HAZRAT NUH (A.S.)

In urdu

LIFE OF THE PROPHET HAZRAT NUH (A.S.)
He was Nuh Ibn Lamik, Ibn Mitoshilkh, Ibn Idris (Enoch), Ibn yard, Ibn Mahlabeel, Ibn Qinan, Ibn Anoush, Ibn Seth, Ibn Adam the Father of Mankind (PBUH).
According to the history of the People of the Book, (refers to the Jews, and Christians, so called by Allah because they received Revealed Books, Taurat, Zabur and Injeel. These names are translated 'Torah, Psalms, and Gospels' respectively, but the books that are extent are corrupt. Of the Revealed Books, ONLY the Quran remains exactly as it was revealed).
the period between the birth of Nuh and the death of Adam was 146 years. (According to Genesis 5 (new Revised Standard Version), Nuh was born one hundred and twenty six years after the death of Adam. Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "The period between Adam and Nuh was ten centuries." (Sahih Bukhari, Nuh was born 1056 years after Adam's creation (or after he left the Garden of Eden). Thus, this hadith does not contradict the previous statement from the People of the Book as it may first appear to do. The reader should keep in mind, however that any statement or narratives taken from the People of the Book are not necessarily credible. This was taken from Genesis 5).
For many generations Nuh's people had been worshipping statues that they called gods. They believed that these gods would bring them good, protect them from evil and provide all their needs. They gave their idols names such as Waddan, Suwa'an, Yaghutha, Ya'auga, and Nasran, (These idols represented, respectively, manly power; mutability, beauty; brute strength, swiftness, sharp sight, insight) according to the power they thought these gods possessed.
Allah the Almighty revealed:"They (idolaters) have said: "You shall not leave your gods nor shall you leave Wadd, nor Suwa, nor Yaghuth, nor Ya uq nor Nasr (names of the idols)." (71:23 Quran).
Originally these were the names of good people who had lived among them. After their deaths, statues of them were erected to keep their memories alive. After sometime, however, people began to worship these statues. Later generations did not even know why they had been erected; they only knew their parents had prayed to them. That is how idol worshipping developed. Since they had no understanding of Allah the Almighty Who would punish them for their evil deeds, they became cruel and immoral.
Ibn Abbas explained: "Following upon the death of those righteous men, Satan inspired their people to erect statues in the places where they used to sit. They did this, but these statues were not worshiped until the coming generations deviated from the right way of life. Then they worshipped them as their idols."
In his version, Ibn Jarir narrated: "There were righteous people who lived in the period between Adam and Nuh and who had followers who held them as models. After their death, their friends who used to emulate them said: 'If we make statues of them, it will be more pleasing to us in our worship and will remind us of them.' So they built statues of them, and , after they had died and others came after them, Iblis crept into their minds saying:'Your forefathers used to worship them, and through that worship they got rain.' So they worshipped them."
Ibn Abi Hatim related this story: "Waddan was a righteous man who was loved by his people. When he died, they withdrew to his grave in the land of Babylonia and were overwhelmed by sadness. When Iblis saw their sorrow caused by his death, he disguised himself in the form of a man saying: 'I have seen your sorrow because of this man's death; can I make a statue like him which could be put in your meeting place to make you remember him?' They said: 'Yes.'
So he made the statue like him. They put it in their meeting place in order to be reminded of him. When Iblis saw their interest in remembering him, he said: 'Can I build a statue of him in the home of each one of you so that he would be in everyone's house and you could remember him?'
They agreed. Their children learned about and saw what they were doing. They also learned about their remembrance of him instead of Allah. So the first to be worshipped instead of Allah was Waddan, the idol which they named thus."
The essence of this point is that every idol from those earlier mentioned was worshipped by a certain group of people. It was mentioned that people made picture sand as the ages passed they made these pictures into statues, so that their forms could be fully recognized; afterwards they were worshipped instead of Allah.
It was narrated that Umm Salmah and Umm Habibah told Allah's Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) about the church called "Maria" which they had seen in the land of Abyssinia. They described its beauty and the pictures therein. He said: "Those are the people who build places of worship on the grave of every dead man who was righteous and then make therein those pictures. Those are the worst of creation unto Allah." (Sahih al Bukhari).
Worshipping anything other than Allah is a tragedy that results not only in the loss of freedom; its serious effect reaches man's mind and destroys it as well. Almighty Allah created man and his mind with its purpose set on achieving knowledge the most important of which is that Allah alone is the Creator and all the rest are worshippers (slaves). Therefore, disbelief in Allah, or polytheism, results in the loss of freedom, the destruction of the mind, and the absence of a noble target in life. (By worshipping anything other than Allah, man becomes enslaved to Satan, who is himself a creature and becomes harnessed to his own baser qualities).
Into this environment Allah sent Nuh with His message to his people. Nuh was the only intellectual not caught in the whirlpool of man's destruction which was caused by polytheism.
Allah is His Mercy sent His messenger Nuh to guide his people. Nuh was an excellent speaker and a very patient man. He pointed out to his people the mysteries of life and the wonders of the universe. He pointed out how the night is regularly followed by the day and that the balance between these opposites were designed by Allah the Almighty for our good. The night gives coolness and rest while the day gives warmth and awakens activity. The sun encourages growth, keeping all plants and animals alive, while the moon and stars assist in the reckoning of time, direction and seasons. He pointed out that the ownership of the heavens and the earth belongs only to the Divine Creator.
Therefore, he explained to this people, there cannot have been more than one deity. He clarified to them how the devil had deceived them for so long and that the time had come for this deceit to stop. Nuh spoke to them of Allah's glorification of man, how HE had created him and provided him with sustenance and the blessings of a mind. He told them that idol worshipping was a suffocating injustice to the mind. He warned them not to worship anyone but Allah and described the terrible punishment Allah would mete out if they continued in their evil ways.
The people listened to him in silence. His words were a shock to their stagnating minds as it is a shock to a person who is asleep under a wall which is about to fall and who is vigorously awakened. This person may be alarmed and may even become angry although the aim was to save him.
