Story of Adam

Story of Adam - Khutbah by Nouman Ali Khan

Opening Du'a

"O Allah, make us among those who believe and do righteous deeds and advise each other to truth and advise each other to patience. Ameen, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, make us firm upon death with the statement, 'There is no god but Allah.' My Lord, expand for me my breast [with assurance] and ease for me my task and untie the knot from my tongue that they may understand my speech."

By time,

My Lord, expand for me my breast [with assurance]

And ease for me my task

And untie the knot from my tongue

That they may understand my speech.

Introduction: The Importance of Adam's Story

What I hope to do is explore the story of Adam. This story is mentioned in two major places in the Quran - it's referred to seven times in the Quran, but it's talked about in some depth in two places: in Surah Al-Baqarah and again in Surah Al-A'raf. In this series of khutbahs that I'll be conducting with you, we'll go through the ayat of Surah Al-A'raf. I have done a detailed study and a lecture series on the Baqarah ayat, so this will be a different dimension. You'll see that even though you might think it's the same story - Allah has already told the story of Adam - it's actually a completely different dimension of the story that's mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf.

Understanding Our Past to Know Our Identity

I want to start today by giving you an appreciation of why it's important for us to know the story of Adam (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) - really the earliest lesson in history. You could think of it as the first lesson in human history.

Imagine for a moment that you woke up today and you have no recollection of anything about your life except what happened in the last 24 hours. You know nothing else - you don't know who your parents are, you don't know your name, you don't know what your history is, where your home is. If you don't know your past - your own personal past - then you actually don't know yourself.

Our sense of identity is actually tied to our sense of knowing our past. Knowing our parents is part of knowing our past. Knowing our family is part of knowing our past. Even knowing our language, our upbringing, our friends, our likes, our dislikes - all of it is connected to the experiences we've had in our past. So not having a sense of what happened in the past is actually a loss of a sense of identity.

The Ummah as One Body

It's significant that in the Quran Allah (عز وجل - azza wa jal) across the Quran emphasizes lessons from history. The Prophet of Allah describes all believers - the Quran talks about previous Prophets, all of them, and then says: this is all your nation, one nation. This means not just the Ummah of Muhammad but everyone who believed from the beginning is actually one nation - one giant Ummah, and Allah is their master:

And I am your Lord

On top of that, the Prophet would describe the entire Ummah:

(Bukhari hadith 6011)

Like a body, like one person. Just like a person who forgot their past and can't remember it - they have amnesia of some kind and can't identify themselves - anyone that's a member of this Ummah faces the same thing. If we don't know our past, we actually don't know who we are. We don't have a complete sense of identity.

Correcting Misconceptions About Creation

My other motivation for going through this story is that for lots of people who have been raised without a formal Islamic education, or young people who have gone to public school, or people who have had limited education or seen things on TV, the story of creation - the story of Adam and Hawwa - is often confused with the Christian or Jewish version of the story.

Even among Muslims, we don't really know the true version. I've talked to lots of Muslim kids who say, "I think there was a snake and there was an apple or something." The Christian imagery is actually very prevalent even in Muslim minds. It's important to go back and refresh our understanding, because the Quran came to actually correct the stories that were already deviated and altered from the original teachings of Allah.

Allah retold the stories in the Quran not to reinforce what was already there in the Bible or Old Testament, but actually to correct the changes that were made - to bring back the actual history. If you have false information about your past, your sense of identity becomes false.

Allah's Generous Provision on Earth

Before Allah starts the story in Surah Al-A'raf, He says:

"We settled you down in the land" - meaning Allah placed us in this world and He settled us down. He wanted us to have stability here. He wanted us to have a stable, good life here. And He didn't stop there. He said: "and we placed in this life for you lots of means by which you can have (معيش - ma'aayish)."

