The Different Ranks of “Creator”

The word "create" in Arabic could be used to either mean:

1) Create a thing from complete non-existence from nothing (i.e., creation ex nihilo)

2) Create a thing from preexisting matter

3) Create a thing via transformation, whereby something new is created after being transformed from a previous state.

When it comes to the first kind of creation, only Allah could be ascribed with this. Similarly, creating life by blowing the soul into the creature could only be ascribed to Allah.

As for the other two types, they could be ascribed to other than Allah, as human beings could manufacture cars from raw materials (e.g., steel, glass, rubber, etc.) or transform copper into gold, etc. Anything to do with processing, crafting, assembling, molding, etc. things could linguistically be said to be "creations" by human beings.

So when Allah says that he is "the best of creators" (Surah 23, 14), we understand that the word "creators" here is taking into account both of the second and third modes of creating. At the same time, we could say that there is no Creator but Allah and not contradict ourselves. For in the latter statement, we have the first mode of creating borne in mind. And surely, no life may be created, nor anything created ex nihilo, except by Allah.