Boreal
Shared Prophets
Adam
4:1
O people, fear your Lord Who created you from a single soul (Adam), and from it
He created its mate (Eve), and from both He scattered abroad many men and women;
and fear Allah in Whose Name you appeal to one another, and invoke family
relationships. Surely Allah is a Watcher over you.
Eve may have been the first to disturb the sands where Mecca would rise. In one Tradition of the Prophet, Adam and Eve were literally flung out of Paradise, Adam landing in present-day Sri Lanka on a mountain appropriately named Adam’s Peak, and Eve, near Mecca. A rock depression near the summit is believed in Islamic traditions to be the footprint left by Adam when he landed. At 1.8 m, it is a sizeable dent that only a big man could have made:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "Allah created Adam in his complete shape and form (directly), sixty cubits (about 30 meters) in height. When He created him, He said (to him), "Go and greet that group of angels sitting there, and listen what they will say in reply to you, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your offspring."
Adam (went and) said, 'As-Salamu alaikum (Peace be upon you).' But they replied, 'As-Salamu-'Alaika wa Rahmatullah (Peace and Allah's Mercy be on you) so they increased 'Wa Rahmatullah'.
The Prophet added 'So whoever will enter Paradise, will be of the shape and form of Adam. Since then the creation of Adam's (offspring) (i.e. stature of human beings is being diminished continuously) to the present time."
Bukhari 55.543
Adam, just before he was bodily thrown out of Paradise, held onto a large stone which followed him down. He dragged this rock all the way to where Eve was patiently waiting for him in the desert of present-day Southern Arabia and used the stone to set up an altar to Allah. This original altar would become the Ka’ba around which grew the town of Mecca.
Paradise Lost I
Adam is referenced quite early in the Koran and again on a number of occasions, but mainly as part of Allah's numerous retelling of the story of Iblis (also referred to as Satan), who refused to bow down to Adam. It all began with God informing his angels about his intention to place a deputy on Earth and they, in turn, questioning His motivation.
2:30 When your Lord said to the angels: "I am placing a deputy on earth", they said: "Will you place one who will make mischief in it and shed blood, while we sing Your praise and glorify Your sanctity?" He said: "I know what you do not know."
Then followed a surreal discussion where Adam identified the angels using the names by which they are known.
2:31 And He taught Adam all the names. Then He laid them before the angels. He said: “Tell me the names of these if you are truthful.”
2:32 They said: "Glory be to You; we have no knowledge other than that what You have taught us. You are the All- Knowing, the Wise."
2:33 He said: “O Adam, tell them their names.” When Adam told them their names He (Allah) said: “Did I not tell you that I know the unseen in the heavens and the earth, and that I know what you reveal and what you conceal?”
The first mention of Iblis:
2:34 And when We said to the angels: “Prostrate yourselves before Adam”, they all prostrated themselves except Iblis (Satan) who refused, out of pride and was one of the disbelievers.
God, in Revelation 2:30, said: "I am placing a deputy on earth." Did He anticipate the expulsion of the first couple from Paradise? Allah never mentions Eve by name in the Koran. The wife of Adam is first mentioned along with the infamous tree.
2:35 Then We said: “O Adam, dwell in Paradise, you and your wife, and eat from it as much as you wish and wherever you wish, but do not approach this tree (meaning do not eat from it) or you will both be unjust (by being disobedient).”
Who could resist?
2:36 But Satan caused them to fall down from it and be turned out of the bliss they had been in. And We said: “Go down (from Paradise to earth), being enemies one to the other. And you will have in the earth an abode and sustenance for a while.”
Allah forgave Adam, but perhaps not his wife.
2:37 Then Adam received words from his Lord, Who forgave him. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, The Merciful.
2:38 We said: “Go down from here (Paradise) all of you. And when in time My Guidance is vouchsafed to you, those who follow My Guidance will have nothing to fear nor will they grieve (because they will be admitted into Paradise).”
If you don’t believe this story about Adam and his wife along with my other revelations, Hell awaits you.
2:39 And [as to] those who have disbelieved and denied Our Revelations, they are the people of Hell, wherein they will dwell forever.
Paradise Lost II
In this retelling of the story of Adam and his wife’s fall from Paradise, there is no Iblis, only Satan.