Nuh's people were divided into two groups after his warning. His words touched the hearts of the weak, the poor, and the miserable and soothed their wounds with its mercy. As for the rich, the strong, the mighty and the rulers they looked upon the warning with cold distrust. They believed they would be better off if things stayed as they were. Therefore they started their war of words against Nuh.
First they accused Nuh of being only human like themselves. 'The chiefs of the disbeliveers among his people said: "We see you but a man like ourselves."' (11:27 Quran) He, however, had never said anything other than that. He asserted that, indeed, he was only a human being; Allah had sent a human messenger because the earth winhabited by humans. If it had been inhabited by angels Allah would have sent an angelic messenger.
The contest between the polytheists and Nuh continued. the rulers had thought at first that Nuh's call would soon fade on its own. When they found that his call attracted the poor, the helpless and common laborers, they started to verbally attack and taunt him: 'You are only followed by the poor, the meek and the worthless.'
Allah the Almighty told us: "Indeed We sent Nuh to his people (he said): "I have come to you as a plain Warner that you worship none but Allah, surely, I fear for you the torment of a painful Day." the chiefs of the disbeliveers among his people said: "We see you but a man like ourselves, nor do we see any follow you but the meanest among us and they too followed you without thinking. And we do not see in you any merit above us in fact we think you are liars." (11:25-27).
Thus the conflict between Nuh and the heads of his people intensified. The disbeliveers tried to bargain: "Listen Nuh, if you want us to believe in you, then dismiss your believers. They are meek and poor, while are elite and rich; no faith c an include us both." Nuh listened to the heathens of his community and realized they were being obstinate. However, he was gentle in his response. He explained to his people that he could not dismiss the believers as they were not his guests but Allah's.
Nuh appealed to them:"O my people! I ask of you no wealth for it, my reward is from none but Allah. I am not going to drive away those who have believed. Surely, they are going to meet their Lord, but I see that you are a people that are ignorant. O my people! Who will help me against Allah, if I drove them away? Will you not then give a thought? And I do not say to you that with me are the Treasures of Allah nor that I know the unseen, nor do I say I am an angel, and I do not say of those whom your eyes look down upon that Allah will not bestow any good on them. Allah knows what is in their inner selves (regards to Belief). In that case, I should, indeed be one of the Zalimeen (wrongdoers, oppressors etc)." (11:29-31 Quran)
Nuh refuted the arguments of the disbeliveers with the noble knowledge of the prophets. It is the logic of intellect that rids itself of personal pride and interests.
The rulers were tired of Nuh's arguments. Allah the Exalted related their attitude: They said: "O Nuh! You have disputed with us and much have you prolonged the dispute with us, now bring upon us what you threaten us with, if you are of the truthful." He said: "Only Allah will bring it (the punishment)on you, if He will, and then you will escape not. And my advice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you counsel, if Allah's Will is to keep you astray. He is your Lord! And to Him you shall return." (11:32-34 Quran)
The battle continued; the arguments between the disbeliveers and Nuh became prolonged. When all the refutations of the disbeliveers collapsed and they had no more to say, they began to be rude and insulted Allah's prophet:'The leaders of his people said: "Verily, we see you in plain error." (Ch 7:60 Quran)
Nuh responded in the manner of the prophets: "O my people! There is no error in me, but I am a Messenger from the Lord of the Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists)! I convey unto you the Messages of my Lord and give sincere advice to you. And I know from Allah what you know not." (7:61-62 Quran)
Nuh continued appealing to his people to believe in Allah hour after hour, day after day year after year. He admonished his people and called them to Allah day and night, in secret and openly. HE gave them examples, explained Allah's signs and illustrated Allah's ability in the formation of His creatures. But whenever he called them to Allah, they ran away from him. Whenever he urged them to ask Allah to forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and became too proud to listen to the truth.
Allah the Almighty related what Nuh faced:Verily, We sent Nuh to his people saying: "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful torment."
He said: "O my people! Verily, I am a plain Warner to you, that you should worship Allah alone, be dutiful to Him and obey me, He (Allah) will forgive you of your sins and respite you to an appointed term. Verily, the term of Allah when it comes, cannot be delayed, if you but knew."
He said: "O my Lord! Verily, I have called my people night and day (secretly and openly to accept the doctrine of Islamic Monotheism), but all my calling added nothing but to their flight from the truth. Verily! Everytime I called unto them that You might forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their garments, and persisted (in their refusal), and magnified themselves in pride. Then verily, I called to them openly (aloud); then verily, I proclaimed to them in public, and I have appealed to them in private, I said to them: 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord, Verily, He is Oft Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance, and give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers."
What is the matter with you, that you fear not Allah (His Punishment), and you hope not for reward from Allah or you believe not in His Oneness. While He has created you in different stages. (23:13-14 Quran)
See you not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another, and has made the moon a light therein and made the sun a lamp? And Allah has brought you forth from the dust of earth. Afterwards He will return you into it (the earth), and bring you forth (again on the Day of Resurrection) Allah has made for you the earth wide spread (an expanse) that you may go about therein broad roads.
Nuh said: "My Lord! They have disobeyed me, and followed one whose wealth and children give him no increase but only loss. They have plotted a mighty plot. They have said: 'you shall not leave your gods, nor shall you leave wadd, nor Suwa, nor Yaghuth, nor ya'uq nor Nasr (names of the idols). Indeed they have led many astray. O Allah! Grant no increase to the Zalimeen (polytheists, wrongdoers, and disbeliveers etc) save error."
Because of their sins they were drowned, then were made to enter the Fire and they found none to help them instead of Allah. (71:1-25 Quran).
Nuh continued to call his people to believe in Allah for nine hundred fifty years. Allah the Almighty said: Indeed We sent Nuh to his people and he stayed among them a thousand years less fifty years (inviting them to believe in the Oneness of Allah (Monotheism) and discard the false gods and other deities). (29:14 Quran)
