الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينة ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا، ومن سيئات أعمالنا 

Last week I provided an opinion on the creation of mankind and I said that the question of the origin of man has always been perplexing to philosophers, scientist and theologians.  

You may ask why we even care about understanding the creation of mankind since we believe that Allah created Adam and we all came from Adam.  You may also argue that no one really knows the ultimate truth and any opinion will be a mere speculation since Allah said: 

مَا أَشْهَدْتُهُمْ خَلْقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَا خَلْقَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَمَا كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذَ الْمُضِلِّينَ عَضُدًا

“I did not have them witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor their own creation; and I would never take misleaders for helpers.”  (Al-Kahf 18:51)

However, your lack of interest may not be totally justified because of three main reasons:

1) The Quran asks us to study the origin of creation as Allah says:

قُلۡ سِيرُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَٱنظُرُواْ ڪَيۡفَ بَدَأَ ٱلۡخَلۡقَ‌ۚ ثُمَّ ٱللَّهُ يُنشِئُ ٱلنَّشۡأَةَ ٱلۡأَخِرَةَ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ ڪُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ قَدِيرٌ۬ (العَنکبوت)

Say: “Travel in the land and see how He (Allah) originated the creation, and then Allah will bring forth the last creation (i.e. resurrection after death). Verily, Allah is Able to do all things.” (Al-Ankaboot 29:20)

2) The Quran includes many verses that discuss the creation of man and this indicates that the subject is important.  The Quran gives us several key stages of the creation as Allah says:

وَقَدۡ خَلَقَكُمۡ أَطۡوَارًا (١٤)

And He created you in different stages.” (Nuh 71:14)

The different stages that Allah identified for us include:  Water (مَآءِ), plant (نَبَاتً۬), Dust (تُرَابٍ); Mud (طِينٍ۬), Decayed mud (حَمَإٍ۬ مَّسۡنُونٍ۬), Ringing clay (صَلۡصَـٰلٍ۬), Make progeny of a drop of despised fluid (سُلَـٰلَةٍ۬ مِّن مَّآءٍ۬ مَّهِينٍ۬), Fashioning it (سَوَّيۡتُهُ), Blowing in him Allah’s spirit (وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِهِۦ‌).

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ مِنَ ٱلۡمَآءِ بَشَرً۬ا (٥٤)

“And it is He Who has created man from water. (Al-Fourqan 25:54)

وَٱللَّهُ أَنۢبَتَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ نَبَاتً۬ا (١٧)

“And Allah made you to grow out the earth as plant” (Nuh 71:17)

وَمِنۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦۤ أَنۡ خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ۬ ثُمَّ إِذَآ أَنتُم بَشَرٌ۬ تَنتَشِرُونَ (الروم )

 “And among His Signs that He created you from dust, and then you are human beings scattered! (Al-Rome 30:20)

ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحۡسَنَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ خَلَقَهُ ۥ‌ۖ وَبَدَأَ خَلۡقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنِ مِن طِينٍ۬ (٧)

Who made everything He has created good, and He began the creation of man from clay.  (Al-Sajda 32:7)

وَلَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِن صَلۡصَـٰلٍ۬ مِّنۡ حَمَإٍ۬ مَّسۡنُونٍ۬ (٢٦)

“And indeed, We created man from ringing clay of decayed mud. (Al-Hijr 15; 26)

ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحۡسَنَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ خَلَقَهُ ۥ‌ۖ وَبَدَأَ خَلۡقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنِ مِن طِينٍ۬ (٧) ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسۡلَهُ ۥ مِن سُلَـٰلَةٍ۬ مِّن مَّآءٍ۬ مَّهِينٍ۬ (٨) ثُمَّ سَوَّٮٰهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِهِۦ‌ۖ (٩)

He, Who made well whatever He created, and He began the creation of man from clay; (7) Then He made his progeny from a drop of despised fluid; (8) Then He fashioned him and breathed into him of His Spirit.  (Al-Sajda 32:7-9)

3. There are many scientific discoveries that appear to conflict with some ahadeath that can create doubt in the mind of many particularly our youth and thus need to be addressed to resolve any apparent conflict.