7:10 And We have established you firmly in the earth and provided you therein with means of livelihood. But seldom do you give thanks.
7:11 And we created you, then fashioned you, and then said to the angels: “Prostrate yourselves to Adam”; so they prostrated themselves, except for Satan who was not one of those who prostrated themselves.
7:12 He (Allah) said: “What prevented you from prostrating yourself when I commanded you?” He (Satan) said: “I am better than he; You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.”
7:13 He said: "Get down from it (Paradise), then. It is not given you to be arrogant therein. Get out; you are indeed one of the lowly.”
7:14 Satan said: “Give me respite, until the Day when they shall be resurrected.”
7:15 He (Allah) said: “You are one of those who are granted respite.”
Did Satan assume that he was superior to God’s latest creation, or was he misled into believing so? Notice the capitalized “You” in the following verse; it can only mean that he is addressing Allah.
7:16 Satan said: “Because You have misled me, I will lie in wait for them on Your Straight Path.
7:17 “Then I will come upon them from before them and behind them, from their right and their left; and You will not find most of them thankful.”
7:18 He (Allah) said: “Get out of it despised and vanquished. I will fill Hell with all who follow you!”
7:19 And [We said]: “Adam, dwell you and your wife in Paradise, and eat from wherever you wish; but do not come close to this tree, lest you both become wrongdoers.”
In this retelling, Satan offered not only immortality but perhaps immortal life as an angel. As used below, “secretly” may be Allah’s way of revealing that Satan snuck back into Paradise after being banished in Revelation 7:13.
7:20 But Satan tempted them secretly in order to expose their nakedness to them saying: “Your Lord has forbidden you this tree, lest you become angels or become immortal.”
7:21 And he swore to them: “I am indeed a sincere advisor to you both.”
Their private parts “became visible to them”:
7:22 Then he brought about their downfall by deceit; so that when they tasted the tree, their private parts became visible to them, and they started to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise. Then their Lord called out to them: “Have I not forbidden you that tree and said to you: ‘Indeed Satan is your sworn enemy’?”
Adam and his wife would be forced to go live among the losers, i.e., their progeny, unless Allah could forgive them.
7:23 They said: “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if you do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers.”
They could, of course, only have been at odds with one another at the time.
7:24 He said: “Go down, some of you as enemies of the others. On earth you will have a dwelling place and a means of enjoyment for a while.”
7:25 He said: “Therein you shall live and therein you shall die, and from it you shall be brought out.”
No, Allah does not approve of nudity, no matter how devoted you are to the Clothier.
7:26 “O Children of Adam, We have provided you with clothing and finery to cover your private parts. But the attire of piety is the best.” Such are Allah’s Signs, that they may take heed.
In Allah's version of Adam and his wife in Paradise, both were clothed until Satan stripped them down to nothing to expose them.
7:27 “O Children of Adam, do not let Satan lead you astray as he drove your parents out of Paradise, stripping them of their clothes so as to show them their private parts. He and his host (army) see you from a place where you cannot see them. We have made the devils the friends of those who do not believe.”
The following is a reference to pre-Islam when, during pilgrimages, many circumambulated the Ka’ba naked as did their ancestors, and nobody cared.
7:28 When they commit an indecency, they say: “We have found our fathers doing it, and Allah commanded us to do it.” Say (Muhammad): “Allah does not command indecencies. Do you impute to Allah what you do not know?”
Paradise Lost III
In this retelling, Allah is more specific as to the type of clay used in the creation of the first man.
15:26 And We have created man from potter’s clay, moulded out of slime.
15:27 And the jinn We created before that from blazing fire.
15:28 When your Lord said to the angels: “Behold, I have created a man from potter’s clay, out of moulded slime.
15:29 “When I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My Spirit, fall down prostrating yourselves to him.”
15:30 The angels prostrated themselves, all together;
15:31 Except Satan who refused to be one of those who prostrated themselves.
15:32 He said: “O Satan, what keeps you from being one of those who prostrate themselves?”
15:33 He said: “I refuse to prostrate myself before a mortal you created from potter’s clay out of moulded slime.”
15:34 He said: “Get out of here, then, for you are surely accursed.
15:35 “And the curse shall be upon you till the Day of Judgement.”