It happened that every passing generation admonished the succeeding one not to believe Nuh and to wage war against him. the father used to teach his child about the matter that was between himself and Nuh and counsel him to reject his call when he reached adulthood. Their natural disposition rejected believing and following the truth.
Nuh saw that the number of believers was not increasing, while that of the disbeliveers was. He was sad for his people, but he never reached the point of despair.
There came a day when Allah revealed to Nuh that no others would believe. Allah inspired him not to grieve for them at which point Nuh prayed that the disbeliveers be destroyed. He said:"My Lord! Leave not one of the disbeliveers on the earth. If you leave them, they will mislead Your slaves and they will beget none but wicked disbeliveers." (71:27 Quran)
Allah accepted Nuh's prayer. The case was closed, and He passed His judgment on the disbeliveers in the form of a flood. Allah the Exalted ordered His worshipper Nuh to build an ark with His knowledge and instructions and with the help of angels. Almighty Allah commanded: "And construct the ship under Our Eyes and with Our Inspiration and address Me not on behalf of those who did wrong; they are surely to be drowned." (11:37 Quran)
Nuh chose a place outside the city, far from the sea. HE collected wood and tools and began to day and night to build the ark. The people's mockery continued: "O Nuh! Does carpentry appeal to you more than prophethood? Why are you building an ark so far from the sea? Are you going to drag it to the water or is the wind going to carry it for you?" Nuh replied: "You will come to know who will be put to shame and suffer."
Allah the Almighty narrated: As he was constructing the ship, whenever the chiefs of his people passed by him, they made a mockery of him. He said : "If you mock at us, so do we mock at you likewise for your mocking. And you will know who it is on whom will come a torment that will cover him with disgrace and on whom will fall a lasting torment." (11:38-39 Quran)
The ship was constructed, and Nuh sat waiting Allah's command. Allah revealed to him that when water miraculously gushed forth from the oven at Nuh's house, that would be the sign of the start of the flood, and the sign for Nuh to act.
The terrible day arrived when the oven at Nuh's house overflowed. Nuh hurried to open the ark and summon the believers. He also took with him a pair, male and female, of every type of animal, bird and insect. Seeing him taking these creatures to the ark, the people laughed loudly: "Nuh must have gone out of his head! What is he going to do with the animals?"
Almighty Allah narrated: So it was till then there came Our Command and the oven gushed forth (water like fountains from the earth). We said: "Embark therein, of each kind two (male and female), and your family, except him against whom the Word has already gone forth, and those who believe." And none believed him except a few. (11:40 Quran)
Nuh's wife was not a believer with him so she did not join him; neither did one of Nuh's sons, who was secretly a disbeliever but had pretended faith in front of Nuh. Likewise most of the people were disbeliveers and did not go on board.
The scholars hold different opinions on the number of those who were with Nuh on the ship. Ibn Abbas stated that there were 80 believers while Ka ab al Ahbar held that there were 72 believers. Others claimed that there were 10 believers with Nuh.
Water rose from the cracks in the earth; there was not a crack from which water did not rise. rain poured from the sky in quantities never seen before on earth. Water continued pouring from the sky rising from the cracks; hour after hour the level rose. The seas and waves invaded the land. The interior of the earth moved in a strange way, and the ocean floors lifted suddenly, flooding the dry land. The earth, for the first time was submerged.
Allah told the story thus: He (Nuh) said: "Embark therein in the Name of Allah will be its moving course and its resting anchorage. Surely, my Lord is Oft Forgiving, most Merciful." so it (the ship) sailed with them amidst the waves like mountains, and Nuh called out to his son, who had separated himself (apart), "O my son! Embark with us and be not with the disbeliveers." The son replied, "I will betake myself to a mountain, it will save me from the water." Nuh said: "This day there is no savior from the Decree of Allah except him on whom He has mercy." And a wave came in between them so he (the son) was among the drowned.
It was said: "O Earth! Swallow up your water, and O sky! Withhold (your rain)." The water was diminished (made to subside) and the Decree (of Allah) was fulfilled (the destruction of the people of Nuh). And it (the ship) rested on Mount Judi, and it was said: "Away with the people who are Zalimeen (polytheists, and wrongdoing)!"
Nuh called upon his Lord and said, "O my Lord! Verily, my son is of my family! Certainly, Your Promise is true, and You are the Most Just of the judges." HE said: "O Nuh! Surely, he is not of your family; verily, his work is unrighteous, so ask not of Me that of which you have no knowledge! I admonish you, lest you be one of the ignorants."
Nuh said: "O my Lord! I seek refuge with You from asking You that of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive me and have Mercy on me, I would indeed be one of the losers."
It was said: "O Nuh! Come down (from the ship) with peace from Us and blessings on you and on the people o\who are with you(and on some of their offspring), but (there will be other) people to whom We shall grant their pleasures (for a time), but in the end a painful torment will reach them from Us." (11:41-48 Quran)
With the issue of the divine command, calm returned to earth, the water retreated, and the dry land shone once again in the rays of the sun. The flood had cleansed the earth of the disbeliveers and polytheists.
Nuh released the birds, and the beats which scattered over the earth. After that the believers disembarked. Nuh put his forehead to the ground in prostration. The survivors kindled a fire and sat around it. Lighting a fire had been prohibited on board so as not to ignite the ship's wood and burn it up. None of them had eaten hot food during the entire period of the floor. Following the disembarkation there was a day of fasting in thanks to Allah.
The Quran draws the curtain on Nuh's story. We do not know how his affairs with his people continued. All we know or can ascertain is that on his deathbed he requested his son to worship Allah alone, Nuh then passed away.
Abdullah Ibn Amru Ibn Al as narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "When the death of the Messenger of Allah Nuh approached, the admonished his sons: 'Indeed I would give you far reaching advice, commanding you to do 2 things, and warning you against doing 2 things as well. I charge you to believe that there is no god but Allah and that if the seven heavens and the seven earths were put on one side of a scale and the words "there is no god but Allah" were put on the other, the latter would outweigh the former. I warn you against associating partners with Allah and against pride." (Sahih al Bukhari)
Some traditions said that his grave is in the Scared Mosque in Mecca, while others said that he was buried in Baalabak, a city in Iraq.

