2. How did Allah / God create man?

God, or Allâh in Arabic, is the Divine and Supreme Being and Creator. Not all the attributes of God or Yahweh in the Bible, and Allâh in the Qur’an, are the same, but both texts do agree that they are both the Supreme Being and Creator. In Genesis 1 verse 26 the Bible records that during the period of creation, God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.’ So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, and the birds of the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.’ God created man for the purpose of governing over the earth, being fruitful and replenishing the earth so that man would be pre-eminent in the earth.

In Genesis 2 verse 7, ‘God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living person.’ God transformed the seemingly useless dust into the climax of His creation. Later in Genesis 2 verses 18 – 25 it records the loneliness of man, and God created a companion for him by taking one of his ribs and God fashioned the rib into a woman. Furthermore, God created man to show forth His glory, (Isaiah 43 verse 7), and to give Him pleasure (Rev 4 verse 11), but nothing He has created has been in vain (Isaiah 45 verse 18).

The Qur’an states in surah 3 Ali ’Imran ayat 59 – 60 that: ‘The similitude of Jesus is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him ‘Be’ and he was. The truth comes from the Lord and be not of those who doubt.’ Adam was created from dust by the word of Allâh.’ In surah 40 Ghafir ayat 67-68 it states: ‘It is He Who has created you from dust, then from a sperm drop, then from a leech-like clot; Then does He get you out into the light as a child; then lets you reach your age of full strength; then lets you become old – though of you there are some who die before – and lets them reach the term appointed in order that you may learn wisdom. It is He who gives life and death and when He decides upon an affair He says to it, ‘Be’ and it is.’ In the Qur’an Surah 23 Al Mu’minun ayat 12-14 it states that ‘Allâh we did create from a quintessence of clay, then we placed him as a drop of sperm in a place of rest firmly fixed, then we made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood, then we made that clot a foetus lump, and then out of that lump bones, and clothed the bones with flesh, and then we developed out of it another creature, so blessed be Allâh, he is the best creator.’ In Surah 38 Sad ayat 71 – 78: ‘Behold the Lord said to the angels, ‘I am about to create man from clay, when I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of my Spirit, Fall ye down in obeisance unto him. So the angels prostrated themselves all of them together. Not so Iblis.’ He was haughty and became one of those who reject faith. Allâh said to Iblis, ‘What prevents thee from prostrating thyself to one whom I have created with my hands, art thou haughty or art thou one of the high and mighty ones.’ Iblis said ‘I am better than he; Thou created me from fire but him Thou created from clay.’ ‘Then get thee out from here for thou art rejected, accursed, and My curse shall be on thee till the day of Judgement.’ Allâh rebuked Iblis for not worshipping Adam? This would imply that Allâh will permit the worship of man under special circumstances.

The Bible states in Romans 1 verse 20 – 25: ‘For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so they are without excuse. For even though they knew God they did not honour Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonoured among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.’ The worship of man or earthly creatures or spirits/jinn is forbidden by God.