Qur’an and Science Series © Copyrights @ 2015 reserved with the author Author: Munir M. Hasan, Ph.D. Mississauga, CANADA
ADAM
First Edition: July, 2015
Our Foremost Father A publication of the:
Trust for the Scientific Research in Qur’an Contacts: Canada: Prof. Dr. Munir M. Hasan Tel: (+1) 647-260-0513 Email:
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Prof. Dr. Munir M. Hasan Former Professor and Vice Chancellor NED University of Engineering & Technology Karachi, PAKISTAN
Pakistan: Prof. Jamshed ur Rehman Tel: (+ 92) 0300-251-6948 Email:
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The Paradise Where Adam Was Created
Adam – Our Foremost Father
The Paradise Where Adam Was Created
So, when they ate from the tree, their shame became visible to them and they began to cover themselves with the leaves of the garden (Paradise).
It is generally known that the place of creation of Adam is the Paradise (Jannah). In fact there is no verse in Qur’an which says in direct term that Adam was created in the Paradise. This conclusion has been drawn on the basis of many verses from where it can be easily concluded that Adam was created in the Paradise. Before going further, it is a good idea to review those verses for better understanding. [2:35]
ََس ُكنْ َأَنتَ َ َوز َْو ُجكََا ْل َجنَّة ْ َوقُ ْلنَاَيَاَآ َد ُمَا
We (Allah) said: O Adam, Dwell with your wife in the Paradise, [7:19] َس ُكنْ َأَنتَ َ َوز َْو ُجكََا ْل َجنَّ َة ْ َويَاَآ َد ُمَا (Allah said:) O Adam! Dwell with your wife in Paradise,
َ ش ْي َطانُ َ َك َماَأَ ْخ َر َجََأَبَ َو ْي ُكمَ ِّمنَ َا ْل َجنَّة َّ يَاَبَنيَآ َد َمَلَََيَ ْفتنَنَّ ُك ُمَال [7:27] O children of Adam! Let not Shaitan (Devil) seduce you in the same manner as he was responsible for the expulsion of your parents from Paradise,
َس ْو َءاتُ ُه َماَ َوطَفقَاَيَ ْخصفَان َ َفَلَ َّماَ َذاقَاَالش ََّج َرةََبَدَتْ َلَ ُه َما [7:22] َعلَ ْيه َماَمنَ َو َرقَا ْل َجنَّة َ 1
َ ََولزَ ْوجكََفَ ََلَيُ ْخر َجنَّ ُك َماَمن َ َفَقُ ْلنَاَيَاَآ َد ُمَإنَّ َ َه َذاَ َع ُد ٌّوَلَّك [20:117] َا ْل َجنَّة Then We said: O Adam! This (Shaitan) is a real enemy to you and to your wife. Do not let him get you both out of Paradise.
َس ْوآتُ ُه َماَ َوطَفَقَاَيَ ْخصفَانَ َعلَ ْيه َما َ َ فَأَ َك َ ََلَم ْن َهاَفَبَدَتْ َلَ ُه َما [20:121] َمنَ َو َرقَا ْل َجنَّة They both ate out of it (the forbidden tree). As a result their nakedness became apparent to them and they both began to cover themselves with the leaves from the Garden (Paradise). So, from the above verses it is seen that the place of creation of Adam i.e. Paradise, has not been mentioned directly, but has been mentioned indirectly with reference to living of Adam in the Paradise and expulsion from there. There are some more verses in Qur’an in connection with the expulsion of Adam from Paradise, which give a clue to the question where the Paradise was situated when Adam was created. Some of them are:
َش ْيطَانُ َ َع ْن َهاَفَأ َ ْخ َر َج ُه َمَاَم َّماَ َكانَاَفيهَ َوقُ ْلنَا َّ فَأَزَ لَّ ُه َماَال [2:36] اهْبطُو
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The Paradise Where Adam Was Created
Adam – Our Foremost Father
So, Shaitan tempted them to disobey (Allah's commandment) and caused both of them to be expelled from Paradise, and We said: "Go down from here”
Most of the interpreters of Qur’an believe that it all happened in the Paradise which is in the heavens and Adam, Eve and Shaitan were sent from the heaven to earth. To me, this interpretation does not appear to be correct because of the following reasons.