                                                                         In urdu

Hazrat Adam (A.S) Histroy in Urdu

Hazrat Adam (A.S)

In urdu

Islam provides us with the astonishing details of the creation of Adam[1].  Both Christian and Jewish traditions are remarkably similar yet importantly different to the Quran.  The Book of Genesis describes Adam as being made from “the dust of the earth,” and in the Talmud, Adam is described as being kneaded from mud.

And God said to the angels:

“‘Verily, I am going to place mankind generations after generations on earth.’  They said: ‘Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, while we glorify You with praises and thanks and sanctify You.’  God said: ‘I know that which you do not know.’” (Quran 2:30)

So begins the story of Adam, the first man, the first human being.  God created Adam from a handful of soil containing portions from all its varieties on Earth.  Angels were sent to earth to collect the soil that was to become Adam.  It was red, white, brown, and black; it was soft and malleable, hard and gritty; it came from the mountains and the valleys; from infertile deserts and lush fertile plains and all the natural varieties in between.  The descendants of Adam were destined to be as diverse as the handful of soil from which their ancestor was created; all have different appearances, attributes and qualities.

Soil or Clay?

Throughout the Quran, the soil used to create Adam is referred to by many names, and from this we are able to understand some of the methodology of his creation.  Each name for soil is used at a different stage of Adam’s creation.  Soil, taken from the earth, is referred to as soil; God also refers to it as clay.  When it is mixed with water it becomes mud, when it is left to stand the water content reduces and it becomes sticky clay (or mud).  If it is again left for some time it begins to smell, and the colour becomes darker – black, smooth clay.  It was from this substance that God moulded the form of Adam.  His soulless body was left to dry, and it became what is known in the Quran as sounding clay.  Adam was moulded from something akin to potter’s clay.  When it is rapped it produces a ringing sound.[2]

The First Man is Honoured

And God said, to the Angels:

“And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: ‘I am going to create a human (Adam) from sounding clay of altered black smooth mud.  So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him (his) soul created by Me, then you fall down prostrate to him.” (Quran 38:71-72)

God honoured the first humman, Adam, in countless ways.  Allah blew his soul into him, He fashioned him with His own hands and He ordered the Angels to bow down before him.  And God said to the Angels:

“....Prostrate to Adam and they prostrated except Iblees (Satan)....” (Quran 7:11)

While worship is reserved for God Alone this prostration by the Angels to Adam was a sign of respect and honour.  It is said that, as Adam’s body trembled into life, he sneezed and immediately said ‘All praise and thanks is due to God;’ so God responded by bestowing His Mercy upon Adam.  Although this account is not mentioned in either the Quran or the authentic narrations of the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, it is mentioned in some commentaries of the Quran.  Thus, in his first seconds of life, the first man is recognized as an honoured creature, covered with the infinite Mercy of God.[3]

It was also said by the Prophet Muhammad that God created Adam in His image.[4] This does not mean that Adam was created to look similar to God, as God is unique in all His aspects, we are unable to comprehend or form an image of Him.  It does mean, however, that Adam was given some qualities which also God has, although incomparable.  He was given qualities of mercy, love, free will, and others.

The First Greeting

Adam was instructed to approach a group of Angels sitting near to him and greet them with the words Assalamu alaikum (May God’s peace be upon you), they answered ‘and also upon you be God’s peace, mercy and blessings’.  From that day forward these words became the greeting of those submitted to God.  From the moment of Adam’s creation, we his descendents were instructed to spread peace.

Adam, the Caretaker

God told mankind that He did not create them except that they should worship Him.  Everything in this world was created for Adam and his descendants, in order to aid us in our ability to worship and know God.  Due to God’s infinite Wisdom, Adam and his descendants were to be the caretakers on earth, so God taught Adam what he needed to know to perform this duty.  God mentions:

“He taught Adam all the names of everything.” (Quran 2:31)

God gave Adam the ability to identify and designate names to everything; He taught him language, speech and the ability to communicate.  God imbued Adam with an insatiable need for and love of knowledge.  After Adam had learned the names and uses for all things God said to the Angels...

“‘tell me the names of these if you are truthful.’  They answered ‘Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us.  Verily it is You the All Knower, the All Wise.’” (Quran 2:31-32)

God turned to Adam and 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?” (Quran 2:33)

Adam tried to speak with the Angels, but they were occupied worshipping God.  The Angels were given no specific knowledge or freedom of will, their sole purpose being to worship and praise God.  Adam, on the other hand, was given the ability to reason, make choices and identify objects and their purpose.  This helped to prepare Adam for his coming role on earth.  So Adam knew the names of everything, but he was alone in Heaven.  One morning Adam awoke to find a woman gazing at him.[5]



Adam opened his eyes and looked into the beautiful face of a woman gazing down at him.  Adam was surprised and asked the woman why she had been created.  She revealed that she was to ease his loneliness and bring tranquillity to him.  The Angels questioned Adam.  They knew that Adam possessed knowledge of things they did not know about and the knowledge mankind would need to occupy the earth.  They said ‘who is this?’  and Adam replied ‘this is Eve’.

Eve is Hawwa in Arabic; it comes from the root word hay, meaning living.  Eve is also an English variant of the old Hebrew word Havva, also deriving from hay.  Adam informed the Angels that Eve was so named because she was made from a part of him and he, Adam, was a living being.

Both Jewish and Christian traditions also maintain that Eve was created from Adam’s rib, although in a literal translation of the Jewish tradition, rib is sometimes referred to as side.

“And God said: ‘O Mankind!  Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam) and from Him (Adam) He created his wife (Eve), and from them both He created many men and women.’” (Quran 4:1)

The traditions of Prophet Muhammad relate that Eve was created while Adam was sleeping from his shortest left rib and that, after sometime, she was clothed with flesh.  He (Prophet Muhammad) used the story of Eve’s creation from Adam’s rib as a basis for imploring people to be gentle and kind to women.  “O Muslims!  I advise you to be gentle with women, for they are created from a rib, and the most crooked portion of the rib is its upper part.  If you try to straighten it, it will break, and if you leave it, it will remain crooked; so I urge you to take care of the women.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Dwelling in Paradise

Adam and Eve dwelt in tranquillity in Paradise.  This, too, is agreed upon by Islamic, Christian and Jewish traditions.  Islam tells us that all of Paradise was theirs to enjoy and God said to Adam, “eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will...” (Quran 2:35) The Quran does not reveal the exact location of where this Paradise was; however, commentators agree that it is not on the earth, and that the knowledge of the location is of no benefit to mankind.  The benefit is in understanding the lesson from the events that took place there.

God continued his instructions to Adam and Eve by warning them “...come not near this tree or you both will be of the wrongdoers.” (Quran 2:35)  The Quran does not reveal what type of tree it was; we have no details and seeking such knowledge also produces no benefit.  What is understood is that Adam and Eve lived a tranquil existence and understood that they were forbidden to eat from the tree.  However, Satan was waiting to exploit the weakness of mankind.

Who is Satan?

Satan is a creature from the world of the Jinn.  The Jinn are a creation of God made from fire.  They are separate and different from both the Angels and mankind; however, like mankind, they possess the power of reason and can choose between good and evil.  The Jinn existed before the creation of Adam[1]  and Satan was the most righteous among them, so much so that he was elevated to a high position amongst the Angels.

“The Angels prostrated themselves all of them together.  Except Satan, he refused to be among the prostrators.  God said: ‘O Satan! What is your reason for not being among the prostrators?  ‘Satan said: ‘I am not the one to prostrate myself to a human being, whom You created from sounding clay of altered black smooth mud.’  God said: ‘Then get out from Here for verily you are an outcast or cursed one.  Verily the curse shall be upon you till the Day of Resurrection.’” (Quran 15:30-35)

The Role of Satan

Satan was there in the Paradise of Adam and Eve and his vow was to misguide and deceive them and their descendents.  Satan said: “…surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path.  Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left…” (Quran 7:16-17)  Satan is arrogant, and considered himself better then Adam, and thus mankind. He is crafty and cunning, but ultimately understands the weakness of human beings; he recognises their loves and desires.[2]

Satan did not say to Adam and Eve “go eat from that tree” nor did he out rightly tell them to disobey God.  He whispered into their hearts and planted disquieting thoughts and desires.  Satan said to Adam and Eve, “...Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save that you should become Angels or become of the immortals.” (Quran 7:20)  Their minds became filled with thoughts of the tree, and one day they decided to eat from it.  Adam and Eve behaved as all human beings do; they became preoccupied with their own thoughts and the whisperings of Satan and they forgot the warning from God.

It is at this point that the Jewish and Christian traditions differ greatly from Islam.  At no point do the words of God – the Quran, or the traditions and sayings of Prophet Muhammad - indicate that Satan came to Adam and Eve in the form of a snake or serpent.

Islam in no way indicates that Eve was the weaker of the two, or that she tempted Adam to disobey God.  Eating the fruit of the tree was a mistake committed by both Adam and Eve.  They bear equal responsibility.  It was not the original sin spoken about in Christian traditions.  The descendents of Adam are not being punished for the sins of their original parents.  It was a mistake, and God, in His infinite Wisdom and Mercy, forgave them both.



Islam rejects the Christian concept of original sin and the notion that all humans are born sinners due to the actions of Adam.  God says in the Quran:

“And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden.” (Quran 35:18)

Every human being is responsible for his or her actions and is born pure and free from sin.  Adam and Eve committed a mistake, they repented sincerely and God in His infinite wisdom forgave them.

“Then they both ate of that tree, and so their private parts appeared to them, and they began to stick on themselves the leaves from Paradise for their covering.  Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, so he went astray.  Then his Lord chose him, and turned to him with forgiveness and gave him guidance.” (Quran 20:121-122)

Mankind has a long history of committing mistakes and forgetting.  Even so, how was it possible for Adam to have committed such a mistake?  The reality was that Adam did not have any experience with the whisperings and ploys of Satan.  Adam had seen the arrogance of Satan when he refused to follow the commands of God; he knew that Satan was his enemy but had no familiarity with how to resist Satan’s tricks and schemes.  The Prophet Muhammad told us:

“Knowing something is not the same as seeing it.” (Saheeh Muslim)

God said:

“So he (Satan) misled them with deception.” (Quran 7:22)

God tested Adam so that he could learn and gain experience.  In this way God prepared Adam for his role on earth as a caretaker and a Prophet of God.  From this experience, Adam learned the great lesson that Satan is cunning, ungrateful and the avowed enemy of mankind.  Adam, Eve and their descendants learned that Satan caused their expulsion from heaven.  Obedience to God and enmity towards Satan is the only path back to Heaven.

God said to Adam:

“Get you down (upon the earth), all of you together, from Paradise, some of you are an enemy to some others.  Then, if there comes to you guidance from Me, whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery.” (Quran 20:123)

The Quran tells us that Adam subsequently received from his Lord some words; a supplication to pray, which invoked God’s forgiveness.  This supplication is very beautiful and can be used when asking for God’s pardon of your sins.

“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.” (Quran 7:23)

Mankind continues to commit mistakes and wrong doing, and through them  we only harm ourselves.  Our sins and mistakes have not harmed, nor will it harm God.  If God does not forgive us and have mercy on us, it is we who will surely be among the losers.  We need God!

“‘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).’” (Quran 7:24–25)

Adam and Eve left heaven and descended upon earth.  Their descent was not one of degradation; rather it was dignified.  In the English language we are familiar with things being either singular or plural; this is not the case for Arabic.  In the Arabic language there is singular, then an extra grammatical number category denoting two.  Plural is used for three and more.

When God said: “Get you down, all of you” He used the word for plural indicating that he was not speaking to Adam and Eve alone but that He was referring to Adam, his wife  and his descendants – mankind.  We, the descendants of Adam, do not belong to this earth; we are here for a temporary time, as is indicated by the words: “for a time.”  We belong to the hereafter and are destined to take our place in either Heaven or Hell.

The Freedom to Choose

This experience was an essential lesson and demonstrated free will.  If Adam and Eve were to live on earth, they needed to be aware of the tricks and schemes of Satan, they also needed to understand the dire consequences of sin, and the infinite Mercy and Forgiveness of God.  God knew that Adam and Eve would eat from the tree.  He knew that Satan would strip away their innocence.

It is important to understand that, although God knows the outcome of events before they happen and allows them, he does not force things to happen.  Adam had free will and bore the consequences of his deeds.  Mankind has free will and thus is free to disobey God; but there are consequences.  God praises those who obey his commands and promises them great reward, and He condemns those who disobey him and warns them against doing so.[1]

Where Adam and Eve descended

There are many reports on the subject of where on earth Adam and Eve descended, although none of them come from the Quran or Sunnah.  We thus understand that the location of their descent is something that is of no importance, and there is no benefit in this knowledge were we to have it.

