In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
In the holy Quran, the story of Adam is recounted in various suras, with the most significant passages found in Surah al-Baqarah, Surah al-A’raf, and Surah al-Hujurat. The narrative begins with Allah’s decision to create a caliph on Earth. In Surah al-Baqarah, it is written,
“And remember when your Lord said to the angels, ‘I will create on Earth a caliph (vicegerent).'”
The question arises: Was Adam the first human, or were there others before him? The hadiths of Ahl al-Bayt provide a clear answer: there have been many Adams and creations throughout history. Jabir ibn Yazid once asked Imam Baqir about the verse, “Did We fail in the first creation? But they are in doubt about the new creation” (50:14). The Imam explained that this verse refers to a time when Allah will destroy the current world and create a new one. This new creation will be free from gender divisions, and its inhabitants will worship Allah and honor His unity. They will live in a world unlike ours, with a different Earth and Heaven.
It is important to understand that Allah did not create just this world and our humanity. He created countless worlds and Adams, with ours being the last. The Day of Judgment has already come for these earlier Adams, and they now reside in either Paradise or Hell. When our time comes, we too will face judgment, and the cycle will continue with new creations.
Before Adam, the Earth was populated by jinn and nasnas, beings similar to humans but larger. However, their wickedness and violence led to their destruction. Allah then decided to create Adam and his descendants to inhabit the Earth.
The angels questioned Allah, “Will You place there someone who will do wickedness and shed blood?” They were aware of the destruction caused by the nasnas and wondered if a similar fate awaited humanity.
Allah replied, “I know what you do not know.” The angels did not realize that Allah would send prophets and messengers to guide humanity, ultimately leading to the rise of Muhammad and his family, who would inherit the Earth and rule over it in His name.
When Allah revealed the ultimate victory of truth through Imam Mahdi, the angels fell silent, acknowledging His infinite wisdom.
Allah created Adam by sending Gabriel to collect clay from the earth. This clay became the material for Adam’s creation, named “adim.” In a hadith from Imam Ali, it is recounted that Allah took forty years to form Adam. During this time, Iblis, a powerful jinn, would pass by Adam and remark, “It was not in vain that You created him!” Iblis declared, “If Allah orders me to bow to this creature, I will disobey Him.”
Iblis, originally named Harith, was among the jinn who inhabited the earth before Adam. He was a leader among them, but they disobeyed Allah, committing evil and shedding blood. Allah sent angels to punish them, killing many and taking Iblis to heaven, where he worshiped Allah alongside the angels until Adam’s creation.
When Allah announced His plan to make Adam His vicegerent, Iblis felt pride and envy. He believed that his years of worship should earn him this position. However, Allah chose Adam.
In the Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 34, Allah recounts: “And when We said to the angels, ‘Bow down to Adam,’ they did so, except Iblis. He became proud and disbelieved.”
Iblis refused to obey Allah’s command, demonstrating his first act of disobedience. Allah asked him, “O Iblis, what has kept you from worshiping him whom I have created with both My hands?” This was a rhetorical question, as Allah does not have physical hands. He then posed a second question: “Are you proud or do you belong to the Highest?” (Surah Sad, verse 75).
In various hadiths, it is clarified that the “Highest” refers to Ahl al-Bayt, the pure progeny of the Prophet Muhammad. They are considered higher than humans, not part of Adam’s lineage, but rather the light of Allah. This light was placed within Adam, making him a vessel for divine presence, which is why the angels bowed to him.
In another hadith from Imam Ali, it is narrated that Iblis pleaded with Allah, “O my Lord, spare me from bowing to Adam; I have worshiped You with a devotion that neither the close angels nor the prophets have shown.” Allah replied, “I do not need your worship. I want to be worshiped as I choose, not as you choose.” Iblis refused to bow, and Allah cursed him, stating, “You will be stoned. My curse is upon you until the Day of Judgment.” (38:77-78)
Iblis questioned Allah, asking how his worship could be forsaken if He was just. Allah offered him a reward for his deeds, and Iblis asked for the ability to tempt humanity until the Day of Judgment. Allah granted his request, and Iblis vowed to corrupt all but Allah’s sincere servants.