َاَجميعا َ قُ ْلنَاَاهْبطُو ْاََم ْن َه
[2:38]
We (Allah) said, "Go down” from here all of you (Adam, Eve and Iblees),"
ْ قَا َلَفَاهْب ْ َطََم ْن َهاَفَ َماَيَ ُكونُ َلَكََأَنَتَتَ َكبَّ َرَفي َهاَف َاخ ُر ْج
I have been repeatedly saying that the best dictionary of Qur’an is the Qur’an itself. This word “ ط َْ ” اهْبby itself, in its plural form and in the third person form has also been used in some other verses not relating to Adam, but relating to some other matters. These are:
ْ وحَاهْب [11:48] ََعلَ ْيك َ َت ُ ُقي َلَيَاَن َ طََب ٍ سَلَ ٍمَ ِّمنَّاَ َوبَر َكا
[7:13] Allah said (to Iblees): "Get down from here. You have no right to brag here of your superiority. So, Get out”,
It was said: O Nuh! Disembark (from the ark) with Our peace and blessings on you, [2:61]
[7:24] ….. قَا َلَاهْبطُوَْا Allah said: "Get down, …..” [20:123]
َ قَا َلَاهْب اَجميعا َ طاَم ْن َه
Allah said: "Get down” from here both of you; In these verses the two words are worth considering regarding Adam’s expulsion from the Paradise. One of them is: “ج ََ ” أَ ْخ َرand one of its derivative in the meanings of “get out”, and the other is “ ط َْ ” اهْبand its derivatives which different translators have translated as, “get down”, or “go down”. The question arises, “go down” from where? If it is from a height, then from what height?
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َسأ َ ْلت ُْم ْ اهْبطُو ْاََم َ َصراَفَإنَّ َلَ ُكمَ َّما
(It was said to people of Musa) Go to Egypt (or to some other city, meaning: from one city to another), there you will find what you have asked for.
ّ شيَة َ َْوإنَّ َم ْن َهاَلَ َماَيَ ْهبطََُمن [2:74] ََللا ْ َخ And there are some (stones) which fall down with the fear of Allah. These verses clearly show the meaning of “ ط َْ ” اهْبand its derivatives. In verse 11:48, it means the disembarkation from the ark, and in verse 2:61 it means the traveling from one city to the other. In both the cases it is a travel from one place on the surface of the earth to another place on the same surface of the earth, and there is no concept of coming down or falling down.
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The Paradise Where Adam Was Created
Adam – Our Foremost Father
In verse 2:74 the concept of falling down is limited only from a certain height on a mountain to some lower level. It is like falling down from a place on the high grounds to the ground level and nothing more. Nowhere in these verses is the concept of coming down from the heaven to this earth.
Water here either means the rivers, seas which are on the ground (sea) level, or the clouds which are full of water and move on a height ranging from a few hundred meters to a few kilometers only. Even if the Arsh is considered to be at a height on the clouds, this becomes the height of some beautiful hill cities around the world. So, when the decision was being taken by Allah from the Seat of His Authority (Arsh) to create Adam, it was either being taken at sea level on the surface of earth, or at a height of clouds. In both the cases the Paradise ( ) ا ْل َجنَّة mentioned in various verses on Adam is to be on the earth and not far away in the heavens.
The Arabic word “ َ ” ا ْل َجنَّةmeans a “Beautiful Garden” not only in the meaning of “Paradise in the heaven”, but also in the meaning of “gardens of this world”. This word in the meaning of the “garden of this world” and also in its plural form has been used in many other verses of Qur’an. For example, verses: 2:265, 2:266, 6:99, 6:141, 13:4, 17:91, 23:19, 25:8, 26:57, 26:134, 26:147, 34:15, 36,34, 44:25, 50:9, 71:12 & 78:16. The part of the verse 2:265, i.e. “ َجنَّ ٍة َب َر ْب َو ٍَة َ ” َك َمثَلis clearly in the meaning of a garden on a high and fertile ground on earth. Therefore it is quite logical to consider that Adam was created on earth in a beautiful garden, probably situated on a high and fertile ground. The meaning of “get out” and “go down” in the verses 2:36, 2:38, 7:13, 7:24 and 20:123, mentioned above, suggest that Adam was expelled from that Garden and was asked to go down the hill. In this respect it will also be interesting to note that Allah has informed us that earlier (From the time of creation of this earth and heavens) or even now, His Seat of Authority (Arsh) was not in the heavens but on the surface of sea water, or at the most on a small height on this earth. The relevant verse says: [11:7]
شهَُ َعلَىَا ْل َماء ُ َو َكانَ َع َْر