We do know however that Adam and Eve descended to earth on a Friday.  In a tradition narrated to inform us of the importance of Fridays, the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, 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.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)



Adam and Eve left Paradise and began their life on earth.  God had prepared them in many ways.  He gave them the experience of struggling against the whisperings and schemes of Satan.  He taught Adam the names of everything and instructed him in its properties and usefulness.  Adam took up his position as caretaker of the earth and Prophet of God.

Adam, the first Prophet of God was responsible for teaching his wife and offspring how to worship God and seek His forgiveness.  Adam established the laws of God and set about trying to support his family and learning to subdue and care for the earth.  His task was to perpetuate, cultivate, construct and populate; he was to raise children who would live according to God’s instructions and care for and improve the earth.

Adam’s First Four Children

Adam and Eve’s first children, Cain and his sister, were twins,; Abel and his sister, another set of twins, soon followed.  Adam and his family lived in peace and harmony.  Cain ploughed the earth while Abel raised livestock.  Time passed and the occasion came for the sons of Adam to marry.  A group of the companions of Prophet Muhammad including Ibn Abbas and Ibn Masud related that inter-marriage of the male of one pregnancy with the female of another had been the practice among Adam’s children. Therefore we know that God’s plan to fill the earth included each of Adam’s sons marrying the twin sister of the other.

It seems that beauty has played a part in the attraction of men and women since the beginning.  Cain was not pleased with the partner chosen for him.  Cain began to envy his brother and refused to obey the command of his father and, in doing so, he disobeyed God.  God created man with both good and bad tendencies, and the struggle to over come our baser instincts is part of His test for us.

God commanded that each son was to offer a sacrifice.  His judgement would favour the son whose offer was the most acceptable.  Cain offered his worst grain, but Abel offered his best livestock.  God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, so Cain became enraged, threatening to kill his brother.

“And (O Muhammad) recite to them (the Jews) the story of the two sons of Adam (Abel and Cain) in truth; when each offered a sacrifice to God, it was accepted from the one but not from the other.  The latter said to the former; ‘I will surely kill you.’” (Quran 5:27)

Abel advised his brother that God would accept good deeds from those that fear and serve Him, but  reject the good deeds of those who are arrogant, selfish and disobedient towards God.

“The former said: ‘Verily God accepts only from those who are pious.  If you do stretch your hand against me to kill me I shall never stretch my hand against you to kill you, for I fear God; the Lord of mankind, jinn, and all that exists.’” (Quran 5:27-28)

The First Murder

“So the self  (base desires) of the other (latter one) encouraged him and made fair seeming to him the murder of his brother; he murdered him and became one of the losers.” (Quran 5:28)

Prophet Muhammad informed us that Cain became angry and hit his brother over the head with a piece of iron.  It was also said in another narration that Cain hit Abel over the head while he was sleeping.

“God sent a crow who scratched the ground to show him to hide the dead body of his brother.  He (the murderer) said: ‘Woe to me!

Am I not even able to be as this crow and to hide the dead body of my brother?’  Then he became one of those who regretted.” (Quran 5:30)

Adam was devastated; he had lost both his first and second born sons.  One had been murdered; the other was won over by mankind’s greatest enemy – Satan.  Patiently, Adam prayed for his son, and continued to care for the earth.  He taught his many children and grandchildren about God.  He told them of his own encounter with Satan and advised them to beware of Satan’s tricks and schemes.  Years and years passed, and  Adam grew old and his children spread out across the earth.

Adam’s Death

All of mankind are the children of Adam.  In one narration, the Prophet Muhammad informed us that God showed Adam his descendants.  Adam saw a beautiful light in Prophet David’s eyes and loved him, so he turned to God and said: “Oh God.  Give him forty years from my life.”  God granted Adam his request, and it was written down and sealed.

Adam’s life span was supposed to be 1000 years but after 960 years the Angel of death came to Adam.  Adam was surprised and said “but I still have 40 years to live”.  The angel of death reminded him of his gift of 40 years to his beloved descendant Prophet David, but  Adam denied it.  Many, many years later, the last Prophet Muhammad said: “Adam denied so the children of Adam deny, Adam forgot and his children forget; Adam made mistakes and his children make mistakes.” (At-Tirmidhi)

In Arabic the word for mankind is insan and it comes from the root word nisyan  to forget.  This is part of human nature, mankind forgets, and when we forget we deny and reject.  Adam forgot (he was not lying), and God forgave him.  Adam then submitted to the will of God and died.  The Angels descended and washed the body of Prophet Adam an odd number of times; they dug the grave and buried the body of the father of mankind, Adam.

Adam’s successor

Before his death Adam reminded his children that God would never leave them alone or without guidance.  He told them God would send other Prophets with unique names, traits and miracles, but they would all call to the same thing – the worship of the One True God.  Adam appointed as his successor his son Seth.