Abi Ummah (أبي أمامة) said:  

عن أبي أمامة أن رجلا قال : ( يا رسول الله أنبيٌّ كان آدم ؟ قال : نعم ،  قال : فكم كان بينه وبين نوح ؟ قال : عشرة قرون ) رواه ابن حبان في ” صحيحه ” والحاكم  في ” المستدرك ”  وقال : هذا حديث صحيح على شرط مسلم ، والطبراني في ” المعجم الكبير ” ، وصححه الألباني بشواهده.

A man said, O’ Messenger of Allah, was Adam a prophet, he (PBUH) said: Yes.  The man asked: How long was it between Adam and Noah.  The Prophet said: “Ten Quroun”

Al-Tabarani (الطبراني) reported the same hadeath but added the man asked:

ويذكر الطبراني أن رجلا قال: “يا رسول الله، أنبيّ كان آدم؟” قال: ((نعم))، قال: كم بينه وبين نوح؟” قال: ((عشرة قرون)). قال: “كم بين نوح وإبراهيم؟” قال: ((عشرة قرون)). قال: “يا رسول الله كم كانت الرسل؟” قال: ((ثلاث مئة وخمسة عشر)).

How long was it been Noah and Ibrahim?  The Prophet (PBUH) said: Ten Quroon.  The man then asked: O Messenger of Allah, what was the number of the messengers?  The Prophet (PBUH) said: three hundred and fifteen (315).

Ibn Abbas (ابن عباس) said:

قال ابن عباس: وبين آدم ونوح عشرة قرون، وبين نوح وإبراهيم عشرة قرون، وبين إبراهيم وموسى 700 سنة، وبين موسى وعيسى 1500 سنة، وبين عيسى ونبينا صلى الله عليه وسلم 600 سنة.

Between Adam and Noah is ten Quroun and Between Noah and Ibrahim is ten Quroun and between Ibrahime and Musa is 700 years and between Musa and Isa is 1500 years and between Isa and our Prophet is 600 years.

Since the Prophet (PBUH) was born about 1400 years ago, adding these numbers one can conclude that Prophet Adam came to the earth at 20 Quroun plus 4200 years. 

The Question is how long is the 20 Quroun?   The English translation of the term Quran is century, i.e. 100 years but this obviously wrong because the difference between Adam and Noah cannot be 1000 years because each one of them lived 1000 years.

Ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

عن ابن عباس ـ رضي الله عنه ـ عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: كان عمر آدم ألف سنة.

“The age of Adam was 1000 years”.

Regarding Prophet Noah he lived at least 1000 years, Allah says:

وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوۡمِهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمۡ أَلۡفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمۡسِينَ عَامً۬ا فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱلطُّوفَانُ وَهُمۡ ظَـٰلِمُونَ (١٤)

“And indeed, We sent Nuh (Noah) to his people, and he stayed among them a thousand years less fifty years, and the flood overtook them while they were wrong-doers,” (Al-Ankaboot 29:14)

The term Qarrn is a measure of the time two people who are born at the same time be companions and from the term Qarn came the term Qareem as in:

فَأَقۡبَلَ بَعۡضُہُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٍ۬ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ (٥٠) قَالَ قَآٮِٕلٌ۬ مِّنۡہُمۡ إِنِّى كَانَ لِى قَرِينٌ۬ (٥١)

“Then they will turn to each other, mutually questioning. (50) A speaker of them will say: “Verily, I had a close companion.” (Al-Saffat 37: 50-51)

So, the “Qarn” is the likely life time of a person and since both Prophet Adam and Ibrahime lived 1000 years.  So, the Quarn that was mentioned in the Prophet’s hadeath is not 100 years but 1000 years.  This implies that Prophet Adam came to the earth about 24, 200 (twenty-four thousand and two hundred years) ago.

The challenge is how to resolve this apparent contradiction since traveling in the earth to study the origin of man, we discover that the oldest fossil of a human like skeleton that walked the Earth is about 3.2 million years ago. Scientist called this skeleton Lucy and it was found in Ethiopia.

