Creation of Woman out of Man

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When reading some of the Qur’anic verses, we may come to conclude that Allah has created the woman from the man, and this is considered a kind of deficiency on the part of the women.

These verses are the following:

“O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single self and created from it, its mate, and from them twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women.” (Qur’an, 4:1).

“He it is Who did create you from a single soul, and therefrom did make his mate…” (Qur’an, 7:189).

“He created you from one being, then from that “being” He made his mate” (Qur’an, 39:6)

“And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves, mates…” (Qur’an, 30:21).

“And God hath given you wives of your own selves, and hath given you from your wives sons and grandchildren…” (Qur’an, 16:72).

“He made for you from among your “own” selves pairs…” (Qur’an, 42:11).

In the first three verses, it is stated that men have been created from one self, and from that self their mates were created. In the next three verses this subject was made in the plural form and addressing all men that your wives were created from your own selves. Pondering over and meditating in all the verses as a whole, will verily indicate that what God intends to say is that the spouse of man being his mate and counterpart and from his self, neither being alien to him, nor a part of him or created from him “his body”. Since if this be true, it should be said that every wife was created from her own husband, hence the last three verses should be taken as evidences and proofs for manifesting and elucidating the meaning of the first verses.

In interpreting these verses, Al-‘Allamah At-Tabataba’i says:

The apparent meaning of the verse: “and from it, He created its mate” being that God has created a spouse of the same species of the man, and all the human beings belong to two equal and alike individuals.

The word “Min” “from” in the verse is a genetic preposition “i.e. it shows the origin of something”. This verse, like other verses, discusses the issue of creation of the woman and man, like the verses: “And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves, mates… .” and the verse: “And God hath given you wives of your own selves…” and others.

On this basis, whatever is stated in regard of these interpretations like that the denotation of this verse is to indicate the fact that the woman is derived from Adam and a part of him, according to some narrations “one of which claiming that God has created the wife of Adam from his rib”, being all baseless claims for which no evidence is ever established.1

This statement was held by Wahbah Zuhayli, a sunni exegete, who quoted it from Al-Fakhr Ar-Razi.2

What can be concluded from all this discussion is the fact that the Qur’an, when making simile between the woman and man, it concentrates on the origin and root, and oneness of species of the two. Any claim other than this topic should be neglected. Besides, some traditions are there in support of this conclusion, to which we can refer here:

Al-Imam As-Sadiq was questioned once: Some people claim that Eve is created from Adam’s rib “what do you say”? He (A) replied: “Verily God is absolutely pure and free from this.” Is God unable to create a spouse for Adam, from other than his rib? So that to close the door leaving no room or excuse to be exploited by some evil­minded to raise any doubt, to say that Adam has got married to himself?! May God judge between us and such people.3

In another hadith it is said:

God has created Eve from the surplus of the clay of Adam, and similar to him.4

  • 1. Al-Mizaan Fi Tafseer Al-Qur’an, vol. IV, p. 136.
  • 2. At-Tafseer Al-Muneer, vol. 1, pp. 139-140.
  • 3. Wasa’il Ash-Shi’ah, vol. XX, p. 352, Baab 28, vol. IV, p. 258.
  • 4. Bihaar Al-Anwaar, vol. XI, p. 115; vol. 42 .

Woman: AUTHOR(S): Mahdi Mahrizi      TRANSLATOR(S): Hasan M. Najafi