And it is recited: 'Creator of every creature.' And since the name of creature applies to both the distinguishable and the indistinguishable, the distinguishable prevails, so it gives what is beyond it its ruling, as if all creatures are distinguishable. Hence it is said: 'from them,' and it is said: 'from that which moves on its belly and that which moves on four legs.' If you say: 'Why is water indefinite in the saying 'from water'?' I say: 'Because the meaning is that He created every creature from a type of water specific to that creature. Or He created it from a specific water, which is the sperm, then He differentiated between the creations from the sperm, so among them are insects, among them are animals, and among them are humans. And similar to His saying: 'They are watered with one water, and We prefer some of them over others in food.' If you say: 'What about its being definite in the saying: 'And We made from water every living thing'?' I say: 'There is another meaning intended there: that all kinds of animals are created from this kind [Madhud said: 'If you say: Why is water indefinite here and definite in the saying: 'And We made from water every living thing'? I say: 'The purpose in what we are discussing is that the Exalted created every creature from a type of specific water, which is the sperm, then He differentiated between the creations according to the differences of their sperm, so among them is this and among them is that. And similar to His saying: 'They are watered with one water, and We prefer some of them over others in food.' As for the verse 'approach,' the purpose in it is that all kinds of animals are created from this kind.' Ahmad said: 'And the clarification of the distinction is that the aim in the first is to demonstrate the sign that from one thing, different things were formed by ability, detailing them in the verses of light and thunder: and the aim in the verse 'approach' is that He created the things that agree in the kind of life from the kind of water of different types, mentioning it definitively to include its different types. Thus, the verse in the first is to exclude the different from the agreed upon, and Allah knows best.'] which is the kind of water, and that is because it is the origin even if intermediaries are between it and them. They said: 'He created the angels from a wind created from water, and the jinn from a fire created from it. And Adam from dust created from it. If you say: 'Why are the three kinds mentioned in this order?' I say: 'He prioritized what is more noble in ability, which is the one that moves without a means of movement from legs or limbs, then the one that moves on two legs, then the one that moves on four. If you say: 'Why is crawling on the belly called movement?' I say: 'In a metaphorical sense, as they say about a continuous matter: 'This matter has moved.' And it is said: 'So-and-so does not have a matter that moves for him.' And similar to this is the metaphor of the gap for the hoof [The saying 'the gap for the hoof' in the dictionaries: the gap for the hoof is like the lip for a human, meaning for the one with the hoof. (A)] and the lip for the lip. And so on. Or in the way of similarity for mentioning the crawler with the movers.