Tuesday, March 22, 2011

BIOGRAPHY OF OUR PROPHET:ADAM


Allah (Sub Hanna wa ta’ala) said:
“Remember when your Lord said to the angels: 'Verily, I am going to placemankind generations after generations on earth.' They said: 'Will You placetherein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, while we glorify You with praises and thanks (exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners) and sanctify You.' Allah said: 'I know that which you do not know.'
Allah taught Adam all the names of everything, then He showed them to the angels and said: "Tell Me the names of these if you are truthful." They (angels) said: "Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us.
Verily, it is You, the All-Knower, the All-Wise."He said: "O Adam! Inform them of their names," and when he had informed them of their names, He said: "Did I not tell you that I know the unseen in the heavens and the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you have been hiding?"Remember when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourself before Adam" They prostrated except Iblis, he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers(disobedient to Allah)."
We said: "O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and both of youfreely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Zalimeen (wrongdoers)."Then the Satan made them slip therefrom (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: "Get you down all with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time."Then Adam received from his Lord Words. His Lord pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily He is the One Who forgives (accepts repentance), the most Merciful.
We said: "Get down all of you from this place (the Paradise), then wheneverthere comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve. But those who disbelieve and belie Our Ayah (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, and signs and revelations, etc.) such are the dwellers of the Fire, they shall abide therein forever. (Al Baqarah:30-39)
 
 Abi Musa al Sha'arai narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Allah created Adam from a handful of dust taken from different lands, so the children of Adam have been created according to the composition of the land. Therefore from mankind we have white, red, black and yellow ones; we have good and evil, ease and sorrow, and what comes in between them."    (Sahih al Bukhari).
 
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (Sala Allahu alaihi wa salaam) said: "Allah created Adam from dust after He mixed the clay and left him for some time until it became sticky mud, after which Allah shaped him. After that Allah left him till it became like potter's clay. Iblis used to go past him saying 'You have been created for a great purpose.' After that Allah breathed His spirit into him.The first thing into which the spirit passed was his eye and then his nose. He sneezed. Allah said:
"May your Lord have mercy upon you, O Adam! Go to those angels and see what they would say.' So Adam went and greeted them. they replied saying: "Peace be upon you and the mercy and blessings of Allah." Allah said: "O Adam! This is your greeting and that of your offspring.  (Sahih al Bukhari).
Allah(Sub Hanna wa ta’ala) said:
"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'. Or lest you should say: 'It was only our father aforetime who took others as partners in worship along with Allah and we were merely their descendants after them; will you then destroy us because of the deeds of men who practiced al batil (polytheism) and committing crimes and sins, invoking and worshipping others besides Allah?'Thus do We explain the Ayah (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations etc.) in detail so that they may turn unto the truth. (Al Araf:172-174).
Adam opened his eyes and saw all the angels prostrating before him except one being who was standing at a distance Adam did not know what kind of creature it was that did not prostrate before him nor did he know its name. Iblis was standing with the angels so as to be included in the command given to them but he was not one of them. He was a jinn, and as such he was supposed to be inferior to the angels. What is clear is that this prostration was to show respect and did not mean that the angels were worshipping Adam. Prostrating in worship is done only for Allah..
Allah(Sub Hanna wa ta’ala) granted Adam the power to know the natures of all things and to summarize them by names; that is a bird, that is a star, that is a tree, etc. Allah implanted in Adam an insatiable need for and love of knowledge and a desire to bequeath knowledge to his children. This was the reason for his creation and the secret of his glorification. After Adam had learned the names of all things, along with their  properties and uses, Allah presented them to the angels and said:"Tell Me the names of these if you are truthful. (Al Baqarah :31)
Adam knew the names of everything. Sometimes he talked to the angels, but they were preoccupied with worshipping  Allah (Sub Hanna wa ta’ala). 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.
The angels asked him her name he replied: "Eve (Hawa)." (means living things). They asked: "Why did you call her Eve?" Adam said: "Because she was created of me and I am a living being."
Adam and eve 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."But come not near this tree or you both will be of the wrong doers." (Al Baqarah:35)
Adam and Eve understood that they were forbidden to eat the fruit of that tree. Adam was however a human being and man tends to forget. His heart changes and his will weakens. Iblis summoned all the envy within him and took advantage of Adam's humanity to exploit him. He started to whisper to him day after day, coaxing him: "Shall I guide you to the Tree of Immortality and the Eternal Kingdom?" He said to them: "Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels or become of the immortals." He (Satan) swore by Allah to them both saying: "Verily I am one of the sincere well wishers for you both." (Al Araf:20-21)
Adam asked himself: "What will happen if I eat from this tree? It might truly be the Tree of Immortality." His dream was to live forever in the pure innocence of Paradise."Years went by, and Adam and Eve 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 andoffered it to Eve. They both ate of the forbidden tree.Allah said: "Thus did Adam disobey his Lord so he went astray."(Taha:121).
Adam had hardly finished eating when he felt his heart contract, and he as filled with pain, sadness and shame. The surrounding atmosphere had changed and the internal music had stopped.He discovered that he and his wife were naked, so they both started cutting tree leaves with which to cover themselves.
Allah (Sub Hanna wa taála) addressed him:
"Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you: Verily Satan is an open enemy unto you?" They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers." Allah said; "Get down, one of you an enemy to the other (Adam, Eve, 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)." (Al Araf:22-25).
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (Sala Allahu alaihi wa salaam) said: "The best of days on which the sun has risen is Friday. One this day Adam was created, and on this day he was descended to earth." (al Bukhari)
Adam knew he bade farewell to peace and he left Paradise. On earth he had to face conflict and
struggle. No sooner had one ended than another began. He also had to toil to sustain himself. He had to protect himself with clothes and weapons and protect his wife and children from the wild beasts. Above all, he had to struggle with the spirit of evil. Satan, the cause of his expulsion from Paradise, continued to beguile him and his children in an effort to have them thrown into the eternal hellfire. The battle between good and evil is continuous, but those who follow Allah's guidance and should fear nothing while those who disobey Allah and follow Iblis will be damned along with him. 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. The prophets would have different names, traits and miracles, but they would be united in one thing; the call to worship Allah alone. This was Adam's bequest to his children. Adam finished speaking and closed his eyes. Then the angels entered his Room and surrounded him. When he recognized the Angel of Death among them, his heart smiled peacefully.
Source: Stories of the Prophets, of Ibn Katheer
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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