In Islam, there is no conflict between faith in God and modern scientific knowledge.  Indeed, for many centuries during the Middle Ages, Muslims led the world in scientific inquiry and exploration.  The Quran itself, revealed around 14 centuries ago, is filled with facts and imagery that are supported by modern scientific findings.  Three of those will be mentioned here. Of them, the development of language and mitrochondrial Eve (genetics) are relatively new areas of scientific research.

The Quran instructs Muslims to “contemplate the wonders of creation” (Quran 3:191)

One of the items for contemplation is the statement:

“Truly, I am going to create man from clay...” (Quran 38:71)

Indeed, many elements present in the earth are also contained in the human body.  The most critical component to land-based life is the top soil; that thin layer of dark, organically rich soil in which plants spread out their roots.  It is in this thin, vital layer of soil that microorganisms convert raw resources, the minerals that constitute the basic clay of this topsoil, and make them available to the myriad forms of life around and above them.

Minerals are inorganic elements that originate in the earth which the body cannot make.  They play important roles in various bodily functions and are necessary to sustain life and maintain optimal health, and thus are essential nutrients.[1]  These minerals cannot be man made; they cannot be produced in a laboratory nor can they be manufactured in a factory

With cells consisting of 65-90% water by weight, water, or H2O, makes up most of the human body.  Therefore most of a human body’s mass is oxygen.  Carbon, the basic unit for organic molecules, comes in second.  99% of the mass of the human body is made up of just six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus.[2]

The human body contains trace amounts of almost every mineral on earth; including sulphur, potassium, zinc, copper, iron, aluminium, molybdenum, chromium, platinum, boron, silicon   selenium, molybdenum, fluorine, chlorine, iodine, manganese, cobalt,  lithium, strontium, aluminium, lead, vanadium, arsenic, bromine  and more.[3]  Without these minerals, vitamins may have little or no effect.  Minerals are catalysts, triggers for thousands of essential enzyme reactions in the body.  Trace elements play a key role in the functioning of a healthy human being.  It is known that insufficient iodine will induce a disease of the thyroid gland and a deficiency of cobalt will leave us without vitamin B12, and thus unable to manufacture red blood cells.

           Another verse to contemplate is:
“He taught Adam all the names of everything.” (Quran 2:31)

Adam was taught the names of everything; the powers of reasoning and free will were given to him.  He learned how to categorise things and understand their usefulness.  Thus, God taught Adam language skills.  He taught Adam how to think – to apply knowledge to solve problems, make plans and decisions and to achieve goals.  We, the children of Adam, have inherited these skills in order that we can exist in the world and worship God in the best manner.

Linguists estimate that more than 3000 separate languages exist in the world today, all distinct, so that speakers of one cannot understand those of another, yet these languages are all so fundamentally similar that it is possible to speak of a “human language’ in the singular.[4]

Language is a special form of communication that involves learning complex rules to make and combine symbols (words or gestures) into an endless number of meaningful sentences.  Language exists because of two simple principles, - words and grammar.

A word is an arbitrary pairing between a sound or symbol and a meaning.  For example, in English the word cat does not look or sound or feel like a cat, but it refers to a certain animal because all of us memorised this pairing as children.  Grammar refers to a set of rules for combing words into phrases and sentences.  It may seem surprising, but speakers of all 3000 separate languages learned the same four rules of language.[5]

The first language rule is phonology – how we make meaningful sounds.  Phonemes are basic sounds.  We combine phonemes to form words by learning the second rule: morphology. Morphology is the system we use to group phonemes into meaningful combinations of sounds and words.  A morpheme is the smallest, meaningful combination of sounds in a language.  After learning to combine morphemes to produce words, we learn to combine words into meaningful sentences.  The third language rule governs syntax or grammar.  This set of rules specifies how we combine words to form meaningful phrases and sentences.  The fourth language rule governs semantics – the specific meaning of words or phrases as they appear in various sentences or contexts.

All children, regardless of where in the world they are, go through the same four language stages because of innate language factors. These factors facilitate how we make speech sounds and acquire language skills. The renowned linguist Noam Chomsky says that all languages share a common universal grammar, and that children inherit a mental programme to learn this universal grammar.[6]

A third verse to ponder is about progeniture:

“O Mankind!  Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam) and from Him (Adam) He created his wife (Eve), and from them both He created many men and women.” (Quran 4:1)

The realisation that all mtDNA lineages (Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas) can be traced back to a single origin is popularly called the “mitochondrial Eve” theory.  According to top scientists[7]  and cutting-edge research, everyone on the planet today can trace a specific part of his or her genetic heritage back to one woman through a unique part of our genetic makeup, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).  The mtDNA of “mitochondrial Eve” has been passed down through the centuries from mother to daughter (men are carriers, but don’t pass it on) and exists within all people living today.[8]  It is popularly known as the Eve theory because, as can be deduced from the above, it is passed down through the X chromosome.  Scientists are also studying DNA from the Y chromosome (perhaps to be dubbed the “Adam theory”), which is passed only from father to son and is not recombined with the mother’s genes.

These are but three of  the many wonders of creation God suggests we contemplate through his verses in the Quran.  The entire universe, which was created by God, follows and obeys His laws.  Therefore Muslims are encouraged to seek knowledge, explore the universe, and find the “Signs of God” in His creation.

In Urdu