His (Allah’s) throne was upon the water,
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This concept that Adam was created on the earth, is also substantiated by some other verses of Qur’an. In this connection, the next question arises: with what material Adam was made of? Qur’an uses four different words for this answer. These are: “ َب ٍ ” تُ َرا, for example verses: 3:59, 22:5, 30:20, 35:11, 40:67 “ ين ٍَ ” ط,
for example verses: 3:49, 5:110, 6:2, 7:12, 17:61, 23:12, 32:7, 37:11, 38:71
“ َال َ ص ْل َ ”, for example: verses: 15:26, 15:28, ٍ ص 15:33, 55:14, and “ َ" ْاْلَ ْرض, in verse 53:32 This topic has been described in some detail separately in another article of mine, “With What Material Adam was Created?” included in this book. Here I will refer to only one verse:
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Adam – Our Foremost Father
The Paradise Where Adam Was Created
[53:32]
ْ َإ ْذَأَنشَأ َ ُكمَ ِّمن ََاْلَ ْرض
He produced you from earth, In one of my articles “A Creature From the Earth” included in my another book on “Explanation of Some Misunderstood Qur’anic Scientific Concepts”, I have explained that the word “earth” in English and the word “ َ ” أَ ْرضin Arabic have exactly the same meaning. Usually, the word earth is used for the satellite earth orbiting the sun in our solar system. However, and even technically, it is also used for the crust or the outer surface of the earth having the material that makes up a large part of the land surface and so, the material of the crust of the earth is also called the “earth”. In Chemistry, the elements of the lanthanide series (atomic numbers 57 through 71) are called “rare earths”. So, in verse 53:32 by using the word “ َ ” أَ ْرضAllah has clarified that, for creating all of us including Adam, some material was taken from the surface of the earth and not from the heaven or anywhere else. There is another argument to show that Adam was made of the material taken from the earth. The verse 3:59 says:
ّ سىَعند َ ََللاَ َك َمثَلَآ َد َم [3:59] ب ٍَ َخلَقَهَُمنَتُ َرا َ إنَّ َ َمثَ َلَعي Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust; If the example of Adam and Prophet Isa (Jesus) is same, and Jesus was created from the earth material, then Adam was also created from the same material (dust) taken from earth.
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There is yet another argument to show that Adam was made of the material taken from the earth. In verse 2:30 Allah says:
َ يَجاع ٌلَفيَاْلَ ْرض َََخليفَة َ َِّر ُّبكََل ْل َمَلَئ َكةَإن َ َوإ ْذَقَا َل [2:30] And when your Rabb said to the angels: I am going to place a َ َخليفَةon earth. This verse clearly shows that the purpose of creation of َ َخليفَةwas already decided before its creation. This creation was meant for the earth and not for the heaven. That is why Adam was asked to live in the place of his creation – the Paradise - which was on earth. So, the creation of Adam had to be on the earth from the material taken from the earth, and not from the heavens. In the translation of verse 2:30 above, I have not translated the word َ َخليفَة. It is because I have given its meaning in a separate article included in this book under the title, “Is Adam the First Human Creation?” From the above discussion it is quite evident that the place where Adam was created was a “beautiful garden” or “ َ ” ا ْل َجنَّةsituated on this earth. Although the topic has been concluded, yet a few lines are necessary to answer a question which might come up in the minds of the readers. Where the Paradise is in which the righteous people will enter after the end of this world? This Paradise is not on this earth. It will be brought close to the earth as informed by Allah in the following verses:
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The Paradise Where Adam Was Created
Adam – Our Foremost Father
[26:90] َََوأُ ْزلفَتَا ْل َجنَّةَُل ْل ُمتَّقين And Paradise shall be brought close to the righteous people;
َ َ ََوأُ ْزلفَتَا ْل َجنَّةَُل ْل ُمتَّقين [50:31] غ ْي َرَبَعي ٍَد And Paradise shall be brought close to the righteous people, which will be no more a thing distant, (It means, it is at a distance at the moment.) [81:13] َْجنَّةَُأُ ْزلفَت ََ َوإ َذاَا ْل And when the Paradise will be brought near;
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Adam – Our Foremost Father
With What Material Adam Was Created?
[40:67]
With What Material Adam was Created?
