The story of Adam and Eve (Hawwa)

[Muslimah]

The story of Adam and Eve (Hawwa) [Peace be upon them] (3)

Ahadith about the Creation of Adam

Imam Ahmad has narrated from Abu Musa [Radi-Allahu-anhu: May Allah be pleased with him], who said that the Prophet [sallalahu-'alahi-wa-sallam] said:

“Allah has created Adam from a handful (soil) which He had gathered from all over the earth. That is how the children of Adam came according to the (colour and nature of the) earth. There are white among them, as well as red and black, and cross colours. There are those among them who are of bad nature and good nature, soft as well as harsh and in between.”

Allah the Almighty created Adam with His Hand so that Iblis should not display any arrogance. So He created him a human, and he remained as an earthen body for forty years. When angels passed by and saw him, they became frightened. Iblis was the most frightened among them. He would pass by him and hit him, and the body would make a sound like the sound of pottery with a rattle. It is this which Allah has mentioned in this Verse:

”…from a clay, like pottery.” (55:14)

Iblis said: There must be something for which he is created. He would enter through his mouth and come out by his anus. He said to the angels: “Do not be frightened of it, because your Lord is solid (Samad) and this is hollow. If I overpower him I will destroy him.”

When the time approached in which Allah wanted to breathe “into him the soul which He created for him,” He said to the angels: “When I have breathed the soul in him, you should prostrate before him.” When He breathed “into him the soul,” and the soul passed through to his head, Adam sneezed. The angels said: “Say: Alhamdu lillah (Praise be to Allah).” So he said: : “Alhamdu lillah.” Allah said afterwards: “Rahimaka Rabbuka (May your Lord have mercy upon you).” When the soul entered into his eyes, he saw the fruits of the Paradise, and when it entered into his stomach, he desired for food. Adam jumped up in haste for the fruits of the Paradise before the soul even entered into his legs. That is what Allah indicated to in this Verse:

“Man is created of haste.” (21:37)

Anas [Radi-Allahu-anhu: May Allah be pleased with him ] said that the Prophet [sallalahu-'alahi-wa-sallam] said:

“When Allah created Adam, He left him for a while as long He wanted him to be. Iblis went around him, and when he found him hollow he knew that he was a creature who could not restrain.” (Sahih Muslim)

Anas [Radi-Allahu-anhu: May Allah be pleased with him ] has also narrated from the Prophet [sallalahu-'alahi-wa-sallam] who said:

“When He breathed into Adam and the soul reached into his head, he sneezed and said: ‘ Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil-‘Alamin (Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds),’ Allah answered him by saying: ‘Yarhamuk-Allah (May Allah bestow His Mercy upon you)’.” (Sahih of Ibn Hibban)

Abu Hurairah [Radi-Allahu-anhu: May Allah be pleased with him ] has narrated that the Prophet [sallalahu-'alahi-wa-sallam] said:

“When Allah created Adam, He stroked with His Hand over his back. So all the souls which were due to be born in his progeny until the Day of Judgement, came out of his back. In front of the eyes of every human He made a shining light and put them before Adam. Adam said: ‘O Lord! Who are they?’ He replied: ‘ They are your progeny.’ He saw a man among them whose shining light attracted him. Adam asked: ' O Lord! Who is this? ' Allah answered him: ‘He is a man who will come in the last of your progeny, and who will be called David (Dawood).’ He asked Him: ‘O Lord! How much have You granted him of his age?’ Allah said: ‘Sixty years.’ Adam asked Allah: 'O Lord! Grant him from my age forty years more.' (Ad-Darimi )

Abu Hurairah [Radi-Allahu-anhu: May Allah be pleased with him ] has also narrated that the Prophet [sallalahu-'alahi-wa-sallam] said:

“Allah created Adam, and he was sixty Dhira’a tall, and then said to him: 'Go and great those angels, and listen what they greet you back. Because that will be your greeting and the greeting of your progeny.' Adam said: 'Assalamu 'Alaikum.'’They greeted him back by saying: 'Assalamu 'Alaikum wa Rahmatullah.' So Adam also added in it 'wa Rahmatullah.'’So whoever enters the Paradise, will enter it in Adam's image, and since that time human are being reduced in their height till now.” (Sahih Bukhari )

