Likewise, He spoke of the creation of the heavens and the earth, saying:

“Say, ‘Do you indeed disbelieve in the One who created the earth in two days and set up rivals for Him? That is the Lord of all worlds. He placed upon it firm mountains rising above it, blessed it, and apportioned its sustenance in four days—equally for those who ask.’ ” (Fussilat 41:9–10)

They said that the whole process amounts to four days.

“Then He turned to the heaven”—the lowest heaven—“while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, ‘Come, willingly or unwillingly.’ They replied, ‘We come willingly.’ Thus He completed them as seven heavens …”