It is He Who has created you from dust,
ٍ( ِطين2) [6:2]
There are a large number of verses in Qur’an which describe the creation of Adam. In the previous article of this book, “The Paradise Where Adam was Created?”, I have shown that Adam was created on this earth. In this connection, a question arises, which material Adam was made of? Qur’an uses four different words for this answer. These are:
ٍ( تُ َراب1) For example:
سىٍ ِعند ه َ ٍَّللاٍِ َك َمثَ ِلٍآ َد َم [3:59] ٍٍخلَقَهٍُ ِمنٍتُ َراب َ إِنَّ ٍ َمثَ َلٍ ِعي Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created him (Adam) from dust;
O mankind! If you doubt that there is life after death, remember that We created all of you from dust,
َ َْو ِمنْ ٍآيَاتِ ِهٍأَن ٍٍخلَقَ ُكمٍ ِّمنٍتُ َراب
Of His signs, one is that He created you from dust; [35:11]
َّ َو َ ُّللا ٍٍخلَقَ ُكمٍ ِّمنٍت َُراب
َ ٍُخ ْي ٌرٍ ِّم ْنه َ ْقَا َلٍأَنَا [7:12] ين ٍ ٍو َخلَ ْقتَهٍُ ِمنٍ ِط َ ٍخلَ ْقتَنِيٍ ِمنٍنَّار (Shaitan) said: "I am better than he (Adam); You created me from fire and him from clay." َ ْس ُجدٍُلِ َمن [17:61] ٍخلَ ْقتَ ٍ ِطينٍا ْ َقَا َلٍأَأ (Shaitan) said: "Should I prostrate to the one whom You have created from clay?" [23:12]
َ َولَقَد ٍس ََللَةٍ ِّمنٍ ِطين ُ ٍاٍاْلنسَانَ ٍ ِمن ِ ْ ٍَْخلَ ْقن
Indeed, We have created man from an essence of clay,
َ ََوبَدَأ ٍانٍ ِمنٍ ِطين َ ٍَاْلن ِ س ِ ْ ٍخ ْلق
[32:7]
And began the creation of man from clay; [37:11]
َّ اٍخلَ ْقنَاهُمٍ ِّمنٍ ِطين َ َّإِن ٍٍٍَّل ِزب
Behold, We have created them out of a sticky clay. [38:71]
َ ٍِّربُّكٍَلِ ْل َم ََلئِ َك ِةٍإِن ٍيٍخالِقٌٍبَشَراٍ ِمنٍ ِطين َ إِ ْذٍقَا َل
When your Rabb said to the angels: "I am going to create a man from clay:
And Allah created you from dust,
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َ ه َُوٍالَّ ِذ ٍيٍخلَقَ ُكمٍ ِّمنٍ ِطين
It is He Who created you from clay,
َ َّثٍفَإِن ٍاٍخلَ ْقنَا ُكمٍ ِّمن ُ َّيَاٍأَيُّ َهاٍالن ِ اسٍإِنٍ ُكنتُ ْمٍفِيٍ َر ْيبٍ ِّمنَ ٍاٍْلبَ ْع [22:5] ٍتُ َراب
[30:20]
َ ه َُوٍالَّ ِذ ٍيٍخلَقَ ُكمٍ ِّمنٍتُ َراب
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Adam – Our Foremost Father
With What Material Adam Was Created?
ٍصال (3) َ ص ْل َ َ َولَقَد ٍسنُون ْ ٍح َمإٍ َّم َ ْصالٍٍ ِّمن َ نٍص ْل َ ٍْخلَ ْقنَاٍا ِْلنسَانَ ٍ ِم [15:26] Surely, We brought man into being out of dry ringing clay which was wrought from black mud moulded into shape.
َ ٍِّر ُّبكٍَلِ ْل َمَلَئِ َك ِةٍإِن ٍ ْصالٍٍ ِّمن َ نٍص ْل َ يٍخالِقٌٍبَشَراٍ ِّم َ َوإِ ْذٍقَا َل [15:28] ٍسنُون ْ َح َمإٍ َّم And when your Rabb said to the angels: "I am going to create a man from sounding clay, black mud moulded into shape;
َ س ُجدٍَلِبَشَر ِّ قٍَا َلٍلَ ْمٍأَ ُك ٍٍح َمإ ْ َنٍِّل َ ْصالٍٍ ِّمن َ نٍص ْل َ ٍخلَ ْقتَهٍُ ِم [15:33] ٍسنُون ْ َّم He (Shaitan) replied: "It does not behoove me to prostrate myself to this man whom You have created from sounding clay, black mud moulded into shape." [55:14]
ٍصالٍٍ َكا ْلفَ َّخا ِر َ نٍص ْل َ ٍَاْلنسَانَ ٍ ِم ِ ْ َخلَق
He has created man from the dry, tinkling hard clay like earthenware;
ٍض ِ ( ْاِّلَ ْر4) [53:32]
ْ َإِ ْذٍأَنشَأ َ ُكمٍ ِّمن ٍض ِ ٍاِّلَ ْر
He produced you from earth, From the above-mentioned verses it is seen that Allah has used four different names for the same material from which
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Adam was created. Apart from these verses, Allah has also told us that He has created every living body from water (Verse 24:45). So, combining this information it is seen that not only Allah has informed us about the basic material of creation of Adam, but also by using different names of the material He has told us the chronology of this creation. Initially the material was simply dry dust (ٍ)تُ َراب. Then after it was mixed with water it became wet clay (ٍ ) ِطينor wet sticky clay (ٍ ) ِطين ٍََّّل ِزبwhich was shaped into a man. It was then dried to become sounding clay (ٍصال َ ص ْل َ ) like potter’s vessels. The next question is: from where this dust was taken? Was it from somewhere in the heavens or from this earth? Even this answer is given by Allah in verse 53:32, mentioned above, where it has been clarified that “He produced man from earth”. In one of my articles, “A Creature From the Earth”, included in my another book on “Explanation of Some Misunderstood Qur’anic Scientific Concepts”, I have explained that the word “earth” in English and the word “ ض ٍِ ” أَ ْرin Arabic have exactly the same meaning. Usually, the word “earth” is used for the satellite earth orbiting the sun in our solar system. However, and even technically, it is also used for the crust or the outer surface of the earth having the material that makes up a large part of the land surface and so, the material of the crust of the earth is also called the “earth”. In Chemistry, the elements of the lanthanide series (atomic numbers 57 through 71) are called “rare earths”. So, in verse 53:32 by using the word “ ض ٍِ ” أَ ْرAllah has clarified that, for creating Adam, the dust was taken from the surface of the earth and not from the heavens.