Imam Malik says in his book Mu’atta that ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab [Radi-Allahu-anhu: May Allah be pleased with him ] was asked regarding this Verse:

And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (or from Adam's loin his offspring) and made them testify as to themselves (saying): Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes! We testify, lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: Verily, we have been unaware of this.. (7:172)

‘Umar [Radi-Allahu-anhu: May Allah be pleased with him ] said: I have heard the Prophet [sallalahu-'alahi-wa-sallam] being asked about this Verse and he replied:

“Allah created Adam,then He stroke upon his back with His Right Hand and took out from it some of his progeny and said: 'I have created all of them for Paradise, and they will be doing the deeds of those who deserve Paradise.' Then He stroke upon his back again and took out the rest of his progeny, and said: 'They are created for Hell and will be doing the deeds of those who deserve the Hell’'." A companion said: "O Messenger of Allah! Then what is a deed for?" The Prophet [sallalahu-'alahi-wa-sallam] replied: "When Allah creates a person for Paradise, He facilitates for him to do the deeds of the people of Paradise, till he dies on those deeds and so Allah enters him in Paradise for those deeds. And when He creates a person for Hell, He facilitates for him to do the deeds of the people of Hell, till he dies on those deeds and so Allah enters him in the Hell for those deeds.” (Mu’atta of Malik, and also see At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i )

And Imam Ahmad has narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas [Radi-Allahu-anhu: May Allah be pleased with him], who said that the Prophet [sallalahu-'alahi-wa-sallam] said:

“Allah took the covenant from the back of Adam (Peace be upon him) on the Day of ‘Arafah. He took out from his back all his progeny He created, and scattered them in front of Him and spoke to them saying: 'Am I not your Lord?' They said: 'Yes indeed, we bear witness,' lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: 'Surely we were unaware of this.'’Or lest you say: 'Our fathers before us ascribed partners to Allah, and we were only descendants after them, will “You then destroy us for what those who have followed falsehood have done.” (7:172,173)

[Muslimah]

Majority of scholars who held the opinion that Allah took the covenant from his loin, also supported it with what Imam Ahmad had narrated from Anas bin Malik [Radi-Allahu-anhu: May Allah be pleased with him], who had narrated from the Prophet [sallalahu-'alahi-wa-sallam] saying:

"It will be said to a person in Hell on the Day of Judgement: "Had you had all what is on the earth, would you have redeemed them for what you are in? He will answer: "Yes." Allah will say: I had wanted from you lesser than that. I took the covenant when you were in the loin of Adam, that you should not associate with Me anything. However, you persisted in joining Me with associates.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Ubai bin Ka’b said in respect of the Verse: “And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (or from Adam's loin his offspring)” (7:172) Allah gathered on that Day all of them who were going to be created till the Day of Judgement. He created them, gave them a shape and made them to speak, so they spoke. He took covenant and pledge from them and made them bear witness about themselves: “Am I not your Lord.” They said: “Yes, indeed.”

He then said to them: “I am making, then, the seven heavens and the seven earths to bear witness against you, and making your father Adam a witness against you, lest you should say on the Day of Judgement: ‘We did not know of it.’ You should know that there is no God except Me, and there is no Lord except Me. You should not associate partners with Me. I will be sending to you Messengers who will remind you of My Covenant, and I will be sending to you My Book.”

They replied: “We bear witness that You are our Lord and God. We have no Lord except You, and we have no God except You.” They all on that Day affirmed their obedience.

He raised their father Adam and he looked towards them. He found in them poor and wealthy, and smart and ugly. He said: “O Lord! If You could have made them alike and similar?” Allah replied: “I like to be thanked.”

