Saturday, 14 June 2014

Prophet Adam: The Creation Story

The Creation Story
Note that occasion, when your Lord said to the angels: I am going to place a vicegerent on earth. The angels said: “Will You place there one who will make mischief and shed blood while we sing Your praises and glorify Your name?” Allah said: “I know what you know not.”

Lessons:
- Mankind is the custodian of the Earth.
- We were always going to be sent to Earth.
- We were created to live here.
- Angels knew that having free-will leads to war, violence and murder.
- Allah knows best.
- Angels have limited knowledge.
- Angels continuously praise Allah.

He taught Adam the names of all things; then He presented the things to the angels and said: “Tell Me the names of these, if what you say is true?”  “Glory to You,” they replied, “we have no knowledge except what You have taught us: in fact You are the One who is perfect in knowledge and wisdom.”

Lessons:
- Allah taught Adam language.
- Allah tests the angels.
- Only Allah has perfect knowledge.

Allah said: “O Adam! Tell them the names.” When Adam told them the names, Allah said: “Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of the heavens and the earth and I know what you reveal and what you conceal?”

When We ordered the angels: “Prostrate before Adam in respect,” they all prostrated except Iblees who refused in his arrogance and became a disbeliever.

Lessons:
- Allah knows the secrets of the creation.
- Prostration to Adam was not worship of him as Allah had commanded it.
- Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said, “He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise.”[1]
- Pride and arrogance are the antithesis of Islam, since Islam means surrender and submission to Allah’s will.
- Angels never disobey Allah.
Jinn have free-will too.


To Adam We said: “Dwell with your wife in Paradise and eat anything you want from its bountiful food from wherever you wish, but do not approach this tree, or you shall both become transgressors.” But Satan tempted them with the tree to disobey Allah's commandment and caused them to be expelled from Paradise, and We said: "Get out from here, some of you being enemies to others, and there is for you in the earth an abode and provisions for a specified time.  Then Adam received appropriate words from his Lord and repented, and Allah accepted his repentance. Surely Allah is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Lessons:
- Our original home was in paradise.
- Satan is our greatest enemy.
- Repentance is our salvation.
- Allah forgave Adam and Hawwa when they repented to Him. We should follow their example in this.
- Only ask Allah for the forgiveness of our sins.

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "But for the Israelis, meat would not decay and but for Eve, wives would never betray their husbands."[2] On the commentary of this Hadith the reputable scholar Allamah Ibni Hajar Al-'Asqalani states that: "Hawwa (A.S.) was mesmerized by the false promises and embellishments of Shaitaan, as a result she encouraged Adam (A.S.) to partake from the forbidden tree." The Khiyaanah (betrayal) which Nabi (S.A.W.) speaks of in the Hadith is not referring to acts such as adultery, etc. Instead it is regarding a Khiyaanah of a much lesser degree e.g. the wife, due to her weak understanding, encourages the husband to do something of which the consequences are detrimental. [3] 

"Get out from here all of you," We said at the time of Adam's departure from Paradise. "There will come to you guidance from Me, those who accept and follow it shall have nothing to fear or to regret. But those who reject and defy Our revelations will be inmates of Hellfire wherein they shall live forever."[4]

Lessons:
- Allah will send guidance in the form of messengers and books till the Day of Judgment.
- Only those who follow the guidance will be saved.




[1] Muslim, vol.1, no.166
[2] Al-Bukhari, vol.4, book 55, no.547.
[3] Fathul Baari, vol.6, p.368
[4] Surah al-Baraqah 2:30-39

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