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With What Material Adam Was Created?
Adam – Our Foremost Father
In addition to the above-mentioned verses, there are a few more verses from where it is shown that the name of the material “ٍ ” ِطينmeaning “clay” applies to the earthly clay and not for the material taken from the heaven. In verse 3:49 the Prophet Isa (Jesus) mentions one of his miracles, as under:
ٍ ُأَنِّيٍأَ ْخلُقٍُلَ ُكمٍ ِّمنَ ٍالطِّي ِنٍٍ َك َه ْيئَ ِةٍالطَّ ْي ِرٍفَأَنفُ ُخٍفِي ِهٍفَيَ ُكون [3:49] ٍّللا ٍِطَ ْيراٍبِإ ِ ْذ ِن ه I will make for you the likeness of a bird from clay; I will breathe into it and, with Allah's leave, it will become a living bird. In verse 5:110 Allah mentions the same miracle of the Jesus in His own words as:
ٍٍَوإِ ْذٍت َْخلُقٍُ ِمنَ ٍالطِّي ِنٍٍ َك َه ْيئَ ِةٍالطَّ ْي ِرٍبِإِ ْذنِيٍفَتَنفُ ُخٍفِي َها [5:110] فَتَ ُكونُ ٍطَ ْيراٍبِإِ ْذنِي And when you (Jesus) made the figure of a bird out of a clay by My permission, and when you breathed into it and changed it into a real bird by My permission, Of course, when the Jesus made the figure of a bird from the clay, he took the clay from this earth only. So, in the description of the miracle, the word “ ” ِطينhas been used for the material of this earth only.
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Is Adam the First Human Creation?
Adam – Our Foremost Father
Is Adam the First Human Creation?
4,000 years from now. Similarly, Prophet Nooh (Noah) is considered to be born about 5,000 years from now, and in this way Adam is considered to be created 6,000-7,000 years from now.
Is Adam ً َخلِيفَةof Alllah? The above-mentioned two topics are related to each other and are discussed under the following headings:
How long ago Adam was Created and Placed on Earth?
Is Adam the First Human Creation Placed on Earth, or Has He Been Placed on Earth in a Long Sequence of Earlier Such or Similar Placements?
How Long ago Adam was Created and Placed on Earth? There appears to be no clue given in Qur’an as to when Adam was created or placed on earth. A number of Muslim researchers have given their estimates of the time frame which ranges from about 6,000 years to less than 10,000 years from now. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), according to Gregorian calendar, was born about 1,450 years from now. Prophet Isa (Jesus) was born 570 years before Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). These figures are well known. Earlier than this, Prophet Musa (Moses) was the contemporary of one of the Fir’ons (Pharaoh) who built the Pyramids of Egypt which are estimated to be about 3,500 years old. The Bible's internal chronology places Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) around 2000 BC (Before Christ) i.e. about
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Some scholars have proposed that our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a descendent of Adam in about 120 or so generations. Taking an average of 50 years (In fact it is less than 50 years) for one generation, this period comes to 6,000 years. About 1,500 years have passed since then, which when added to 6,000 years gives a figure of 7,500 years. If these and some other estimates are considered to be true, then we can say that Adam was placed on earth not more than 10,000 years ago from now.
Is Adam the First Human Creation Placed on Earth, or Has He Been Placed on Earth in a Long Sequence of Earlier Such or Similar Placements? Many anthropologists have claimed that they have found the human bones from the remains which are hundreds of thousands, rather millions of years old and that humans existed on earth millions of years ago. For example, a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science based on the research carried out by University of Missouri, states: “The styloid process is a projection of bone. Ward and her team found a styloid process at the end of a wrist bone more than 1.42 million years old, indicating this anatomical feature existed more than half a million years earlier than previously known”.
