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The story of Adam and Hawa- Beginning of mankind

adam The story of Adam and Hawa Beginning of mankind

Allah made the mountains, the seas and all the animals. He made the heavens, the stars, the sun and the moon. And he made the angels. The angels were like Allah’s servants and did everything He ordered.Then Allah decided to make a man. He called this first man Adam.

Allah sent Gabriel onto the earth to get Him clay therefrom. The earth said: “I seek refuge in Allah from your decreasing my quantity or disfiguring me.” So Gabriel returned and did not take anything. He said: “My Lord, the land sought refuge in You and it granted.” So Allah sent Michael and he too said to Allah what Gabriel has said before him. Then Allah sent the Angel of Death, and the land sought refuge in Allah, the angel said: “I also seek refuge with Allah from returning without carrying out His command.” So he took clay from the face of the earth and mixed it. He did not take from one particular place, but rather he took white, red, and black clay from different places.

Allah soaked the clay till it became sticky. Then Allah said to the angels: “Truly, I am going to create man from clay. So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him (his) soul created by Me, then you fall down prostrate to him.”

Allah created Adam from dust after He mixed the clay and left him for some time until it became sticky mud,making him 60 cubits(This is 30 meter) tall. When He created him, He said to him, “Go and greet that group of angels.”So, Adam said (to the angels), As-Salamu Alaikum (i.e. Peace be upon you). The angels said, “As-salamu Alaika WA Rahmatul-lahi” (i.e. Peace and Allah’s Mercy be upon you). People have been decreasing in stature since Adam’s creation.

Allah breathed His spirit into Adam and when it reached his head Adam sneezed. The angels said: “Say all praise belongs to Allah.” Adam repeated: “All praise belongs to Allah.”

And then: The angels prostrated themselves all of them together. Except Iblis, he refused to be among the prostrators. He was a jinn(demons), and as such he was supposed to be inferior to the angels.

Iblis tried in vain to justify his refusal: “Shall I prostrate to one whom You created from clay?” Iblis said: “If You give me respite (keep me alive) to the Day of Resurrection, I will surely seize and mislead his offspring (by sending them astray) all but a few!”

Allah knew that Iblis was not going to obey Him in prostrating before Adam. Allah could have totally annihilated him. Yet, Allah gives His commissioned creatures absolute freedom even to the extent that they can refuse Allah the Almighty’s commands. He grants them the freedom of denial, disobedience, and even disagreement with Him.

Adam sometimes talked to the angels, but they were preoccupied with worshiping Almighty Allah. Therefore Adam, felt lonely. One day he slept and when he awoke he found near his head, a woman gazing at his face with beautiful tender eyes whom Allah had created from his ribs.

Adam and Hawa were admitted to Paradise and there they lived the dream of all human beings. Allah permitted them to approach and enjoy everything except one tree, that might have been the Tree of Pain or the Tree of Knowledge. Allah forbade them they were give abode in Paradise.

Adam was however a human being and man tends to forget. His heart changes and his will weakens.Iblis started to whisper to him day after day “Shall I guide you to the tree of Immortality and the Eternal Kingdom?”

Years went by, and Adam and Hawa were preoccupied with thoughts of that tree. Then one day they decided to eat of its fruit. They forgot that Allah had warned them not to approach it and that Iblis was their sworn enemy. Adam stretched out his hand, picked one of the fruits and offered it to Hawa. They both ate of the forbidden tree.

Allah the Almighty addressed Adam: “Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you: Verily Satan is an open enemy unto you?”

“Get down, one of you an enemy to the other (Adam, Hawa, and Satan etc). On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment, for a time.” He said: “Therein you shall live and therein you shall die, and from it you shall be brought out (resurrected).”

They left Paradise and descended upon the earth.On earth he had to face conflict and struggle.He also had to toil to sustain himself.

Adam also understood that Allah punishes disobedience and that the way of Paradise has to be through submission to the will of Allah. And he learned from Allah Almighty to ask for forgiveness.Allah accepted Adam’s repentance and forgave him. He then sent him to the earth as His first messenger.

The pinnacle of earthly bliss was reached when Adam and Hawa witnessed the birth of their 1st children, a set of twins. Adam was a devoted father and Hawa a contented mother. The twins were Qabil and his sister. Later Hawa gave birth to a second set of twins, Habil and his sister.

Qabil tilled the land while Habil raised cattle.The time arrived when the two young men desired life partners. This was part of Allah’s plan for mankind, to multiply and form nations with different cultures and colors. Allah told Adam that he should marry each son to the twin sister of the other. Adam instructed his children according to Allah’s command, but Qabil was displeased with the partner chosen for him, for Habil’s twin sister was not as beautiful as his own.

It appears that since the beginning of time, physical beauty has been a factor in the attraction between man and women. This attraction caused Qabil to envy his brother Habil. He rebelled against Allah’s command by refusing to accept his father’s advice. Qabil threatened his brother. “I will kill you! I refuse to see you happy while I remain unhappy!”Habil did not fear his brother’s threats, but neither did he want his
brother to be hurt, Allah had blessed Habil with purity and compassion.

Qabil struck his brother with a stone killing him instantly. This was the 1st death and the 1st criminal act committed by man on earth.

Qabil did not know what to do with his brother’s corpse. Allah sent two ravens that began fighting, causing the death of one. The victorious bird used its beak and claws to dig a hole in the ground, rolled its victim into it and covered it with sand.Witnessing this, Qabil was overcome with shame and remorse. “Woe unto me!” he exclaimed. “I was unable to do what this raven has done, that is to hide my brother’s
corpse.” Qabil then buried his brother. This was also the 1st burial of man.

Adam was utterly grief stricken by the loss of his two sons. One was dead, the other was won over by the devil.

When Adam’s death was near the angels entered his room and surrounded him. When he recognized the Angel of Death among them, his heart smiled peacefully.Angels took his soul, embalmed and wrapped him, dug the grave and laid him in it. They prayed on him and put him in his grave, saying: ‘O Children of Adam, this is your tradition at the time of death.””

Before his death Adam reassured his children that Allah would not leave man alone on the earth, but would sent His prophets to guide them.

After Adam’s death, his South Seth (Shiith) took over the responsibilities of prophethood, Allah sent down one hundred and four psalms, of which fifty were sent down to Seth.” When the time of his death came Seth’s son Anoush succeeded him.