In Arabic (معيش - ma'aayish) actually means to live well - (يعيش، عاش - ya'eesh, 'aash) - to live, but not just (حياة - hayaat) (life), but actually to live well. When you earn a living, that's also called (معيشة - ma'eesha). What He means is: He placed, or furnished for you, provided for you in this world things that you can use to live really well - luxuries, comforts.

Human Beings: A Special Creation

Allah made human beings different from other creatures on this earth. There's lots of life on this planet, but no other life puts ketchup on their food before they eat it. Nobody else has ratings on their food. The horse just eats whatever hay is in front of it and it's good, but we have taste buds. We say "I want more salt on this" or "I want this or that."

Unlike other animals - you don't put their food on a plate with napkins on the side asking "would you like some more?" You just throw it on the ground and they lick it off the floor. But human beings - look at how Allah gave us fruit, even the way He packaged fruit. The Quran describes:

And palm trees having fruit-sheathed clusters.

Allah gave us palm trees where every date is packaged in a gift wrap. Allah didn't just give you food - He beautified food for you, wrapped it for you.

Think of something as simple as an orange. You're smelling just the peel - you haven't even peeled it yet, but the peel itself is beautiful, has a scent. Compare the food packaging industry in the modern world to the food packaging that Allah does Himself. The packaging of a banana, an orange, a watermelon - it's already designed, beautifully colored.

When you have candy or other items, you throw the wrappers on the ground and they poison the earth. But when Allah packaged this food and you take a banana peel and throw it into the soil, it feeds the earth and is actually beneficial. SubhanAllah!

Allah made human beings - and I'm just highlighting food, but the way we live, the way we clothe ourselves, the things Allah gave us in this life - they're actually means by which we can live really well, much superior to any other creature on this earth.

The Purpose: Gratitude

Why did Allah do this? He says:

Little do you thank.

"How little you are grateful." The entire purpose of giving us good things in life was so you and I could become grateful. That's the only purpose - the fundamental reason.

Look at where the Quran begins - the first guidance of the Quran is "Alhamdulillahi" - just to be grateful, just to acknowledge the favor of Allah. That's the heart of it all.

Allah describes how ungrateful and miserable human beings can be, focusing on all the negative in their life and overlooking all the things Allah is doing for us:

Cursed is man; how disbelieving is he.

"The human being has been destroyed - how incredibly ungrateful can he be, how much in denial can he be?"

Life on Earth: Not a Punishment

We start the story from the perspective that we are supposed to be grateful for this life, that we're supposed to actually appreciate what Allah did for us here. He did not send us to the earth as a punishment.

The idea that Adam (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) ate from the tree, our parents got in trouble, and as a result they got expelled and ended up here - that's actually a very oversimplistic way of looking at that story, and it's not the way the Quran tells the story.

The Story of Iblis: A Lesson in Pride

Let me tell you a story. Imagine a young man who got his first job - entry level, like an internship, barely gets paid. He just gets his boss coffee, makes photocopies, does whatever they tell him. He's grateful to have this on his resume.

Later he gets promoted to part-time, then full-time, then becomes a manager. Years go by, he dedicates decades to the same company, keeps getting promoted until he's actually the VP of the company. He started from zero and worked his way up through all those promotions. Now there's only one spot above him - the owner of the company.

After putting in 20-30 years, one day the boss walks into his office with some teenage kid and says, "I want to introduce you to this kid - he's our new VP, he's taking your job. I think you should go get him some coffee, and you're sitting in his chair."

You can imagine what would happen next. The guy who earned his spot would say, "What are you talking about? Look at all the stuff I've done! What are his qualifications? What experience does he have? Is he even out of high school yet? This is ridiculous!"

Iblis: The Fallen Servant

I'm actually talking about Iblis - the devil who, before he was the devil, served Allah. Some accounts tell us he served Allah more than any other creation, so much so that he was even promoted above the ranks of angels. That's not easy to get.

Can you imagine competing with the worship of angels? Allah describes angels:

They do not disobey Allah in whatever He tells them to do.

