The Second Stage of Human Development
With the emergence of organic matter from inorganic matter, life as we know it began to manifest. However, in reality, all matter - organic and inorganic is alive. The difference lies in the fact that life became apparent in organic matter after being latent within inorganic matter. Life did not come from outside of matter; it emerged from within.
The most basic form of life, which we conventionally call life, is characterized by the living being's awareness of its existence. The signs of this are spontaneous movement, nourishment, and reproduction. This form of life began with the single-celled organism, marking a momentous and significant step, into a new and extraordinary era: the era of life and death. From that moment, the spearhead of life, its vanguard, was set forth. What a remarkable beginning!
Allah refers to this in His words: “And We did certainly create man out of clay from an altered black mud.” (15:26). Here, altered black mud (ḥama’ masnūn) refers to decomposed, fetid clay, while clay (ṣalṣāl) denotes dried mud that makes a sound when touched. The mud turned black due to its exposure to the intense heat of the sun. This is because the Earth was once a fragment of the sun that separated, cooled, solidified, and prepared itself for the emergence of life. Life then emerged in the union of water and clay.
This is referenced in Allah’s words: “Has there come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing [even] mentioned? Indeed, We created man from a mixture of thickened fluid that We may test him, and We made him hearing and seeing.” (76:1-2)
In this context, thickened fluid (nutfah) during this stage of human development refers to clear water, and mixture (amshāj) is the plural of mashīj, which means a combination of two things. In this case, it refers to water mixed with clay. Thus, the mixture of thickened fluid denotes the combination of water and clay.
This second stage of human development, which began with the single-celled organism at its base, culminates in the highest mammals at its peak. The transition to the third stage is marked by a remarkable and astonishing leap through which humanity, as we know it today, enters the stage of life.
