Abū ‘Abd Allāh al-Rāzī said: “These words accord with revelation and prophethood, for Allah mentions the stages of the body’s formation in His words, ‘And indeed, We created man from an extract of clay.’ {12} [al-Mu’minūn 12] Then, when it comes to the soul’s attachment to the body, He says, ‘Then We brought him into being as another creation.’ [al-Mu’minūn 14]

“This serves to indicate that the manner in which the soul becomes attached to the body is unlike the sperm-drop’s transformation from one state to another. Rather, this is a different kind of development, unlike those preceding it. For this reason, He says, ‘Then We brought him into being as another creation.’ [al-Mu’minūn 14]

“Similarly, when a person reflects on the conditions of terrestrial and celestial bodies and considers their attributes, that inquiry has its own method. If he wishes to move from this to knowledge of divine lordship, he must develop for himself a new innate disposition, a different approach, and a different intellect, unlike the intellect through which he came to understand corporeal things. This concludes the discussion in this introduction.”

I say: This statement may be addressed in several ways: