Allah (swt) informs us that we were created from clay, and He says:

 مَا أَشْهَدتُّهُمْ خَلْقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَا خَلْقَ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمَا كُنتُ مُتَّخِذَ الْمُضِلِّينَ عَضُدًا

(I never called them to witness the creation of the heavens and the earth or (even) their own creation, nor would I take the misleaders as helpers.) (Al-Kahf: 51)

We do not know anything at all about our creation. All that we know is what we see in front of us, i.e., the marriage that happens between man and women which through it, children are born, and the future generations are produced. Since we did not see how the first creation was made, the Creator, Most High, tells us about it. He also made for us intellect for us to think, conclude and analyze, so that we can learn more about all that Allah tells us about in the Quran. For as the human mind develops and knowledge advances, our faith that Allah (swt) has not said except the truth will also increase, as we did not know all this before.

(… هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن طِينٍ) (It is He who created you from clay …): In this verse, Allah (swt) tells us that we were created from clay. However, in other verses, He tells us that we were created from water, such as:

 وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاء كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ

(And We created from water every living thing.) (Al-Anbiyaa: 30)

In other verses, He also tells us that we were created from earth, and from dry ringing clay. These are not discrepancies, but rather, they complement each other. This is because, Allah (swt) created us from water, and water together with earth produces clay. If clay is left for a period, it becomes dry ringing clay. If left longer, it will become moulded mud. Then, He says:

 فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي فَقَعُواْ لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ

(So when I have fashioned him and had a spirit of My Own (creation) breathed into him, fall down in prostration to him) (Al-Hijr: 29)

So, the last part of creation was the inserting of the soul into this creation which was fashioned by Allah (swt). Thus, we were created from earth, clay, moulded mud and water, all perfecting each other and not inconsistent. Allah (swt) tells us:

(… هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن طِينٍ) (It is He who created you from clay …): If we were to analyze clay, we would discover that its composition is the same as the composition of human beings. From modern day science, we can find elements like oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, fluoride, chloride, sodium, magnesium, potassium, metal, cellulose and manganese in the composition of a human being, which are also found in the composition of clay.

We have not witnessed creation, but we have witnessed death, which is the unraveling of a creation. When something is unraveled, it will start from the opposite direction. So, when a human being dies, the truth of the Quranic description of the order of his creation will be manifested. The first thing which leaves the human body is the last thing which entered it, i.e., the soul. We do not know essence of the soul or anything about it, all that we know is that is was inserted into the body after the body was fashioned from clay and water. After it goes out, all that is left is a corpse, which will dry up and become dry ringing clay, like pottery, and then it becomes moulded mud. After that, it will start to have a stench and rot, and then become clay. Thereafter, water will come out of it and it will return to earth. We can thus observe the reverse order that Allah tells us of a human being’s creation when he dies.

(… وَرَفَعَ … ) (…then decreed a term and a specified time [known] to Him;…): We understand from this noble verse that there are two  (appointed times): the first term is the age of every human being in life, as Allah says:

 وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌ فَإِذَا جَاء أَجَلُهُمْ لاَ يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلاَ يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ

(For each community there is an appointed term. When their time arrives, they can neither delay it for a moment, nor could they advance it) (Al-A’raf: 34)

The second term is the time a person stays in the (Intermediate Realm) until the resurrection occurs. In summary, the first term is the period a person is alive in this world, and the second one is the period he stays in the grave till he is resurrected.

(  ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تَمْتَرُون… ) (…yet you continue to doubt): i.e., you still question and are filled with suspicion. This situation is not one which is only seen during the time of the revelation of the Quran, but it exists in every period and era. Throughout the ages, there will always be those who raise doubts and say: ‘This life is the end, and there is no creator.’ So, Allah (swt) tells us that we must remove this type of doubt from our mind, not only by saying ‘We believe’, but through our intellect, proofs and evidence. Thus, He provides for us evidence through these verses (1-2).