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Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah said that Salsal means dry mud. The apparent meaning is similar to the Ayah:

[خَلَقَ الإِنسَـنَ مِن صَلْصَـلٍ كَالْفَخَّارِ - وَخَلَقَ الْجَآنَّ مِن مَّارِجٍ مِّن نَّارٍ ]

(He created man (Adam) from sounding clay like the potter's clay, And He created the Jinns from a smokeless flame of fire.) (55:14-15) It was also reported from Mujahid that,

[صَلْصَـلٍ]

(dried (sounding) clay) means "putrid'', but it is more appropriate to interpret an Ayah with another Ayah.

[مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ]

(of altered mud) means the dried clay that comes from mud, which is soil. "Altered'' here means smooth.

[وَالْجَآنَّ خَلَقْنَـهُ مِن قَبْلُ]

(And the Jinn, We created earlier) means before creating humans.

[مِن نَّارِ السَّمُومِ]

(from the smokeless flame of fire.) Ibn `Abbas said, "It is the smokeless flame that kills.'' Abu Dawud At-Tayalisi said that Shu`bah narrated to them from Abu Ishaq, who said: "I visited `Umar Al-Asamm when he was sick, and he said: `Shall I not tell you a Hadith that I heard from `Abdullah bin Mas`ud He said: `This smokeless flame is one of the seventy parts of the smokeless fire from which the Jinn where created. Then he recited,

[وَالْجَآنَّ خَلَقْنَـهُ مِن قَبْلُ مِن نَّارِ السَّمُومِ ]

(And the Jinn, We created earlier from the smokeless flame of fire).''' The following is found in the Sahih,

«خُلِقَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ نُورٍ، وَخُلِقَتِ الْجَانُّ مِنْ مَارِجٍ مِنْ نَارٍ، وَخُلِقَ آدَمُ مِمَّا وُصِفَ لَكُم»

(The angels were created from light, the Jinn were created from a smokeless flame of fire, and Adam was created from that which has been described to you.) The Ayah is intended to point out the noble nature, good essence and pure origin of Adam.

[وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـئِكَةِ إِنِّى خَـلِقٌ بَشَرًا مِّن صَلْصَـلٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ - فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِى فَقَعُواْ لَهُ سَـجِدِينَ - فَسَجَدَ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ كُلُّهُمْ أَجْمَعُونَ - إِلاَّ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَى أَن يَكُونَ مَعَ السَّـجِدِينَ - قَالَ يإِبْلِيسُ مَا لَكَ أَلاَّ تَكُونَ مَعَ السَّـجِدِينَ - قَالَ لَمْ أَكُن لاًّسْجُدَ لِبَشَرٍ خَلَقْتَهُ مِن صَلْصَـلٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ ]

(28. And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "I am going to create a man (Adam) from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud. '') (29. "So, when I have fashioned him completely and breathed into him (Adam) of My spirit (the soul which I created for him,) then fall down, prostrating yourselves before him.'') (30. So the angels prostrated themselves, all of them together.) (31. Except Iblis (Shaytan) - he refused to be among the prostrate.) (32. (Allah) said: "O Iblis! What is your reason for not being among the prostrate'' (33. [Iblis] said: "I am not one to prostrate myself to a human, whom You created from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud.'')