Verse 117
Ta-Ha • makkah
View Aspects
2:35; 7:12, 13; 15:27-34; 17:62; 18:51; 38:72-75.
2:35; 7:12, 13; 15:27-34; 17:62; 18:51; 38:72-75.
2:35; 7:12-13; 15:27-34; 17:62; 18:51; 38:72-75.
Commentary:
Who was this Adam who is mentioned in this verse and when and where he lived, is apertinent question. Adam, who lived about 6000 years ago is popularly believed to be the first man created by God upon this earth. This view is neither substantiated and proved by facts of history nor supported by the Quran. The truth is that the world has passed through different cycles of creation and civilization, and Adam, the progenitor of the present human race, was only the first link in the present cycle and not the very first man in God’s creation. There must have lived many Adams before him. Modern science has computed one million years as the age of human race. (Enc. Brit. 14th Edit., p.767). It is not claimed that the race which lived before Adam was entirely swept away before he was born. Most probably there had remained a small remnant of the old race and Adam was one of them. But he himself became the progenitor of a new race and the precursor of a new civilization. It is difficult to say whether the original inhabitants of America, Australia, etc. are the progeny of this last Adam, or some other Adam who had gone before him. Iraq is considered by archaeologists to be the place where Adam lived. See also 2:31 and 7:12.
The expression اسجدوا لآدم (submit to Adam)does not mean, "prostrate before Adam", because prostration before anything or being except God is, according to the Quran, a heinous sin and therefore completely forbidden (41:38). So prostration before Adam by way of worship being opposed to the express teaching of the Quran, a command to that effect could never have proceeded from God. The expression therefore has evidently been used here in the sense of "obey Adam" or "submit to Adam" i.e. "assist him in the discharge of his great duties." This is a Divine command which is given to the angels and through them to all men whenever a messenger of God appears in the world. A reference to this fact is to be found in a famous saying of the Holy Prophet. He is reported to have said: "When God loves a person He communicates this fact to the Arch-angel Gabriel who also begins to love him and proclaims in heaven that God loves a certain person. Upon this all the angels in heaven also begin to love him. The process continues till the person comes to be loved by all good and righteous men on earth" (Bukhari, Kitab bad’ul-Khalq). Thus the command to the angels to submit to Adam applied to Iblis also. Elsewhere it is expressly stated in the Quran (7:13) that Iblis was also commanded to submit to Adam. So there is no point in the objection that as only the angels were commanded to submit, Iblis could not have been justifiably called to account for not carrying out this command.
أبی (he refused). Iblis refused to obey Adam because (1) he considered the teaching of Adam to be against his interests; (2) he looked upon Adam as of lower status to himself; (3) he regarded the ideals of Adam as incapable of being achieved and because also (4) he led a life of deceit and falsehood. See also 2:35, 36, 37.
d
2:35; 7:12, 13; 15:27-34; 17:62; 18:51; 38:72-75.
a
2:35; 7:12-13; 15:27-34; 17:62; 18:51; 38:72-75.
2325
Commentary:
Who was this Adam who is mentioned in this verse and when and where he lived, is apertinent question. Adam, who lived about 6000 years ago is popularly believed to be the first man created by God upon this earth. This view is neither substantiated and proved by facts of history nor supported by the Quran. The truth is that the world has passed through different cycles of creation and civilization, and Adam, the progenitor of the present human race, was only the first link in the present cycle and not the very first man in God’s creation. There must have lived many Adams before him. Modern science has computed one million years as the age of human race. (Enc. Brit. 14th Edit., p.767). It is not claimed that the race which lived before Adam was entirely swept away before he was born. Most probably there had remained a small remnant of the old race and Adam was one of them. But he himself became the progenitor of a new race and the precursor of a new civilization. It is difficult to say whether the original inhabitants of America, Australia, etc. are the progeny of this last Adam, or some other Adam who had gone before him. Iraq is considered by archaeologists to be the place where Adam lived. See also 2:31 and 7:12.
The expression اسجدوا لآدم (submit to Adam)does not mean, "prostrate before Adam", because prostration before anything or being except God is, according to the Quran, a heinous sin and therefore completely forbidden (41:38). So prostration before Adam by way of worship being opposed to the express teaching of the Quran, a command to that effect could never have proceeded from God. The expression therefore has evidently been used here in the sense of "obey Adam" or "submit to Adam" i.e. "assist him in the discharge of his great duties." This is a Divine command which is given to the angels and through them to all men whenever a messenger of God appears in the world. A reference to this fact is to be found in a famous saying of the Holy Prophet. He is reported to have said: "When God loves a person He communicates this fact to the Arch-angel Gabriel who also begins to love him and proclaims in heaven that God loves a certain person. Upon this all the angels in heaven also begin to love him. The process continues till the person comes to be loved by all good and righteous men on earth" (Bukhari, Kitab bad’ul-Khalq). Thus the command to the angels to submit to Adam applied to Iblis also. Elsewhere it is expressly stated in the Quran (7:13) that Iblis was also commanded to submit to Adam. So there is no point in the objection that as only the angels were commanded to submit, Iblis could not have been justifiably called to account for not carrying out this command.
أبی (he refused). Iblis refused to obey Adam because (1) he considered the teaching of Adam to be against his interests; (2) he looked upon Adam as of lower status to himself; (3) he regarded the ideals of Adam as incapable of being achieved and because also (4) he led a life of deceit and falsehood. See also 2:35, 36, 37.
a
2:35; 7:12, 13; 15:27-34; 17:62; 18:51; 38:72-75.