Question:

Oh Virtuous Shaikh, May Allah facilitate good for you. Is the challenge from Allah, the Exalted to create a creation specifically in regards to the creation that possesses a soul or is it for other than that? This is because in this era they claim that they have produced some agricultural crops like rice and other than it. Likewise, what is known as genetic engineering. We kindly hope from you an answer.

Answer:

Oh my brother, they do not come with material other than what is from the creation of Allah. They construct some [material] with the other. They do not bring forth something non-existent. They do not bring forth rice that was non-existent. Verily, they take from this creation and from the existing things and combine, construct, and form them. Their efforts [to create something] are not proven/affirmed even until now. However, the material is taken from the creation of Allah, the Exalted.

[Taken from here]

Translated by

Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan