THE STORY OF ADAM(A.S)
Adam (A.S) was the first human and the first prophet ever.
🏷️ The Creation of Adam
The story of Adam (ﷺ) begins before his physical creation, with Allah informing the angels of His divine plan:
“And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.'” (Quran, 2:30)
The angels, knowing the propensity of some creatures for corruption, questioned why a being that would shed blood would be placed there, while they themselves constantly glorified Him. Allah replied with perfect wisdom: “Indeed, I know that which you do not know.” (Quran, 2:30) .
Allah then created Adam (ﷺ) from clay. The Quran describes this clay in various ways: as tin (clay), salsal (sounding clay), and hama’im masnoon (molded dark mud) . After fashioning him into a human form, Allah breathed His spirit into him, bringing him to life . A famous Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari describes the physical scale of this first creation:
“Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall… Any person who will enter Paradise will resemble Adam (in appearance and figure). People have been decreasing in stature since Adam’s creation.”
👑 The Angels’ Prostration and the Arrogance of Iblis
As an honor to the new creation, Allah commanded all the angels to prostrate before Adam. All of them obeyed except one, Iblis (Satan) . Iblis, who was not an angel but a jinn and was among those present, was full of pride and arrogance . When Allah questioned his disobedience, Iblis replied:
“I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.” (Quran, 38:76)
Because of his pride and disobedience, Allah expelled Iblis from His mercy and cursed him until the Day of Judgment.
“He [Allah] said, ‘Then get out of here, for you are accursed'” (Quran 38:77)
“And surely upon you is My condemnation until the Day of Judgment.” (Quran 38:78)
In return, Iblis asked for a reprieve until that Day and vowed to mislead all of Adam’s descendants, except for those who are sincere servants of Allah .
📚 The Honor of Knowledge
To demonstrate the elevated status of Adam (ﷺ), Allah taught him “the names of all things” . He then presented those things to the angels and challenged them to inform Him of their names, which they could not. They admitted their lack of knowledge, saying: “Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise.” (Quran, 2:32) .
Then Allah commanded Adam to tell them the names, and when he did, Allah proclaimed:
“Did I not tell you that I know the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth? And I know what you reveal and what you have concealed.” (Quran, 2:33)
This event highlighted the unique intellectual capacity granted to humanity, a key part of their role as vicegerents .
🌳 Life in Paradise and the Test
After this, Allah created Hawwa (Eve) from Adam to be his companion and solace . He then commanded them both:
“O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Garden, and eat freely of its fruits wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you become wrongdoers.” (Quran, 2:35)
They lived in a state of bliss, free from hunger, thirst, and toil . However, Iblis, seething with enmity, whispered to them and tempted them to eat from the forbidden tree. He swore to them that he was a sincere advisor and claimed that the tree would grant them immortality and an everlasting kingdom . They were deceived by his oath and ate from the tree. Upon eating, their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to cover themselves with leaves from Paradise . Allah called out to them, reminding them of His command and warning that Satan was their clear enemy .
🌍 Descent to Earth and the First Repentance
Adam and Hawwa immediately felt immense shame and regret. They cried out to Allah:
“Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.” (Quran, 7:23)
Allah, in His infinite mercy, taught Adam words of inspiration with which to repent . This is a crucial point in Islam: Adam’s mistake was his alone, and he was forgiven. There is no concept of “original sin” in Islam. Every child is born pure .
Nevertheless, the divine plan was always for humanity to live on earth. Allah sent them down, stating that earth would be their dwelling place and a source of livelihood for a time . He also gave them a promise of hope:
“We said, ‘Go down from it, all of you. And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance – there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.'” (Quran, 2:38)
📜 Life on Earth and Final Legacy
Upon earth, Adam (ﷺ) learned how to live. Allah taught him various skills, such as planting, harvesting, and baking bread . He had many children with Hawwa. According to some narrations, she gave birth to 120 sets of twins, with each set consisting of a boy and a girl . The most famous of his sons were Habil (Abel) and Qabil (Cain). The story of their sacrifices and the first murder, where Qabil killed Habil out of jealousy, is also told in the Quran .
Adam (ﷺ) grieved deeply for his son Habil and continued to preach to his children about faith in Allah . As his death approached, he appointed his son Seth (Shith) as his successor, entrusting him with the secrets of prophethood . Prophet Adam (ﷺ) lived for about 1000 years .
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: “When Allah created Adam, He wiped his back and every person that He created among his offspring until the Day of Resurrection fell off his back. He placed a ray of light between the eyes of every person. Then He showed them to Adam and he said: ‘O Lord! Who are these people?’ He said: ‘These are your offspring.’ He [Adam] saw one of them whose ray between his eyes amazed him, so he said: ‘O Lord! Who is this?’ He said: ‘This is a man from the latter nations of your offspring called Daawood.’ He said: ‘Lord! How long did You make his lifespan?’ He said: ‘Sixty years.’ He said: ‘O Lord! Add forty years from my life to his.’ So at the end of Adam’s life, the Angel of death came to him, and he said: ‘Do I not have forty years remaining?’ He said: ‘Did you not give them to your son Daawood?'” The Prophet said: “Adam denied, so his offspring denied; Adam forgot and his offspring forgot, and Adam sinned, so his offspring sinned.” [At-Tirmithi, and Al-Haakim classified it as Saheeh (authentic), and ath-Thahabi agreed with him]
His story is a profound narrative of creation, honor, error, repentance, and divine mercy. It establishes humanity’s purpose on earth, our relationship with God, and the eternal enmity of Satan, while also providing the ultimate hope that God’s mercy is always available to those who sincerely seek it.
Subḥānallāhi wa biḥamdih
"Glory be to Allah and His is the Praise" · 100×
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