Imagine a creation that has choice - human beings and jinns have choice - living an entire existence in so much obedience to Allah that you surpass the ranks of angels. That's an incredible amount of work and dedication.

When he's given that rank, Allah creates this new creation made of dirt - with no past, no history, nothing. All of a sudden, all the angels are gathered, and their senior management is gathered too. Even though he's not an angel, he was given rank above them, so he's gathered too.

The Command to Make Sajdah

Allah (عز وجل - azza wa jal) said:

And We have certainly created you, then fashioned you, then said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam."

"We created all of you, then we molded and fashioned all of you, then we said to the angels: make sajdah because of Adam."

There are two times in the Quran Allah mentions that people did sajdah to someone other than Allah: the sajdah by the angels supposedly to Adam (عليه السلام - alayhis salam), and the sajdah done by the brothers of Yusuf when the dream was fulfilled. But the لام is used - لام التعليل. It can be understood as "do sajdah because of Adam," not to Adam but because of Adam.

This is important because from the point of view of Ibrahim (عليه السلام - alayhis salam) Allah gave him the task of building the Kaaba and told him:

And purify My House for those who perform tawaf and those who are staying [there] for worship and those who bow [and] prostrate [in prayer].

Quran 22:26

He taught this religion to his sons Ismail and Ishaq, and they taught the same to their descendants. I can't imagine Ibrahim (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām) who was given the task of building the Kaaba, allowing for sajdah anywhere other than the Kaaba.

But you do find in the Quran that people do sajdah when they're overwhelmed by something Allah does - like when magicians were overwhelmed by the staff and fell into sajdah, not to the staff but because of the staff.

Iblis's Refusal and Justification

Allah's magnificent creation of the human being is such an amazing thing that He commands the angels to do sajdah - not necessarily to Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām) but because of him. They should be humbled by the creative power of Allah.

But Iblis says:

"You created me from fire, and You created him from mud, dirt, clay."

The Hidden Motivation

I want you to understand what Iblis was going to get if that rank was not given to Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām). Was he going to get wealth? Gardens? All this time - these centuries that he worshipped Allah and served Allah - he was allegedly doing it just to please Allah. He wasn't getting anything material from it. All he wanted actually was recognition, appreciation. "I just want to be recognized as the best because I put my work in."

This desire to be recognized, this desire to be appreciated, can overwhelm and be bigger than any material greed human beings have. Allah knew something about Iblis that was hiding inside him:

"I know what you show and what you have been hiding for a long time."

Among the angels, Iblis was hiding something in his heart for a long time. What he was hiding was: all of this wasn't for Allah - all of this was for recognition.

Common Ground Between Adam and Iblis

The things that are common between Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām) and Iblis:

• They were both created by Allah as special creations
• They were both given a supreme rank even above the angels
• They were both honored by Allah
• Later in this story, they both disobeyed Allah

What's the difference? When one of them made a mistake, he justified his mistake. He said, "Yeah, I messed up, I'm not gonna do sajdah, and here's why: because it doesn't make any logical sense. I have the rank, I have the experience, I have the better ingredients from which I was made. I don't see any common sense behind me having to do sajdah to him."

Adam's Response to His Mistake

On the other side, Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām) - when his mistake was made, you know Allah had announced before He even made Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām):

"I'm gonna put someone on the earth that will have generation after generation."

Allah didn't say "I'm gonna put someone in heaven." Allah said "I'm gonna put someone where? On the earth." The purpose of Adam's (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām) creation was actually to be on the earth from the beginning.

On the earth you're not gonna live forever:

"You're gonna live here, you're gonna die here." It's not like Jannah - (جَنَّةُ الْخُلْدِ - jannatu-l-khuld) - in Jannah you live there forever.

The Deception

Iblis comes to Adam and tells him, "Listen, I was there when the announcement was made. You're actually not supposed to stay here in Jannah. You're going to get demoted down to earth - this is why you were made. The only people that stay here are permanent residents. You want a green card? You better eat from that tree, because the only way you can stay here is:

Quran 7:20

"Either you become angels, or you have to be from those who live here forever."