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Is Adam the First Human Creation?
Ward further said: "With this discovery, we are closing the gap on the evolutionary history of the human hand. This may not be the first appearance of the modern human hand, but we believe that it is close to the origin, given that we do not see this anatomy in any human fossils older than 1.8 million years. Our specialized, dexterous hands have been with us for most of the evolutionary history of our genus, Homo. They are – and have been for almost 1.5 million years – fundamental to our survival." In another study first published in the Science Editor, National Geographic magazine, October 1, 2009 and reprinted in National Geographic News, Thursday, October 28, 2010, says: “Scientists today announced the discovery of the oldest fossil skeleton of a human ancestor. The find reveals that our forebears underwent a previously unknown stage of evolution more than a million years before Lucy, the iconic early human ancestor specimen that walked on the Earth 3.2 million years ago.” If it is believed that Adam was placed on earth not more than 10,000 years ago, as described above, then the findings of the scientists do not match with these estimates. So, it is the duty of the Muslim anthropologists to start research to confirm or refute the claims of the non-Muslim scientists whether a man existed or not, long before 10,000
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Adam – Our Foremost Father
years ago. This has a very important bearing because if no human remains are found older than 10,000 years, then we can say that Adam was the first man ever on earth. But, if it is confirmed that much older, millions of years old or so, human remains are found, then we can safely say that Adam mentioned in Qur’an was not the first human on earth, but he was the latest creation in a long sequence of such or similar creations continuing on earth for millions of years. The above-mentioned second concept is worth considering as some clues to this effect are found in Qur’an. For example, when Allah told the angels that He intended to place a “ ً” َخلِيفَة on earth, then the angels showed their serious concern and asked Allah if He wanted to place there the one who would spread corruption on Earth and shed blood. The relevant verse reads as under:
َ ض ًًخلِيفَةًقَالُو ْا َ ًِّربُّكًَلِ ْل َمالَئِ َك ِةًإِن َ َوإِ ْذًقَا َل ِ يًجا ِع ٌلًفِيًاألَ ْر [2:30] سفِكًُال ِّد َماء ْ َاًوي ِ أَت َْج َع ُلًفِي َهاً َمنًيُ ْف َ سدًُفِي َه And when your Rabb said to the angels: I am going to place a “ ً ” َخلِيفَةon earth. The angels said: "Will You place there (on earth) the one who will make mischief and shed blood in it. The angels showed their concern and said it because they must have seen corruption and blood-shedding on the earth earlier. In the above translation I have not translated the word “ ً ” َخلِيفَةbecause it needs some serious consideration. Let us first see how different translators have translated it.
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Adam – Our Foremost Father
Is Adam the First Human Creation?
Trustee [Ahmed Ali] My caliph [Ahmed Raza Khan] Viceroy [Aberry] One who shall inherit it [Asad] Vicegerent [Daryabadi] (Mankind) generations after generations [Hilali & Khan] Successor [Itani] Vicegerent [Malik] Vicegerent [Maududi] Viceroy [Pickthall] Viceroy [Qarai] Caliph [Qaribullah & Darwish] Vicegerent [Sher Ali] Successive authority [Saheeh International] My deputy [Sarwar] Khalifa [Shakir] Successor [Wahiduddin Khan] Vicegerent [Yusuf Ali] From the above list it is seen that most of the translators, by using the words “vicegerent”, “viceroy”, “deputy”, “caliph” or “trustee”, have interpreted the word “ ً ” َخلِيفَةas a person who inherits power from his master and represents his master. Usually it is done for a remote place where his master is not present personally. For example, a viceroy or vicegerent is appointed by a king or a queen to represent him or her in a different country where they (king or queen) cannot be present personally. To me,
Allah because of two reasons. One, according to this translation, Allah who has not only created but also is running the whole universe without the help of any other power or without any assistance, needed a representative in the form of an assistant, deputy, or viceroy for this tiny earth which is not even a unit but a sub-unit in the universe in comparison with billions of galaxies each having billions of suns. And two, Allah Himself is present everywhere and He does not need any of His Viceroy to represent Him. On top of what has been said above, there is one more serious fault in some of the translations which distorts the whole message of Allah. It is about adding one apparently harmless word in the translations whose equivalent Arabic word is not present in the verse. Please see the following words of the verse َ ض 2:30: ًخلِيفَة َ ِّ إِن. ِ يًجا ِع ٌلًفِيًاألَ ْر
إِنِّي َجا ِع ًٌل ًِ فِيًاألَ ْر ض َخلِيفَة
(I am) (going to make) (on earth) (a khalifah)
This type of translation of the word “ ً ” َخلِيفَةis not only strange but is rather insulting for
Anybody can see that there is no pronoun used with the word, َخلِيفَة. In spite of this, some of the translators have translated this word as “MY Khalifah”, adding “My” on their own without any Arabic pronoun used with this word in the verse. This type of error in the translation amounts to distorting the message of Qur’an. In the above list of English translations of this word, two such translations have been
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Is Adam the First Human Creation?