An Imam was asked, “Why did Iblis ask for such a fate?”
He said, “He had something for which Allah thanked him.”
The narrator asked, “What is this, may I be your sacrifice?”
He replied, “Two rak’ahs of prayer he performed in heaven for four thousand years.”
Iblis spoke of the worship he had offered to Allah and sought a reward for it. Allah agreed to fulfill his request because He is just and does not commit injustice. The reward for Iblis’ worship should be given, if not in the hereafter, then in the near world. He received it.
What was granted to Adam? Let’s look at a hadith from Imam Sadiq:
“When Allah, exalted and glorified, gave Iblis power, Adam said, ‘O my Lord! You gave Iblis power over my descendants, making it flow in their veins like blood, and granted him what You did. What about me and my offspring?’
Allah replied, ‘For every evil deed, you will receive one recompense, and for every good deed, ten.’
Adam asked, ‘Add to me!’ Allah said, ‘The gates of repentance will be open for you until your soul reaches the throat.’
Adam again asked, ‘Add to me!’ Allah responded, ‘I forgive, and I will not be asked.’
Adam said, ‘That’s enough for me.’
Iblis’ weapon is that for every one of Adam’s descendants, he gives birth to two who stand beside him. Iblis and his descendants have direct access to our souls and consciousness, seeing us without us seeing them. Our defense is that for every evil deed, we receive one reward, and for every good deed, ten. Repentance is open to us until death. No matter how many sins a person commits, Allah can forgive them if they repent, nullifying the shaitans’ influence.
Now, after Iblis was cursed, Adam remained in Jannah, the garden or paradise. In Surah al-Baqarah, verse 35, we read:
“We said, ‘O Adam! Dwell in Paradise and eat from it, but do not approach this tree, lest you become among the wrongdoers.'”
The question arises: what kind of Paradise is this and what tree is it?
The Quran uses the word “jannah,” meaning both “garden” and “paradise.” This word is used for earthly gardens and the Paradise of the Hereafter. The hadiths from Ahl al-Bayt agree that Adam was in the Jannah of the near world, not the Paradise of the Hereafter. Imam Sadiq said, “If Adam had been in the Paradise of the Hereafter, he would never have been taken out of there.” Didn’t Allah say that people will dwell in the Paradise of the Hereafter forever?
So, Adam was in the Jannah of the near world. Allah said, “I will create a caliph on earth.” But why did He create him in the heavens?
More questions arise. If it was an earthly garden, how could Adam see angels, enjoy its blessings, and mourn its loss? Didn’t Allah say, “Fall down from there, all of you!” Where did they fall if everything was on earth?
The answer is that these events took place not just on earth but in the paradise of Barzakh, connected to the earth and the near world. There is the Paradise and Hell of Barzakh, where believers go after death. What Barzakh is and its Paradise and Hell will not be explained here, as it would divert from the topic. Suffice to say, according to verses and hadiths, after Imam Mahdi’s advent, the long era of Rajah will begin, connecting our earth with the Paradise and Hell of Barzakh. Hadiths mention that enemies of Ahl al-Bayt will be revived and tormented, visible to all earth’s inhabitants. The Hell of Barzakh will manifest on earth, and the “two dark green gardens” mentioned in Surah Rahman will appear, near Kufa initially, then in Mecca and Medina, and throughout the earth, transforming its appearance. Allah says in Surah Maryam:
“The Gardens of Eden, which the Merciful promised to His servants, are indeed fulfilled. There, they hear no idle talk but ‘Peace!’ They receive provisions in the morning and evening.”
These are the gardens of the near world, not the Hereafter, as there is no morning or evening there. Hadiths also indicate that Adam’s garden was near Kufa, where the angels bowed down, as Imam Ali (A) says.
So, after Imam Mahdi’s advent, the paradise gardens of Barzakh will reappear on earth, as they were during Adam’s creation. Adam was created and lived there until he approached the forbidden tree, after which Allah expelled him. “Expelled” means He rolled up and removed these gardens, as Allah said, “Come out from there all together!” This word does not mean “to fall” but “to come out.”
This question has been clarified. We will address the forbidden tree and Adam’s sin in the next part.
