The creation of human (a mortal that called in 5 different names in quran - بشر, الانس, الانسان, الناس, بني آدم which emphasize different meaning/character of human) from clay is not the issues of "the traditional religious idea", but pertains to the faith in God. God asserts his words are no doubt at all as highlighted in Quran 2:2 -
"This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun [The pious and righteous person who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]".
God said about the creation of human from the clay in Quran 15:28 -
"and (remember) when your lord said to the angle." I am going to create (خالق) a man (بشر) from sounding clay of altered black smooth mud ".
خالق and بشر have the exact meaning of what God wants to emphasize on. خلق - it is the action of خالق which creates from nothing to exist. While مخلوق also can creates but with the word اخترع, which creates something must be from an existing one. The second word بشر means a mortal (living creature) with biology & physiology. Then God continues his words 15:29
"So, When I have fashioned him completely and breathed into him the soul which I created for him, then fall down prostrating yourselves unto him".
verse 15: 27-28 confirm that angles and jinn were created before human.
The name of this mortal is called Adam as mentioned in Quran 2:31 - "And He taught Adam ...". What is interesting with the previous verse (2:30) is the statement of the angel "Will you place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, ...". This statement leaves a space for us to discuss about theories / facts related to Homo sapiens (I prefer to mention Anatomically modern human (AMH) because Homo means Human), but it does not until to justify that this is the origin of our ancestors. Meanwhile, this statement of angle is also based on his knowledge of the nature of the passion (النفس) that is cultivated in human - Quran 12:53 "... Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil, ..."
If we were confronted with comprehensive facts about the theory of evolution likes in series of national geography: David Attenborough's rise of Animal, which states that 500 million time ago, Myllokunmingia are the basic creatures of the existence of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals (include human beings) that exist today, it is not wrong to accept everything except those related to the evolution chains of the morden human.
When the facts of science & the Quran clash to each other, then remember the word of Allah Quran 2: 204
"And of mankind there is he whose speech may please you (O Muhammad SAW), in this worldly life, and he calls Allah to witness as to that which is in his heart, yet he is the most quarrelsome of the opponents ".
Besides, for Muslims, Quran 6:59 says
"And with Him are the keys of Ghaib (all that is hidden), none knows them but He, And He knows whatever there is in (or on) the earth and in the sea; leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record ".
[1] Quran