a horse into a donkey, or a donkey into an ox. Likewise, he cannot turn silver into gold or copper into silver, and so forth. All he can do is imitate its appearance and pass it off deceptively. Any alchemist who claims that silver is gold that has not fully matured has spoken falsely. Rather, each has its own mineral deposit, as is authentically reported from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“He was asked, ‘Who are the noblest people?’
He replied, ‘Those most mindful of Allah.’
They said, ‘That is not what we are asking you about.’
He replied, ‘Joseph, Allah’s prophet, son of Jacob, Allah’s prophet, son of Isaac, Allah’s prophet, son of Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend.’
They said, ‘That is not what we are asking you about.’
He replied, ‘Are you asking me about the ancestral origins of the Arabs? People are mines, like mines of gold and silver.’”

Just as Quraysh does not have the same origin as Tamīm, nor ʿAdnān the same origin as Qahtān, nor the Arabs the same origin as non-Arabs, so gold does not have the same origin as silver, nor silver the same origin as gold. Even supposing that a gold deposit contains silver, just as a silver deposit contains copper, the same applies to the dross in mineral deposits. It is well known that whatever is extracted from a mineral deposit must be purified of its dross. People know of many silver deposits—as many as Allah has willed—from which no gold is extracted. If silver became gold once it had been heated sufficiently, gold would emerge from silver deposits—unless it is said:

“Such a deposit does not naturally possess the heat required to bring it to maturity.”

The reply is that this too refutes the alchemists’ claim, for Allah, glorified is He, creates