Adam saw among them the Prophets as bright lamps, full of light. All those Prophets were made to take another special covenant about their Prophetic missions, about which the Qur’an has indicated in this Verse:

“And (remember) when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and from Nûh (Noah), Ibrâhim (Abraham), Mûsa (Moses), and `Iesâ (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). We took from them a strong covenant.” (33:7)

And also Allah says:

“So set you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) your face towards the religion (of pure Islâmic Monotheism) Hanifa (worship none but Allâh Alone). Allâh's Fitrah (i.e. Allâh's Islâmic Monotheism) with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in Khalqillâh (i.e. the Religion of Allâh Islâmic Monotheism): that is the straight religion, but most of men know not. (Tafsir AtTabarI).” (30:30)

Also Allah says:

“This (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) is a warner (Messenger) of the (series of) warners (Messengers) of old .” (53:56)

As He has said in another place:

“And most of them We found not (true) to their covenant, but most of them We found indeed Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allâh).” (7:102)

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It is mentioned before that when Allah commanded the angels to prostrate before Adam, they all obeyed the Divine command, while Iblis refrained from prostrating before him, showing jealousy and enmity. As a consequence to his action, Allah expelled him from the Divine Presence, and threw him upon the earth, cursed and in utter disgrace.

Imam Ahmad narrates from Abu Hurairah [Radi-Allahu-anhu: May Allah be pleased with him], who said that the Prophet [sallalahu-'alahi-wa-sallam] said:

"When the son of Adam reads a Sajdah (prostration place in the Qur’an) and prostrates, Satan retires to one side and cries saying: 'Woe to me… Ibn Adam (son of Adam) was commanded to prostrate and he obeyed the command, and he got Paradise. I was commanded to prostrate, but I disobeyed the command and I had to go to Hell’.” (Also reported in Sahih Muslim)

Scholars are of different opinion about the duration of stay of Adam and Eve in the Paradise. One opinion suggests that they were few days from the worldy perspective of a day. Imam Muslim has narrated from Abu Hurairah [Radi-Allahu-anhu: May Allah be pleased with him] who reported:

“Adam was created in the last hour of the Friday.”

as we have already seen the Hadith :

“And on that day (Friday) Adam was created and then was epelled on Friday from the Paradise.”

If it were the same day in which he was created, and was expelled (it has already been said that those six days mentioned in the Hadith in this respect are like the days of ours), then it will be assumed that he stayed only a few hours of it. This opinion, however, does not seem to be credible. But if this expulsion took place on some other day other than the day he was born in, and the length of those days were meant as to be equal to six thousad years, as this is narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas, Mujahid and Dahhak, then he lived a long period in there. This opinion is also preferred by Ibn Jarir.

Ibn Jarir said: It is known that he was created in the last hour of Friday. One hour of it is equal to eighty three years and four months. He kept lying for forty years in his earthen body before the soul was breathed into him. Then he stayed in the Paradise for forty-three years and four months before his expulsion. However, Allah has the proper knowledge.

He also says: The first food Adam ate on the earth was that Gabriel (Jibrael) came to him with seven grains of wheat. Adam asked him: “What are they?” He replied: “They are from the same Tree which you were forbidden to eat from, but you ate from it.” Adam said: “Then what shall I do now with them?” Gabriel (Jibrael) said: “Sow them in earth.” And Adam did so. Each of those grains weighed more than one hundred thousand grains of now. They grew and Adam harvested them, then ground them, then kneaded them, then baked from them bread and ate them, after it had taken so much of his effort and hard work. That is what the Qur’an has indicated to in this Verse: “…so do not let him expel you both from the Paradise, so that you would suffer hardship.” (20:117)

The first of their cloth was from sheep wool. He separated them and then spun them. Afterwards, he wove a Jubbah (long garment) for himself and a suit of armour and scarf for Eve.

There are differences of opinion with regard whether they had any children when they were in Paradise? It is said that they had their children only on the earth. However, in another opinion it is suggested that they had children in the Paradise, and Cain and his sister were born when they were still living in it.

It is also mentioned by exgetes that they had in one birth one male child and one female child. They were commanded that every son of them would marry the sister of his brother with whom she was born, and every daughter would marry the brother of her sister with whom he was born. No one was allowed to get married with his sister with whom he was born.

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From the Book :

"Stories of The Prophets" by Imam Imaduddin Abul-Fida Isma'il Ibn Kathir Ad-Damishqi (700-774 H)

Translation of Quran mainly of Dr.Muhsin Khan