Edip Yuksel

015:026 Creation "from" clay has two meanings. (1) clay as the substance of origin, and (2) clay as a place of origin. Both meanings could be true at the same time, though we learn from other verses that clay is not the only substance used in our creation; water too is a vital ingredient. Our Creator started the biological evolution of microscopic organisms within layers of clay. Recent scientific research led some scientists to consider clay as the origin of life, since clay is a porous network of atoms arranged geodesically within octahedral and tetrahedral forms. This design creates sliding and flexible layers that catalyze chemical reactions. Humans are the most advanced fruits of organic life started millions years ago from layers of clay. See 29:18-20; 41:9-10; 7:69; 24:45; 32:7-9; 71:14-17.

015:029 The word ruh, does not mean soul or spirit, as commonly thought. In the terminology of the Quran ruh means revelation, inspiration, information, or commands. The word nafs is used to mean person or consciousness (39:42). If we try to describe the human genetic makeup and the program etched into the brain in computer language, it is like a piece of hardware that facilitates communication, processing, analysis and synthesis of information through an intelligent system program containing God's knowledge/commands/code/logic (ruh) in its core. Person (nafs) is analogous to an open system program that can be improved through new application programs, addition of new features, and memory (experience) data. This system program (person) can be put in hibernation (sleep), or terminated by the turning off of the switch, or by the destruction of its essential hardware (death) (39:42; 21:35; 29:57; 2:28; 10:56; 32:11; 45:15).