"The only ones who live here forever are people who eat from that tree. Guess why He didn't tell you? He doesn't want you eating from that tree because if you eat from that tree, you'll become a citizen and then you can't be expelled. The plan is you're going to go down to the earth."

The Difference in Response

Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām) over time, is seduced - our parents are both seduced into making that historical mistake. They eat from that tree.

When Allah says, "Now you're going to go to the earth" after the mistake was made:

"Go down to the earth."

Couldn't Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām) have said, "Wait a second, what do you mean go down to the earth as punishment? You were sending me there all along - that was already the plan. It wasn't my fault that You're saying I'm going to the earth because I made this mistake. The announcement was already made that I was going to go to the earth."

The first human being could have asked that question. Yet when Iblis was criticized, he offered a logical excuse, and when Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām) was criticized, he could have offered a logical excuse. Yet his response was actually humility. He was embarrassed and understood: no matter how logical I think I am, I cannot be more logical or wise than the wisdom of Allah. When I make a mistake, I will take ownership instead of blaming Allah.

Taking Responsibility

When a choice comes between blaming God and blaming myself, I'm going to blame myself, whether I think I understand it or not. The real difference between Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām) and Iblis is not that they both didn't make a mistake - both of them made a mistake. But one of them finds a logical explanation to justify their mistake, and the other one says, "No matter how logical you might think, I made a mistake, I own it":

"Our Lord, we wronged ourselves."

Not just "we wronged" but "we wronged ourselves." They're taking full responsibility, not putting any of this on Allah.

The Eternal Pattern

There are going to be people on Judgment Day who will say to Allah:

"Had Allah only guided me, I would have been good."

Allah (عز وجل - ʿazza wa jall) took that excuse away from the first human being. That will be the difference between those who follow the way of Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām) and those who follow the way of the devil until the Day of Judgment.

All of us are going to make mistakes. This is why the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam) told us:

(Tirmidhi hadith 2499)

"All children of Adam make mistakes, and the best of those who make mistakes are those who keep repenting."

خَطَّاءٌ means people who make mistakes - we keep making successive mistakes. The best of those who make those mistakes are people who keep coming back to Allah and acknowledging that they've made a mistake - التَّوَّابُونَ - keep repenting over and over again, coming back to Allah over and over again.

The Root of Evil: Pride and Superiority

This is the starting point of the story of Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām). When Iblis refused to do sajdah, it was something inside him: first, a logical explanation, a logical excuse in his head, and second, a sense of superiority - "I deserve this, he doesn't."

Why does he deserve recognition? Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - ʿalayhi s-salām) didn't get some treasures - he got a tough life on this earth. Allah says:

"We created the human being in labor, in difficulty, in toil."

This life isn't easy. Even though Allah put luxurious things in this world, we all have to work. We get old, we get sick, we have bills to pay, we have difficulty and challenges in this life.

The Devil's Ongoing Strategy

What the devil wants is to come to each and every one of us and think, "How am I going to be recognized by others?" He's gonna keep putting that in your head and my head, making you compare yourself to others constantly.

One of the devil's easiest tricks: if you can't become better yourself, the easy thing to do is bring someone else down. Then you'll feel better automatically. You're still in the same place, but you just humiliate someone else, bring someone else down. Now you feel higher because they're lower.

Conclusion

My intention is that we revive our connection with this profound story and really find a new sense of identity through it. May Allah (عز وجل - ʿazza wa jall) accept our learning and our commitment to the book of Allah and open our hearts to its lessons. May Allah (عز وجل - ʿazza wa jall) accept our worship, and especially for our young, may Allah (عز وجل - ʿazza wa jall) give them a strong sense of identity as believers.

Closing Du'a

May Allah bless me and you with the Wise Quran and benefit me and you with its verses and wise remembrance.