In Islam, a prophet is a person whom Allah SWT has chosen to spread his message to humanity. There are approximately 124,000 prophets in Islam, of which 24 have been mentioned in the Quran. At the top of the list is Adam AS, the first Prophet and the first human on Earth. This blog will dive into the history of Adam AS, how he came to Earth, and how humanity started after his creation.
Creation Of Adam AS
Allah created Adam AS from dust; in verse 59 of Surah Al-Imran, Allah says, “Indeed, the example of Hazrat Isa (Jesus) in Allah’s sight is just like Hazrat Adam AS. He (i.e., Allah SWT) created him (i.e., Hazrat Adam AS) from dust, then told him, Be! And he was.”
Adam means son of Earth because Adam AS was made from different kinds of clay from different parts of the Earth. Many narrations state that this is why the sons of Adam (i.e., people of the world) are so diverse in their skin complexions and other physical characteristics.
According to a hadith, Adam AS was created on Friday, after the Asr prayer. When Allah had created Adam AS, he ordered the angels to prostrate him, and they prostrated. Except for Iblis because he was arrogant.
Journey To Earth
After Allah had created Adam, he created Hawwa and placed them in Jannah. They were allowed to experience the beauty of paradise, but Allah forbade them to eat from a certain tree; they ate from it due to the provoking of the devil, and Hence, they were sent to Earth.
Life On Earth
When Prophet Adam AS came to Earth, life was hard. Since Adam AS and his wife were the only people, gathering food and other materials proved difficult. Nonetheless, he remained steadfast in worshipping the Almighty and fulfilled his duties. One of the biggest problems he faced during that time was the whispers of the devil, but he remained resolute and thrived on Earth. And soon after, he was blessed with four children.
The Children Of Prophet Adam
After a little while, the lonely lives of Prophet Adam and Hawwa ended. As one of the main reasons for the expulsion of Prophet Adam was to populate the Earth with the servants of Allah, soon they were blessed with twins: Cain and his sister. The second time Hawwa gave birth, the babies were also twins, Abel and his sister. After the birth of the children, the lives of Adam AS and Bibi Hawwa became easier.
When the children reached marriageable age, Allah SWT told Prophet Adam to marry each son to the other’s sister (i.e., Cain’s sister to Abel’s sister and vice versa) because there was no other family on Earth besides Adam AS. Everything was planned, and the wedding was fixed. While Abel agreed to marry, Cain wasn’t pleased. The reason is that Cain liked his sister more and thus wanted to marry her.
A Worried Father
When Adam sensed Cain’s disobedience, he became worried and turned to Allah to seek his assistance. As an answer to his prayers, Allah SWT commanded that both the sons should offer a sacrifice in the name of Allah, and he would accept the sacrifice of the son he favored. Abel was known for his obedience, intelligence, and readiness to obey Allah, so he offered his best lamb for the sacrifice. Whereas Cain was selfish, arrogant, and disobedient to his lord, he offered his worst harvest.
Naturally, Allah accepted the sacrifice of Abel, which led to Cain being enraged and threatening Abel that he would kill him. In response to his threat, Abel replied devoutly that, certainly, Allah accepts the sacrifice of those who are Al Muttaqin (the pious).
History’s First Murder
Tragedy struck as the weight of familial bonds and fear of Allah’s punishment occupied no place in Cain’s heart. He picked up a stone and struck his brother with it, ending Abel’s life and committing the world’s first murder. After the murder, Cain was left with the body. Unsure of what to do, he roamed around until he found a crow digging a grave for a dead crow, which showed him how to bury the corpse of his brother.
As Cain cooled down, he began feeling remorse for his actions and became regretful. When Prophet Adam found out about the death of Abel, he was overwhelmed with sadness and grief. He had lost both his sons; Abel was murdered, and Cain was under the devil’s spell. Adam AS prayed for both his sons and warned the succeeding generations to be mindful of Satan’s whispers and to remain steadfast in the way of Allah SWT.
Return To Allah
Narrations state that Prophet Adam lived for approximately 1000 years before passing away. On his deathbed, he assured his children that Allah would continue to watch over them and that there would be different prophets who would come to Earth and guide people towards Allah. It is stated that Hawwa died a year or two after the death of Prophet Adam.
Lesson From Prophet Adam’s Story
The story of Prophet Adam holds many lessons in its words that transcend time and culture. It teaches us the beautiful tale of hard work in pursuing one’s goals, devotion and obedience to Allah, and remaining steadfast in adversity. It also teaches us the result of not heeding Allah’s warning and explains how much a person can be affected by the devil.