How was hz adam created in islam? How is prophet adams creation?
God wished to create man as the most honorable of all creation, so that he can recognize and worship Him, and do beautiful works on earth. Angels, who were created long before with the sole duty of worshipping Him, were the first to find out:
“And when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.’ They said, ‘Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?’ Allah said, ‘Indeed, I know that which you do not know.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 30)
To that, the angels responded:
“They said, ‘Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise.’”[1] (Al-Baqarah, 2: 32)
The term used there for ‘successive authority’ is ‘khalifah’, commonly translated to English as ‘caliph’. To act as a caliph is to represent someone by more or less serving as his or her deputy. Here, it refers to someone who represents God’s will on earth and executes His commands. Going by that, man becomes a means and vehicle for God to fulfil his light.[2]
There is also another aspect. When someone of a higher order designates another as his deputy, he at the same time honors him. This applies to the manner in which Allah (jj) has appointed human beings as His caliphs. Man, in fact, has a natural capability to do so. The spirit Allah has breathed into man has the quality to allow man to govern. However, with that said, man does not, by any stretch of the imagination, literally stand for God. In other words, he is not a god on earth. He is a mortal being simply given the task of executing God’s commands. That is what is meant by being a caliph.
The above verse recounts a dialogue that takes place between Allah and the angels. When the angels are told of the news of man’s creation, they say they already worship Allah more than any other being possibly can. In a way, they are trying to say that they should be given the role of representing Allah ahead of anyone else. However, Allah simply responds by saying, ‘I know things you do not’. This implies that the angels’ ability to worship Him more than anyone else is not enough to cut them out for the role. That role requires two things, which they lack: they do not carry Divine spirit and do not have knowledge of the divine names. However, human beings are given both. In that regard, they are masterpieces of divine art; and both by their inner and outer makeup, are a perfect fit for that role.
[1]. Alim: He who knows everything past, present and future through his eternal wisdom. Hakim: He who exercises the best judgment over all affairs.
[2]. In fact, the Almighty has made great imams of the likes of Bukhari, Abu Hanifah, Shafii, Malik and Ibn Hanbel, among others, as well as our Sufi elders, a means for His religion to shine until the Day of Judgment.
Source: The History of Prophets in Light of The Qur’an, THE CHAIN OF PROPHETS, Osman Nuri TOPBAŞ,Erkam Publications