Adam – Our Foremost Father
identified with bold letter “My”. This type of blunder can be seen in many Urdu translations as well.
The point to note here is that unseen belongs to Allah and if any of His creations comes to know about it, it is only when Allah Himself shows it or informs about it. If the angels showed concern about the mischief and blood shedding on earth, then they must have seen mischief and blood shedding on the earth earlier. Some scholars of Qur’an have explained that the angels spoke these words because they had seen the mischief and blood shedding of the earlier creation of Jinns. This explanation is not acceptable because the angels spoke about the “blood” while the Jinns do not have any blood in them and cannot shed blood. The only conclusion which can be drawn is that the angels earlier must have seen a creation on the earth which carried blood in them. And this refers to some earlier human or human-like creation. And if it is so, then Adam who was created about 10,000 years ago was the latest creation in a long sequence of similar earlier creations. And this Adam was the flag bearer of the previous generations who have been shedding blood on earth.
From above explanation it is quite clear that it is rather insulting for Allah if we translate the word َخلِيفَةas vicegerent, viceroy of Allah, or use any other word with similar concept. This insulting interpretation is also confirmed when we see the behavior of the human beings in general, including Muslims, having the qualities such as, greed for wealth, arrogance, hypocrisy, injustice, following the vain desires, telling lies and deceiving others in the name of expedience and necessity, contradiction between speech and actions, intrigue, iniquity oppression, persecution, bribery, sedition, violence, rebellion, perfidy, etc. If these have been the qualities of huge majority of the human beings of all ages, either individually or collectively, with the exception of just a small category of chosen persons selected by Allah, then the man cannot be called as the vicegerent of Allah, acting against the orders of his Master and bringing bad name for Him. Now, if the man is not the vicegerent of Allah, then to whom the word َخلِيفَةis referring to? By not associating a pronoun with this word Allah has left it open for us to deliberate on it taking guidance from other verses of the holy Qur’an. Immediately after the announcement of appointing a َخلِيفَة on earth, the angels asked Allah by saying: [2:30]
سفِكًُال ِّد َماء ْ َسدًُفِي َهاً َوي ِ قَالُو ْاًأَت َْج َع ُلًفِي َهاً َمنًيُ ْف
Will You place there (on earth) the one who will make mischief and shed blood in it?
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Timeline of the Human Creation & The Creation of the Whole Mankind
Timeline of the Creation of Adam & The Creation of the Whole Mankind The general understanding about Adam is that he was the first single man who was created to be placed on Earth. Even Eve was created later after Adam was created. And it is only after placing the Adam on the Earth that his descendants (Children of Adam) were born. As Adam was sent down after the prostration of angels, this concept is not supported in a number of verses of Qur’an where the creation of the whole mankind is mentioned before the prostration of angels. For example, in verse 7:11 of the holy Qur’an Allah says:
س ُجدُو ْا آل َد َم ْ ص َّو ْرنَا ُك ْم ثُ َّم قُ ْلنَا لِ ْل َمآلئِ َك ِة ا َ َولَقَ ْد َخلَ ْقنَا ُك ْم ثُ َّم [7:11] يس َ ِس َجدُو ْا إِالَّ إِ ْبل َ َف Indeed, We created you (Arabic pronoun “ ” ُك ْم in plural form, meaning all of you), then We fashioned you (Arabic pronoun “ ” ُك ْمin plural form), then We asked the angels: "Prostrate yourselves before Adam." They all prostrated accordingly except Iblees (Shaitan) who did not join those who prostrated.
