There are several questions that have been raised by sceptics on the earliest creation and existence of humankind narrated in the Qur’an.
S2:30-38 Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: “I will create a vicegerent on earth.” They said: “Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy name?” He said: “I know what ye know not.”
And He taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the angels, and said: “Tell me the names of these if ye are right.”
They said: “Glory to Thee, of knowledge We have none, save what Thou Hast taught us: In truth it is Thou Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom.”
He said: “O Adam! Tell them their names.” When he had told them, Allah said: “Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and I know what ye reveal and what ye conceal?”
And behold, We said to the angels: “Prostrate down to Adam” and they prostrated down. Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: He was of those who reject Faith.
We said: “O Adam! dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden; and eat of the bountiful things therein as (where and when) ye will; but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression.”
Then did Satan make them slip from the garden, and get them out of the state of felicity in which they had been. We said: “Get ye down, all (ye people), with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood for a time.”
Then learnt Adam from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord Turned towards him; for He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.
We said: “Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance from me, whosoever follows My guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
These passages bring up several questions by the sceptics.
First, how did the angels know what the condition of man would be prior to his creation? Where did they get the idea that man would be a violent creature? Who told them? The text does not say anything about Allah giving them this piece of information. Are angels omniscient?
Secondly, Allah secretly teaches Adam unspecified names in order to silence the angels for complaining against man. Was it not unfair for Allah to teach Adam these names and then proceed to challenge the angels to do likewise? Does Allah have to use deception and lies in order to vindicate himself against the charges brought against Adam by the angels (charges which turned out to be correct)? Is it not obvious that Adam would have been just as ignorant as the angels were regarding these things had it not been for Allah teaching him? What kind of vindication is this seeing that Adam only knew of these names because Allah taught him, whereas the angels were ignorant because Allah had not taught them these things?
And how does the naming of things justify the creation of man despite all the evil and violence he will commit? After all, if there is a superior value in humans that justifies their creation, despite their violent and sinful behavior, then it should be stated in a clear way instead of using deceptive tricks that hardly show the superiority of humans.
Allah could have taught those names to anyone. This act of teaching man to name all things does not provide a sufficient reason at all why humans should be created despite the fact that they will shed blood. Allah could have simply taught those names to the angels, and then somebody would know them (if that was the objective), without there being bloodshed. So what is the point of the story, really?
Thirdly, after using deception to silence the angels Allah then proceeds to command the angels to worship the man. This command to worship was obviously the result of the man having bested them by naming the things which Allah had personally taught him. We therefore need to ask, why make angels worship Adam for being able to name things that they could not when the man only knew these names as a result of Allah having taught them to him? And why is Allah commanding them to bow down to Adam, a creature, when it is absolutely forbidden to do so in Islam? If it is argued that the prostration signified respect and not worship then why are such acts of respect forbidden in Islam today? It is obvious that Allah, unlike the true God of the Holy Bible, is always changing his mind and commands as time goes by.
To answer the first question the angels did not know the condition of man prior to his creation but the situational happening on earth gave them the idea that man will do the same if he is being placed there on earth. It is stated in the Quran at –
S31:10 He created the heavens without any pillars that ye can see; He set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you; and He scattered through it beasts of all kinds.
From the information given by this verse on the beast it is undeniable that all the beasts as we know it did not live in harmony on earth they have to fight for their food, kill one another with other species and this is as a sign that the angels knew that man will do the same if he is placed on earth.
On the second issue being raised that Allah teaches Adam to the disadvantage of the angels is absolutely justifiable as in the first place the angels declined Allah’s intention to create human by saying “we celebrate thy praises and glorify thy holy name.” as if they will be in that comfort situation all the time.
Thus, from the situation of being self-esteemed of the angels it can be seen that the teaching of naming things to Adam
served a purpose which is a mean to establish Allah Himself as the sole knower of all things, not the angels who gave their reason by circumstantial evidences.
There is therefore no deception when Allah teaches Adam the name of things as it is His prerogative whom He wish to give more knowledge than the others even if it
involved the angels.
Nevertheless the main issue of the story is that when Allah decides on a matter it is to be obeyed and not to be opposed or contested by the angels.
On the third accusation it is a misinterpretation on the part of the sceptics to say that Allah commanded the angel to worship Adam. In the Quran prostration also means to show respect or humility to others by the lowering of the chin while still on the standing position as described –
S17:107 Say: “Whether ye believe in it or not, it is true that those who were given knowledge beforehand, when it is recited to them, lower down for the chin (lilazkhani) in humble prostration.
And in another example of prostration where humility and modesty is done while walking with the chin lowered –
S2:58 And when We said, “Enter this city and eat from it wherever you will in abundance, and enter the gate prostrating humbly and say, ‘Relieve us of our burdens.’ We will then forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward].”
The action is still lowering the chin while standing or walking but would not be of that of prostration with head falls on the ground.
The act of humility which is inappropriate and reserved only for Allah in Islam is “prostration in submission” which display the humblest position by putting the forehead on the ground as described when Abraham put his son in a position of submission as stated in –
S37:103 So when they had both submitted their wills, and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead for sacrifice………
The above example is the kind of prostration on the forehead that is reserved for Allah with a clear demarcation of humility described in the Quran for living human and for Allah.
Thus, the command to the angels in prostration is to show some respect to Adam and at the same time to obey Allah’s command but not as misunderstood earlier by the sceptics claiming that prostration is to worship Adam.
Pondering with Saifuddin's index 