Wisdom in Creation of Man article is the next in series. Please see the previous article: Wisdom in Nature

Imam Ja’far continues his explanation to his student, Mufaddal, the wisdom in creation. In this article, Imam Ja’far describes the wisdom in creation of human beings.   

Wisdom in Creation of Man

We now start with a description of the creation of Man before you, to learn a lesson there from.

The first step in the creation of Man refers to the state when the embryo in the womb is adjusted, though it is confined within three distinct kinds of coverings and three kinds of darkness.

The first covering is that of the outer wall, the second one is of the womb, and the third one is of the placenta. This is a time when the embryo is completely helpless for it can neither manage its nutrition nor ward off any harm from itself.

The menstrual flow is diverted to serve him as nutriment, just as water carries nutriment to the plants. So this process goes on until such time as his constitution is perfected, the skin over his body toughens enough to withstand the atmosphere -so that it does not receive any harm from the air – and his eyes gain the capacity to withstand light.

When all this is accomplished, its mother gets labor pangs, which severely shake her to uneasiness, culminating in the birth of the infant.

With the birth of the infant, the menstrual flow which served as nutrition in the womb is diverted to the mother’s breasts. Its taste is altered, as well as its color, and it becomes a nutriment of quite a different kind, which exactly suits the temperament of the infant, as and when it needs the same, compared with the flow of blood.

After the birth, the infant starts moving and licking its lips with its tongue to indicate its desire for milk. It finds its mothers pair of breasts as luscious reservoirs to provide nutrition for it. He gets its nutrition from milk in this way until such time as his body remains delicate, his organs and bowels soft and weak.

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References

1. Tradition of Mufaddal, Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (A.S.): Reported by his companion Mufaddal ibn Umar al Jaufi