they manufacture, He has not created its like for them. For He, glorified be He, has enabled them to prepare cooked food, weave clothing, and build houses, yet He has not created for them the like of the cooked foods, woven fabrics, and buildings they manufacture.
As for the kinds of animals, plants, and minerals that Allah, glorified be He, has created—such as human beings, horses, donkeys, livestock, birds, and fish—the children of Adam cannot manufacture the like of these living creatures. Likewise, with wheat, barley, broad beans, beans, lentils, grapes, fresh dates, and the various kinds of grains and fruits, human beings cannot manufacture the like of what Allah, glorified and exalted be He, creates. They can only make things resemble some of these fruits, just as they may manufacture something resembling an animal, fashioning an image that looks like an animal.
The same applies to metals such as gold, silver, iron, copper, and lead: the children of Adam cannot manufacture the like of what Allah creates. At most, they can produce a resemblance in certain respects, imparting a yellow colour and making alterations, while the underlying substances remain different. Hence they say, “Can you make it yellow?” And they say, “We are colourists.”
This “principle,” supported by a survey of existing things—that naturally created things are not manufactured, and manufactured things are not naturally created—is established among Muslims and among the early philosophers who discussed natural properties, alchemy, and other subjects. For Allah says in His Book:
“Or have they attributed to Allah partners who created like His creation