The creation and honouring of Adam Peace Be Upon Him

Allah told the angels that He would place a khalifah on earth. They asked about the wisdom of creating one who would cause corruption and shed blood, while they glorified and sanctified Him. Their question sought understanding; it was not an objection to their Lord. Allah said, in meaning, “I know what you do not know.” Allah’s knowledge encompasses everything, while created beings know only what He has taught them. [Al-Baqarah 2:30]

One explanation of khalifah in this verse is that the descendants of Adam, peace be upon him, succeed one another on earth, generation after generation. This does not mean that Allah needs anyone to act in His place. He has no need of His creation.

Allah created Adam, peace be upon him, from dust, without a father or mother. Allah says, in meaning, “Indeed, the likeness of Jesus before Allah is that of Adam. He created him from dust, then said to him, ‘Be,’ and he is.” [Al ‘Imran 3:59] Allah also describes his creation from clay and from sounding clay formed from altered dark mud. These describe the material of his creation in its different states; they are not conflicting accounts of his origin. [Sad 38:71; al-Hijr 15:26]

Allah distinguished Adam, peace be upon him, by creating him with His two Hands, as He said to Iblis, in meaning, “What prevented you from prostrating to the one I created with My two Hands?” [Sad 38:75] We affirm what Allah has affirmed for Himself in a manner befitting His majesty, without distorting or denying it, attempting to specify how, or likening Him to His creation. Nothing is like Him. [Al-Shura 42:11]

Allah fashioned Adam, peace be upon him, and breathed into him of His spirit, as He tells us in Surat al-Hijr. The soul within him is created. Allah’s attribution of it to Himself expresses honour; it does not mean that it is part of Allah’s essence. [Al-Hijr 15:28–29]

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, in meaning: “The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday. On it Adam was created, on it he was admitted to Paradise, and on it he was brought out of it. The Hour will occur only on a Friday.” [Sahih Muslim, Book of Friday Prayer, chapter on the virtue of Friday, no. 854; wording of 854b]

The names and the angels’ prostration

Among the honours Allah gave Adam, peace be upon him, was teaching him all the names. Allah then presented the things named to the angels and asked them about their names. They acknowledged that they knew only what Allah had taught them, saying, in meaning, “Glory be to You. We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.” Allah commanded him to tell them the names, making clear the knowledge He had bestowed upon him. [Al-Baqarah 2:31–33]

Allah commanded the angels to prostrate to Adam, peace be upon him, and all of them obeyed. Their prostration was obedience to Allah and an honour for His prophet; it was not worship of the prophet. This does not permit prostrating to people under the law brought by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. A prostration of greeting to anyone other than Allah is prohibited in our religion, while a prostration of worship to anyone other than Him is shirk. [Al-Baqarah 2:34; Sad 38:73]

Iblis, however, refused and was arrogant. He said, in meaning, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.” [Al-A‘raf 7:12] He rejected Allah’s command and used the material of his creation to claim superiority over Adam, peace be upon him. The Qur’an makes clear that Iblis was one of the jinn: “He was of the jinn and departed from his Lord’s command.” [Al-Kahf 18:50, meaning] He should therefore not be described as an angel who became a devil.

Allah expelled and humbled Iblis. Iblis asked for a reprieve, and Allah granted him respite until the appointed time. He vowed to mislead the descendants of Adam, peace be upon him, except Allah’s chosen servants. This teaches the believer that Satan’s enmity is longstanding, and that protection from his schemes is sought from Allah through sincere devotion to Him and following His guidance. [Al-A‘raf 7:13–18; al-Hijr 15:34–42]

The account of Iblis’s disbelief must not be used to declare Muslims unbelievers for every act of disobedience. Not every sin is disbelief. Alongside disobedience, Iblis showed refusal and arrogance towards Allah’s command, and the Qur’an explicitly identifies him as a disbeliever. [Al-Baqarah 2:34]

Life in Paradise and the test of the tree

Allah admitted Adam, peace be upon him, to Paradise, where he lived with his wife. He allowed them to eat from it wherever they wished, while forbidding them to approach one particular tree. Allah warned him that Iblis was an enemy to him and his wife. He also described the blessings of Paradise: no hunger or nakedness, no thirst or exposure to the sun’s heat. [Sahih Muslim 854b; al-Baqarah 2:35; al-A‘raf 7:19; Ta Ha 20:117–119]

But Satan whispered to them and made eating from the tree seem attractive. He claimed that the prohibition was only to prevent them from becoming angels or living forever, and swore that he was giving them sincere advice. He said to Adam, peace be upon him, in meaning, “Shall I direct you to the tree of immortality and a kingdom that never fades?” These were Satan’s deceptive claims, not revelation affirming that the tree could grant immortality. [Al-A‘raf 7:20–21; Ta Ha 20:120]

Adam, peace be upon him, and his wife ate from the tree. Their private parts became apparent to them, and they began covering themselves with leaves from Paradise. Their Lord called to them, reminding them that He had forbidden the tree and warned them of Satan’s enmity. The Qur’an attributes the eating to both of them. We therefore do not treat the woman alone as the source of the sin or make her bear her husband’s responsibility. [Al-A‘raf 7:22; Ta Ha 20:121]

Allah mentions how Adam, peace be upon him, forgot and lacked firm resolve in this test, and states that he disobeyed his Lord and went astray. We accept Allah’s account while preserving the honour and respect due to His prophet. We neither deny the lapse recorded in the Qur’an nor detach it from the repentance, divine choosing and guidance that followed. [Ta Ha 20:115, 121–122]

Repentance, descent and the promise of guidance

Adam, peace be upon him, and his wife turned back to their Lord, acknowledged their sin, and asked Him for forgiveness and mercy: “They said, ‘Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers.’” [Al-A‘raf 7:23, meaning] Their supplication acknowledges their wrongdoing and their need of Allah, while expressing hope in His mercy.

Allah tells us that Adam, peace be upon him, received words from his Lord, who accepted his repentance. He is the One who repeatedly accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. Allah also says, in meaning, “Then his Lord chose him, accepted his repentance and guided him.” [Ta Ha 20:122] Here we see the difference between acknowledging a sin and returning to Allah, and persisting in arrogance and rejection of His command. [Al-Baqarah 2:37]

Allah commanded the descent to earth, where human beings would live and die and from which they would be raised. He had already told the angels that He would place a khalifah on earth. Nothing that happened lay outside His knowledge or decree. Even so, divine decree is not an excuse to persist in disobedience. Adam, peace be upon him, repented of his sin; he did not use the decree as a reason to abandon repentance. [Al-Baqarah 2:30, 36–38; al-A‘raf 7:24–25]

Allah did not leave the descendants of Adam, peace be upon him, without guidance. He said, in meaning, “When guidance comes to you from Me, those who follow My guidance will have no fear, nor will they grieve.” [Al-Baqarah 2:38] He also said, in meaning, “Whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray nor suffer misery.” [Ta Ha 20:123] The path to salvation is to believe in and follow Allah’s revelation, obey His messengers, and beware of the enemy who brought our parents out of Paradise. [Al-A‘raf 7:27]

Humanity does not inherit the guilt of Adam, peace be upon him. Allah accepted his repentance, and Allah says, in meaning, “No bearer of burdens will bear another’s burden.” [Al-An‘am 6:164] Each person is accountable for their own deeds; no one is born bearing their father’s sin.