A reflection on Surah Ar-Rahman 55:14-23 - how Allah (SWT) uses variety in creation, humans, jinn, fresh and salt water, to point back to His wisdom.
Our students at Darus Saulieghien Quraan Academy come from different backgrounds, homes, and starting points in their Hifz journey. Surah Ar-Rahman has something to say about difference that is worth sitting with.
Different Origins, Same Accountability
Allah (SWT) draws attention to two very different creations:
خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِن صَلْصَـٰلٍ كَٱلْفَخَّارِ
"He created man from clay like [that of] pottery." (Surah Ar-Rahman 55:14)
وَخَلَقَ ٱلْجَآنَّ مِن مَّارِجٍ مِّن نَّارٍ
"And He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire." (Surah Ar-Rahman 55:15)
Human beings and jinn were created from entirely different substances, yet both are accountable to the same Lord. Difference in origin, the surah teaches, does not remove shared responsibility before Allah (SWT).
Boundaries That Never Cross
The surah then points to fresh and salt water meeting yet never mixing, each retaining its own quality by Allah's decree, and from that meeting emerge pearls and coral, blessings drawn from places rarely thought about.
The Prophet (SAW) said: "Allah created Adam from a handful of soil taken from all parts of the earth. Therefore, the children of Adam came according to the earth. Among them are red, white, black, and those in between; some are easygoing, some harsh, some good, and some otherwise." (Sunan Abi Dawud 4693) Differences in people reflect Allah's creative power; honour before Him is measured by taqwa alone.
Honouring Every Student's Starting Point
Not every student arrives at DSQA with the same pace, temperament, or circumstances at home. Variety, this surah teaches, is not disorder, it is part of the wisdom Allah (SWT) placed within creation. What matters is not where a student started, but their sincerity and effort before Him.
May Allah (SWT) help us appreciate the differences among our students as signs of His wisdom, and unite every one of them in taqwa. Ameen.