Satan again asked and was granted the opportunity to lead mankind astray.
15:36 He said: “My Lord, reprieve me till the Day of Resurrection.”
15:37 He said: “You are indeed one of those reprieved,
15:38 “Till the Appointed Day.”
15:39 [Satan] said: “My Lord, since you misguided me, I will make what is foul on earth seem fair to them, and I shall mislead them all,
15:40 “Except for Your sincere servants among them.”
15:41 He (Allah) said: “This is my Straight Path.
15:42 “Over My servants you have no authority, except for those sinners who follow you.”
Paradise Lost IV
In this recollection of the life and times of Adam and his wife in Paradise, Satan threatens to use an army of cavalry and infantry against Adam’s progeny.
17:61 And when We said to the angels: “Prostrate yourselves before Adam”, they all prostrated themselves, except Satan, who said: “Shall I prostrate myself before one You have created from clay?”
17:62 He (Satan) said: “Do you see this one whom you honoured more than me? If you would reprieve me until the Day of Resurrection, I will certainly destroy his progeny except for a few.”
17:63 He (Allah) said: “Begone! Whoever of them follows you, Hell is surely your reward, an ample reward.
17:64 “Stir up those of them you can with your voice, rally against them your horsemen and your infantry , share with them their wealth and children and promise them.” But Satan makes them only deceitful promises.
17:65 “Surely, over My servants you have no authority. Your Lord suffices as a Guardian”.
Paradise Lost V
In the fifth retelling of the first couple’s fall from Grace, Allah admits that the first man was a bit of a disappointment.
20:115 And We commanded Adam before, but he forgot, and We found in him no firm resolve.
Satan again refused to prostrate himself, prompting a warning from God about His recalcitrant angel.
20:116 And when We said to the angels: “Prostrate yourselves to Adam”, they prostrated themselves, except for Satan who refused.
20:117 So We said: “O Adam, this is surely an enemy to you and to your wife; so do not let him drive you out of Paradise; for then, you will be miserable.
You will be dressed for dinner…and for every other occasion.
20:118 “You will certainly not be hungry therein, nor be naked.
First, it was the offer of immortality as humans or angels. In this account, Satan throws in a kingdom to convince Adam to eat from that infamous tree.
20:120 But the Devil whispered to him, saying: “O Adam, shall I show you the Tree of Immortality and a kingdom which will never perish?”
We all know what happened next.
20:121 And so they both (Adam and his wife) ate from it; whereupon their shameful parts were revealed to them and they started fastening upon themselves leaves of Paradise. Adam thus disobeyed His Lord and so went astray.
At the very beginning of creation, God made His preference for the human male obvious.
20:122 Then, his Lord favoured him, and so he relented towards him, and guided him.
Revelation 20:123 is a reiteration of Revelation 7:24 commanding the first couple to: “Go down, some of you as enemies of the others.”
20:123 He (Allah) said: “Go down from it both of you, as enemies of one another; but should guidance from Me come to you, he who follows My Guidance will not go astray or suffer.
Paradise Lost VI
38:71 When your Lord said to the angels: “I am going to create a mortal out of clay.
38:72 “When I have fashioned him and breathed into him of my Spirit, fall prostrate before him.”
38:73 Then all the angels prostrated themselves entirely;
38:74 Except for Iblis; he waxed proud and was one of the unbelievers.
38:75 He said: “O Iblis, what prevented you from prostrating yourself before what I created with My Own Hands? Have you waxed proud or were you one of the exalted?”
38:76 He said: “I am better than he; You created me from fire and You created him from clay.”
38:77 [Allah] said: “Get out of here (Paradise); you are truly accursed.
38:78 “And My curse shall pursue you till the Day of Judgement.”
The irony is that Iblis was cursed, labelled an unbeliever—with Allah standing, sitting or hovering over him—and banished from Paradise when, in fact, he was obeying God’s Law to the letter: that only He be worshipped. Iblis, as did his other persona Satan, asked Allah to postpone his punishment to test how many of Adam’s progeny could be enticed to disobey Him.
38:79 He said: “Lord, give me respite till the day they shall be resuscitated.”
38:81 “Till the day of the well-known time.”