Adam – Our Foremost Father
“fashioned” or “had given shape” to all mankind. This interpretation is substantiated by another verse of the holy Qur’an where Allah called upon the whole mankind to bear witness about themselves, “Am I not your Rabb (Lord or Sustainer)” to which all of them, even those who are not yet born, replied in affirmative. The verse is:
ش َه َد ُه ْم ْ ََوإِ ْذ أَ َخ َذ َربُّكَ ِمن بَنِي آ َد َم ِمن ظُ ُهو ِر ِه ْم ُذ ِّريَّتَ ُه ْم َوأ ش ِه ْدنَا أَن تَقُولُو ْا يَ ْو َم َ س ِه ْم أَلَسْتَ بِ َربِّ ُك ْم قَالُو ْا بَلَى ِ َُعلَى أَنف َ ا ْلقِيَا َم ِة إِنَّا ُكنَّا عَنْ َه َذا [7:172] َغافِلِين And when your Rabb brought into existence the offspring from the loins (plural pronoun in ) ظُ ُهو ِر ِه ْمof Adam and his descendants (plural pronoun in ُذ ِّريَّتَ ُه ْمmeaning virtually each single individual of mankind) and made them testify about themselves (plural pronouns in ش َه َد ُه ْم ْ َ أand س ِه ْم ِ ُ" ;) أَنفAm I not your Rabb?" They all (plural verb قَالُو ْاand plural pronoun in ش ِه ْدنَا َ ) replied: "Yes! We bear witness that You are." This We did it, lest you mankind should say (plural verb ) تَقُولُو ْاon the Day of Resurrection: "We were not aware” (plural َ ) of this fact. adjective َغافِلِين
The use of plural form of pronoun “ ” ُك ْمhere at two places clearly shows that before asking the angels to prostrate before Adam, Allah had already created the whole mankind. This creation cannot be applied to the spirits only because Allah
These verses clearly show that simultaneously with the creation of Adam, the whole mankind was created first, even fashioned or given shape, before Allah asked the angels to prostrate before Adam. However, when we see that the descendants of Adam were and are being born one by one, generations after generations, then, the original creation of the whole mankind, mentioned by Allah in these verses, invite the
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Timeline of the Human Creation & The Creation of the Whole Mankind
Adam – Our Foremost Father
Muslim scientists to deliberate in which form the earlier creation (of both life and shape of the whole mankind) existed.
Those who have translated the word بَشَرas "a man", a one-man creation, have in fact created a contradiction between the two sets of verses. We have a belief that there is no contradiction in Qur’an. So, this confusion is resolved if the word بَشَرis taken as a collective noun for the whole human creation. This interpretation is supported by all the plural verbs and pronouns used in verses 7:11 and 7:172.
However, there is a different point of view by some scholars on the basis of the following verses: [38:71]
ش ًرا ِمن ِطين َ َق ب ٌ ِإِ ْذ قَا َل َربُّ َك لِ ْل َم ََلئِ َك ِة إِنِّي َخال
ُس َّو ْيتُهُ َونَفَ ْختُ فِي ِه ِمن ُّرو ِحي فَقَعُوا لَه َ فَإ ِ َذا َسا ِج ِدين َ When your Rabb said to the angels: "I am about to create ش ًر َ َ بfrom clay: [38:72]
Then when I have fashioned him and breathed of My spirit into him, kneel down and prostrate yourselves before him."
صال ِّمنْ َح َمإ ٌ َِوإِ ْذ قَا َل َربُّ َك لِ ْل َمَلَئِ َك ِة إِنِّي َخال َ ص ْل َ ق بَش ًَرا ِّمن [15:28] سنُون ْ َّم َسا ِج ِدين َ ُوحي فَقَ ُعو ْا لَه َ فَإِ َذا ِ س َّو ْيتُهُ َونَفَ ْختُ فِي ِه ِمن ُّر [15:29] And when your Rabb said to the angels: "I am about to create ش ًر َ َ بfrom sounding clay, black mud moulded into shape, So, when I complete his moulding and breath into him of My spirit, kneel down and prostrate before him." Looking at the verses mentioned above, anybody can see that in the first two verses (verses 7:11 and 7:172) Allah has used the name “Adam” while in the latter two verses (verses 38:71 and 15:28) He has used the word بَشَرin the same meaning.
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One interpretation of the collective creation is that this creation could be in the form of some sort of genetic information. The nucleus of a cell in our body contains all of the information needed to make our body and keep it working. In most cells, genetic information is organized into structures called chromosomes. Each chromosome contains hundreds, sometimes thousands, of smaller packages of information called genes which contain all the information of life. Some genetic traits are instantly visible. For example, the genes that are inside our body can tell our cells to make blue, brown or black eyes, curly hair or straight hair or no hair, number of limbs in the body, etc. Some other traits are not so visible such as blood type, risk for specific diseases, or the thousands of basic biochemical processes that comprise life. Thus, the information contained in these genes may be considered as “fashioning” by Allah (Verse 7:11) before a person is actually born. However, when Allah made them testify about themselves (Verse 7:172), it means it was not simply genetic information, but also it had life and understanding. What type of life it was, is a topic of research for the Muslim scientists.
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