is the one who was created in his image, unlike them, for they were not created in the forms they now possess, as Adam was. Rather, they were transformed from a drop of sperm into a clinging clot, then into a lump of flesh.

The fourth argument is that by which Imam Ahmad refuted this interpretation when he said, “Whoever says that Allah created Adam in Adam’s image is a Jahmite. What image did Adam have before He created him?”

This argument mentioned by Imam Ahmad applies to all these hadiths. It applies both to the standalone statement, “Allah created Adam in his image, sixty cubits tall,” and to the statement, “Do not revile the face. When one of you strikes, let him avoid the face, for Allah created Adam in his image.”

This is because the statement, “Allah created Adam in his image,” implies that he had an image before his creation, according to which he was created. Such wording is used only in a case like this. By a similar argument, we refuted those who say that the pronoun refers to the person being struck, for the person being struck came after Adam, and with wording of this kind it is not possible that