All praise is due to Allah, and may blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Bringing something into existence from nothing belongs exclusively to Allah. Neither Jesus, peace be upon him, nor any other created being has this ability. Jesus’s miracle was not creation from nothing: he shaped existing clay into the form of a bird, then blew into it, and it became a bird by Allah’s permission. The fatwa rules that claiming the ability to bring something into existence from nothing constitutes disbelief, because it claims something exclusive to Allah.
Allah alone is the Creator of all things
The Qur’an points to Allah’s exclusive power of creation as evidence that worshipping others is invalid. Allah says:
“Is the One who creates like one who does not create? Will you not then take heed?” [Al-Naḥl 16:17]
He also says:
“Surely, creation and command belong to Him. Blessed is Allah, Lord of all worlds.” [Al-Aʿrāf 7:54]
And:
“Or have they assigned to Allah partners who created as He creates, so that the creation became indistinguishable to them? Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the All-Subduing.” [Al-Raʿd 13:16]
These verses establish that creation belongs exclusively to Allah and clarify the distinction between the Creator and created beings. If others created as He does, the confusion rejected by the verse would arise.
He also says:
“Say: Is there any among your partners who originates creation and then repeats it? Say: Allah originates creation and then repeats it. How, then, are you turned away?” [Yūnus 10:34]
What did Jesus, peace be upon him, do in the miracle of the bird?
Allah relates the words of Jesus, peace be upon him:
“I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I fashion for you from clay the form of a bird, then blow into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah’s permission.” [Āl ʿImrān 3:49]
The verse mentions an existing material—clay—and states that Jesus shaped it into the form of a bird, then blew into it, whereupon it became a bird by Allah’s permission. The miracle therefore does not establish that he brought something into existence from nothing.
Ibn ʿĀshūr explains “I fashion for you” as meaning: “I shape for you from clay something resembling a bird.” He explains that this wording does not mean creating the living animal, citing the subsequent words, “then I blow into it.” See Al-Taḥrīr wa-l-Tanwīr (3/250).
Affirming this miracle for Jesus does not therefore mean affirming that he possessed the ability to create from nothing. What occurred was a sign from Allah and happened by His permission.
The word “creation” has more than one meaning
The difficulty arises from treating the Arabic word khalq (“creation”) as having the same meaning in every passage. In Arabic, it can mean bringing into existence from nothing, but it can also mean determining proportions or shaping. The intended meaning is determined by the context.
Al-Azharī reports from Ibn al-Anbārī that one meaning of khalq is determining a thing’s proportions. This includes interpreting Allah’s statement:
“Blessed is Allah, the best of creators.” [Al-Muʾminūn 23:14]
As meaning: the best of those who determine form and proportion.
Similarly, His statement:
“You fabricate a falsehood.” [Al-ʿAnkabūt 29:17]
Means: you devise a lie.
One Arabic usage is khalaqtu al-adīm, meaning: “I measured and marked out the leather so that I could cut from it what I wanted,” such as a waterskin or a leather sock. See Tahdhīb al-Lughah (7/16).
Thus, attributing khalq to a created being does not necessarily mean bringing something into existence from nothing. It may mean designing or shaping something from existing material, as in the miracle of Jesus, peace be upon him.
The ruling on claiming the ability to bring something into existence from nothing
The fatwa states that no created being brings anything into existence from nothing or serves as a cause of creation from nothing. Adding the phrase “by Allah’s permission” does not change this ruling, because this ability itself belongs exclusively to Allah.
It also rules that a created being’s claim to bring something into existence from nothing constitutes disbelief, because it attributes to a creature what belongs exclusively to the Creator. This is the fatwa’s ruling on that claim. The word khalq in the sense of determining proportions or shaping, however, carries the different meaning explained above.
Conclusion
Creation from nothing belongs to Allah alone. Jesus’s miracle began with existing clay, which he shaped into the form of a bird; it then became a bird by Allah’s permission. The miracle does not establish that a created being shares Allah’s power to bring things into existence from nothing. Distinguishing the meanings of khalq resolves this difficulty.
And Allah knows best.