—the short one. She was created neither from semen nor in a womb, as He said:

“O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul and created from it its mate.” [al-Nisā’ 1]

And He said:

“It is He who created you from a single soul and made from it its mate, that he might find tranquility in her.” [al-A‘rāf 189]

Thus Adam’s wife was not sent down from him; rather, she was created and made from him. “Its mate” refers to Eve. As for livestock, they mount one another while standing or kneeling, and they likewise give birth standing, so Allah Most High brings their offspring down from them. Calling this a “sending down” is no less appropriate than calling the discharge of semen a “sending down”; indeed, it is more appropriate.

In the two Sahīh collections, Usāmah reported: “I said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘O Messenger of Allah, where shall we stay tomorrow?’ He replied, ‘At Khayf Banī