38:82 He (Satan) said: “By your glory, I will seduce them all,
38:83 “Except for your sincere servants among them.”
Like before, God acquiesced to this request.
38:80 [Allah] said: “You are one of those respited.”
By accepting Iblis/Satan’s challenge, Allah deliberately set up much of mankind to fail, and He knew it.
38:84 [Allah] said: “Truly, and I say the truth;
38:85 “I will fill Hell with you and those of them who follow you all together.”
Adam's Dust Origins
Genesis: 2:7 Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
The first mention of Adam having been created from dust is in a revelation about Jesus having been created from the same substance.
3:59 Jesus in Allah’s sight is like Adam; He created him from dust, then He said to him: “Be”, and there he was.
It all started with dust; now, humans are to be found everywhere.
30:20 And of His Signs is that He created you from dust; and behold, you are mortals scattered around.
Unlike in the Bible, it is not specified who was created from whom, and here the first couple are not portrayed as enemies.
30:21 And of His Signs is that He created for you, from yourselves, spouses to settle down with and He established friendship and mercy between you. There are in all that signs for people who reflect.
Adam's Clay Origins
Job 9:10 Please remember that You formed me like clay. Will You now return me to dust?
In more than five revelations, including the following, Allah said that He created the first human being from clay.
6:2 It is He Who created you from clay, then decreed a term [for you] and another set term with Him, but still you doubt.
God may have let the potter’s clay harden into the consistency of bricks before putting Adam together like a bricklayer would or carving him. Even moulding clay as hard as brick, for a god as powerful as Allah, would have been an easy task.
55:14 He created man from hard clay, like bricks.
The best evidence available that it was clay is in the number of time God makes that claim including in Revelation 32:7.
32:6 That is the Knower of the Unseen and the Seen, the All-Mighty, the Merciful.
32:7 Who fashioned well everything He created, and originated the creation of man from clay.
Allah's Covenant with Adam's Progeny
17:70 We have honoured the Children of Adam and carried them on land and sea, provided them with good things and preferred them greatly over many of those We have created.
God first mentioned a covenant with his supplicants in the following revelation:
2:27 Those who break Allah’s Covenant after its confirmation and sever what Allah ordered to be joined, and make mischief (committing sins and obstructing faith) in the land – those are the losers.
Allah’s Covenant with Adam and his descendants was the promise God extracted from the first human and all his posterity: that He was their Lord, the one and only God.
7:172 And [remember] when your Lord brought forth from the loins of the Children of Adam their posterity and made them testify against themselves. [He said]: “Am I not your Lord?” They said: “Yes, we testify.” [This] lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: “We were in fact unaware of this.”
7:173 Or lest you should say: “Our fathers associated [other Gods with Allah] before [us] and we are their posterity. Will you destroy us for what the fabricators of falsehoods did?”
7:174 And thus We expound the revelations so that they may return [to the Truth].
Eve, First in a Verse
In Revelation 30:21, Allah was noncommittal about who He created from whom. In the following revelation, the order is clear:
7:189 It is He Who created you from a single soul from which He created her mate to live in comfort with her. Then when he approached her she bore a light burden; and so she carried on easily. When she became heavy, they called upon Allah, their Lord saying: “If You grant us a righteous child, we shall be thankful.
7:190 He then gave them a righteous child. But they considered it to be given not only by Him, but also by associates whom they set up with him. But Allah is exalted above those associates.
The implication of Eve being created first is so astounding that I have provided alternate interpretations from two of the most respected translators of the Koran. Muhammad Assad is noncommittal while Yusuf Ali makes it "his mate" as opposed to "her mate."
Muhammad Assad:
7:189 IT IS HE who has created you [all] out of one living entity, and out of it brought into being its mate, so that man might incline [with love] towards woman. And so, when he has embraced her, she conceives [what at first is] a light burden, and continues to bear it. Then, when she grows heavy [with child], they both call unto God, their Sustainer, "If Thou indeed grant us a sound [child], we shall most certainly be among the grateful!"
Yusuf Ali:
7:189 It is He Who created you from a single person, and made his mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her (in love). When they are united, she bears a light burden and carries it about (unnoticed). When she grows heavy, they both pray to Allah their Lord, (saying): "If Thou givest us a goodly child, we vow we shall (ever) be grateful."