Ten nearly complete skeletons of human like were discovered in 1969 in Qafzeh Cave in Israel and date back to around 100,000 years ago.

A complete human like skeleton was discovered near the Neanderthal area in Germany.  It is very closely related to modern humans with over 99.5% of the DNA the same.  The estimated age of the skeleton is 170,000 years.  The Neanderthal man is not considered to be the modern man but scientists suggest that it is connected to it and this connection may have happened about 50 thousand years ago.  

This is close to the estimated 25,000 age of the modern man based on the hadeath.   The question becomes who are those Human like who lived on the earth 100’s of thousands of years ago before Prophet Adam

The Quran gives us some clues.  Allah says;

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً

“And when your Lord told the angels: I am placing a “Khalifa” in the earth.”   (Al-Baqara 2:30)

The tern Khalifa is often translated as vicegerent, deputy but it can also be translated as successors as in: 

فَخَلَفَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡ خَلۡفٌ أَضَاعُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَٱتَّبَعُواْ ٱلشَّہَوَٲتِ‌ۖ (٥٩)

“Then, came after them successors who neglected the prayers and followed lusts.” (Maryam 19:59)

This could mean that Prophet Adam and his progeny came to earth as successors of others who lived here.    Allah also says:

وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡغَنِىُّ ذُو ٱلرَّحۡمَةِ‌ۚ إِن يَشَأۡ يُذۡهِبۡڪُمۡ وَيَسۡتَخۡلِفۡ مِنۢ بَعۡدِڪُم مَّا يَشَآءُ كَمَآ أَنشَأَڪُم مِّن ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوۡمٍ ءَاخَرِينَ (١٣٣)

And your Lord is Rich (All-Independent), full of Mercy, if He so wills, He can take you away, and in your place make whom He wills as your successors, as He raised you from the seed of other people. (Al-Anaam 6:133)

This verse implies that there were other people ahead of us and we came after them.

In all of these interpretations, it is important that we do not put restriction on Allah’s choices by our limited and biased knowledge; Allah says: 

وَرَبُّكَ يَخۡلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ وَيَخۡتَارُ‌ۗ مَا ڪَانَ لَهُمُ ٱلۡخِيَرَةُ‌ۚ سُبۡحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشۡرِڪُونَ (٦٨)

And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses, no choice have they (in any matter). Glory be to Allah, and exalted He is above all that they associate (as partners with Him). (Al-Qasas 28: 68) 

Last week I explained an opinion for understanding verses 30-33: in surat Al-Baqara.  Allah says: 

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَنْ يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

“And when your Lord told the angels: I am placing a vicegerent (Khalifa) in the earth, they said: will You place in it someone who will cause mischief in it and shed blood, while we, we hymn Your praise and glorify Your holiness? He said: I know that which you do not know.”   (Al-Baqara 2:30) 

How did the angels know that the descendants of Adam will cause mischief and shed blood, In addition to the explanation I gave last week, one possible explanation is that Allah told them about the attributes of this new creation?  This explanation may be justified because the angels told Allah:

قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ

 “They said: Glory to You: we have no knowledge except what You have taught us, You are the all-knowing, the all Wise” (Al-Baqara 2:31-32)

Last time we offered one answer to the Question what were the angels hiding since Allah told them:

إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ

“I know what is unseen in the heavens and the earth and I know what you reveal and what you have concealed.” (Al-Baqara 2:33)

If we accept the suggestion that Allah explained to the angels the attributes of man and these included the evil side as well as the good side, the angels made their statement by focusing on the potential evil side of man and concealed in their statement the good and righteous side of this new creation.

