Story of Adam

موضوع: Story of Adam الخميس يناير 01, 2009 10:13 am

Story of Adam

The creation of man is referred to in the Koran
in many places.
Adam was the first man God created. Then He created Eve, and they lived together in
heaven.

God regarded man as his noblest creation. He sent him
as His vicegerent on earth. Before creating Adam, He told the angels in
the heavens that He was
creating 'man from clay, moulding him from
earthly substance', and asked them to 'fall down before him in prostration, when I have
given him form and breathed into him My spirit'. The angels were aghast:

They asked: 'Pray, will you put
man there Who will do mischief and shed blood? Why not send us instead who worship and
glorify You? [2:30]
They prayed to the Lord not to humiliate them. God
told them
to obey His command, for, he said, 'You know not what I
know.' The Koran states:

So each one of them obeyed except Satan. God asked him: 'Why did you not prostrate?' Satan replied: 'Because I am
worthier, my Lord, than Adam. Of fire You have created me, from clay you have created
him.' [7:12]

God thundered: Begone from My presence! There is
no place for you here. Your arrogance makes you the meanest of My creatures.
[7:13]

Satan bowed before the Lord, and made one plea: Grant me, my Lord, a reprieve
until the day man is raised again. [7:14]

God granted Satan the reprieve. Satan then said: Since you have thrown me out, I
shall now waylay man on the straight path you have laid and make him commit sin, from the
right hand to the left, from before and behind him; You will not find in Adam and in most
of his progeny, gratitude for Your bounties. [7:16-17]

God told Satan that he was disgraced, and banished him from
paradise: Those of My creatures who follow
you they shall be consigned to hell with you. [20:123-124]

Turning to Adam, God said: You and Eve can reside in the
garden of paradise. Eat fruits from any tree you like, but there is one to which you shall
not go nor shall you eat its fruits. For, indeed, it will be a transgression.
[2:35]

Adam and Eve began to live blissfully in paradise, but Satan
would tempt them so as to swerve them from the right path. He whispered into their ears
that they should enjoy their bare bodies, which until then they had not perceived. He told
them that their Lord had asked them to keep away from the prohibited tree because He did
not wish them to become angels and thus immortal. He asked them to swear that they would
not betray his trust and then urged them to eat the forbidden fruit. He assured them that
he was their 'true friend'.

He used all his guile to entice
them. Eventually, Adam and Eve succumbed to his enticements and tasted the forbidden
fruit. They covered themselves with leaves in order to conceal their shame. On seeing this
transformation, their Lord asked them:

Did I not forbid you to go near
that tree? Did I not warn you that Satan is your enemy? [7:20-22]

Adam and Eve realized their mistake and begged forgiveness of
their Lord: O Lord, we have sinned
grievously. Please grant us Your forgiveness or else we shall be lost forever. [7:23]

The Lord in His mercy forgave them, but cast them down to live
on earth. He told them that there shall be eternal enmity and feuding between them and
Satan. The Lord reminded Adam and Eve, and their progeny who followed them, that clothing
might cover their shame, but what was more important for them was to cover themselves with
the 'garment of true piety':

O Children of Adam! Let Satan not
be your guide as he has been of your parents. He misled them and drove them out, stripping
them of their nakedness. [7:27]

Satan made Adam and Eve commit indecency. Thus they disobeyed
the command of their Lord. They were warned of Satan's designs; they were asked to tell
Satan:

Our Lord commands us to do what
is right and just. He is to be worshipped in every place and prayed to with all the
sincerity of faith. It is He who has brought us to life, and it is He who will raise us
again. After we die we shall return to Him. Some of us have been guided right. But some
have taken to Satan's ways. They are, indeed, in the wrong. [7:29-30]

Referring toCain and Abel, the two sons of
Adam, the Koran says that each of them made an offering to God; the offering of Abel was
accepted and that of Cain was rejected:

Cain said to his brother: 'I will
kill you.' But his brother replied: 'Only from those who truly fear the Lord does God
accept an offering. If you try to kill me, I will not do the same to you. For I fear my
Lord, Who is the Lord of all beings. If you kill me, the sin will be on your head and you
will be consigned to hell.' [5:27-29]

Abel's words had no effect on Cain. He murdered his brother
without any cause and 'took his place among the lost'. God
sent a raven who dug the ground to cover the corpse of Abel. Seeing this, Cain felt most
remorseful and cried, 'Woe to me. I am worse than this
raven, for I cannot hide the evil that I have done to my brother.' The Koran admonishes:

O Children of Israel! If anyone
kills another without just cause, except in retaliation for a murder or for causing
corruption in the land, it is as if he has killed the whole of mankind. And whosoever
saves a life, it is as if he has saved the whole of mankind. [5:32]