Another point is explaining verse 172 from Surat Al-Araf in which Allah says:

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالُوا بَلَى شَهِدْنَا أَنْ تَقُولُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَذَا غَافِلِينَ

“When your Lord brought the offspring from the backs of the children of Adam, and made them bear witness about themselves: Am I not your Lord?  They said: Yes, indeed, we bear witness.  Lest you might say on the Day of Resurrection: we were unaware of this?” (Al-Araf 7:172)

This verse suggests that we were created at the time of creation of Adam and this can be explained by the verses in Surat Al-Sajda in which Allah says:   

ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحۡسَنَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ خَلَقَهُ ۥ‌ۖ وَبَدَأَ خَلۡقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنِ مِن طِينٍ۬ (٧) ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسۡلَهُ ۥ مِن سُلَـٰلَةٍ۬ مِّن مَّآءٍ۬ مَّهِينٍ۬ (٨) ثُمَّ سَوَّٮٰهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِهِۦ‌ۖ (٩)

He, Who made well whatever He created, and He began the creation of man from clay; (7) Then He made his progeny from a drop of despised fluid; (8) Then He fashioned him and breathed into him of His Spirit.  (Al-Sajda 32:7-9)

In these verses, there appears to be a step that occurred before Allah completed fashioning Adam and breathing in him the spirit which is the creation of Adam’s progeny.  This step explains the hadeath that was reported by Imam Al-Tirmizi (الترمذي) and narrated by Abu Hurayrah (أبي هريرة -رضي الله), the Prophet (. PBUH) said:

“لما خلق الله آدم مسح ظهره فسقط من ظهره كل نسمة هو خالقها من ذريته إلى يوم القيامة”

“When Allah created Adam, He wiped his back and every soul of his offspring that Allah will create until the Day of Judgement fell from his back. 

Remarks

1. Science does not always provide absolute truth but Allah’s revelation does. As far current scientific discoveries, it seems that they do not contradict the divine revelation.
2. Hope that I presented reasonable and consistent explanation of Adam’s and our creation based on the divine revelation.
3. But at the end it is up to you to accept this analysis or the analysis by others or offer you own an alternative scenario.
4. To complete the subject, the following are the verses that are used by those who propose a divine evolution of Prophet Adam from a human like creation:

Basis for those who suggest intelligent evolution form Human Like Creation:  There are some Islamic scholars who suggests an intelligent evolution and that Adam evolved from the top of development from a human-like.  They suggest that Adam evolved by Allah from a woman and support their opinion to the following verses that I have interpreted differently conforming the first creation.

وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡغَنِىُّ ذُو ٱلرَّحۡمَةِ‌ۚ إِن يَشَأۡ يُذۡهِبۡڪُمۡ وَيَسۡتَخۡلِفۡ مِنۢ بَعۡدِڪُم مَّا يَشَآءُ كَمَآ أَنشَأَڪُم مِّن ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوۡمٍ ءَاخَرِينَ (١٣٣)

And your Lord is Rich (All-Independent), full of Mercy, if He so wills, He can take you away, and in your place make whom He wills as your successors, as He raised you from the seed of other people. (Al-Anaam 6:133)

ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحۡسَنَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ خَلَقَهُ ۥ‌ۖ وَبَدَأَ خَلۡقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنِ مِن طِينٍ۬ (٧) ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسۡلَهُ ۥ مِن سُلَـٰلَةٍ۬ مِّن مَّآءٍ۬ مَّهِينٍ۬ (٨) ثُمَّ سَوَّٮٰهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِهِۦ‌ۖ (٩)

He, Who made well whatever He created, and He began the creation of man from clay; (7) Then He made his progeny from a drop of despised fluid; (8) Then He fashioned him and breathed into him of His Spirit.  (Al-Sajda 32:7-9)

إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَىٰ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ ءَادَمَ‌ۖ خَلَقَهُ ۥ مِن تُرَابٍ۬ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ ۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ (٥٩)

“The similitude of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: ‘Be’ and he was.” (Al-Imran 3:59]

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٍ۬ وَٲحِدَةٍ۬ وَخَلَقَ مِنۡہَا زَوۡجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنۡہُمَا رِجَالاً۬ كَثِيرً۬ا وَنِسَآءً۬‌ۚ

“O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single soul and from it He created her mate, and spread from them many men and women” (Al-Nisa 4:1)

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٍ۬ وَٲحِدَةٍ۬ وَجَعَلَ مِنۡہَا زَوۡجَهَا لِيَسۡكُنَ إِلَيۡہَا‌ۖ

“He is the One who has created you from a single soul, and out of her created her mate, to live in comfort with her.” (Al-Araf 7:189)

Dua