Return to Eden
Lessons from the Creation, Fall, and Redemption of Adam — Chapter One: The Creation of the Universe
Salafi Aqidah
Islamic Scholarship
A Summary of the Creation
The eminent scholar Ḥāfiẓ Ḥakamī (d. 1377 AH) summarized the story of Adam in poetry, capturing the essence of creation theology. His verses of poetry establish the foundational truths of Islamic belief about the universe's origin.
Tawḥīd — Divine Oneness
"Know that Allah, and none other than Him, is the Lord, and there is no true deity except Allah. All else besides Him is a created subject of Him, and it is obligatory upon them to worship Him."
Qadar — Divine Decree
"All of them are creations of His, destined and determined; before this, nothing existed to be mentioned. He carried out what was predestined in the Preserved Tablet, written by the Pen by His prior knowledge from before time."
Creation in Six Days
"He built seven heavens in firmaments and created the seven earths similarly. Over the course of six days He began them proportionately, by His power, and then He ascended above the Throne."
Origins of Creation
"His Throne was above the water, as revealed in both the divine scriptures, clearly and definitively. And He created the angels from lights, and the jinn were created from a smokeless fire."
I. Allah's Throne Above Primordial Waters
Allah says: {And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His Throne was upon the water, that He might test you as to which of you is best in deed.}
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah was, and nothing existed besides Him. His Throne was upon the water, and He wrote in the Book all things and created the heavens and the earth."
Ibn Ḥajar (d. 852 AH)
"Water and the Throne were the origin of this world, as they were created before the creation of the heavens and the earth. At that time, beneath the Throne, there was only water."
Scholarly Discussion
Early scholars engaged in fruitful discussions about Allah's first creation — was it the Pen, the Throne, or the Water? Al-Muhallab (d. 435 AH) affirmed that investigating the origins of things is permissible in Islamic law, though a scholar should exercise caution with those prone to doubt or misunderstanding.
The Majesty of the Throne
The Throne (ʿArsh) is the greatest of all created things — its vastness surpasses all comprehension. The Prophet ﷺ said: "O Abu Dharr, the seven heavens with the Kursi are like a ring thrown into a vast desert, and the superiority of the Throne over the Kursi is like the superiority of the desert over the ring."
Ibn ʿAbbās
"The Kursi is the place for the two feet, and the Throne is of inestimable greatness."
Ibn Abī Zamanīn (d. 399 AH)
"Allah created the Throne and singled it out for elevation above all that He created. Then He ascended upon it as He willed and has informed us about Himself."
Ibn Kathīr (d. 774 AH)
"The Throne is a sovereign seat with supports carried by the angels. It is like a dome over the universe and the ceiling of all creation."
Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH)
"The Throne is a creation of Allah, and it bears no comparison to Allah's power and greatness." The Kursī encompasses the heavens and the earth, yet the Throne is greater still.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "When you ask Allah, ask Him for Al-Firdaws, for it is Paradise's center and highest part. Above it is the Throne of the Most Merciful, and the rivers of Paradise flow from it."
Otherworldly Waters
Abu Hurayrah asked the Prophet ﷺ to inform him of everything, and he replied: "Everything was created from water." Ibn Rajab (d. 795 AH) explains this indicates that water is the origin and substance of all creation.
Waters Beneath the Throne
Ibn Taymiyyah reports from the companions and their successors that when Allah's Throne was upon the water, He created the heaven from the vapor of the water and dried the earth — consistent with what is found in the Torah. Al-Fayūmī (d. 870 AH) adds: "Beneath the Throne is a vast ocean, the magnitude of which none knows except Allah."
Al-Biqāʿī (d. 885 AH) notes that the Throne and water are upheld by Divine power alone, "without any other proximate or distant cause — affirming that His power is of immeasurable degrees of magnificence."
Rivers of Paradise
The Prophet ﷺ said: "In Paradise, there is a sea of water, a sea of milk, a sea of honey, and a sea of wine. Then rivers flow out from them thereafter."
Anas ibn Mālik described the rivers of Paradise: "One of their banks is made of pearls, the other of rubies, and their soil is pure musk."
Al-Munāwī (d. 1031 AH) explains the order: water is the essence of life, honey is a cure, milk represents purity of nature, and wine is for those deprived of it in this world.
The Sidrat al-Muntahā & Earthly Rivers
During the Miʿrāj (heavenly ascension), the Prophet ﷺ was shown the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary and four rivers: two hidden rivers in Paradise, and two visible ones — the Nile and the Euphrates.
Sidrat al-Muntahā
Ibn al-Jawzī summarizes: it is the utmost point to which everything ascends from the earth and is received, and to which what descends from above is received. The knowledge of all the angels does not go beyond it. Its root is in the sixth heaven; its branches extend into the seventh.
Rivers of Paradise on Earth
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Sayhan, Jayhan, the Euphrates, and the Nile — all are rivers of Paradise." Al-Nawawī (d. 676 AH) explains: "The rivers flow from its base, then continue as Allah wills, until they emerge from the earth." This is neither opposed by reason nor revelation.
The Nile's Divine Providence
Ibn Mufliḥ (d. 763 AH) notes that the land watered by the Nile is inherently barren without it. Allah has directed this great river from a distant place and ordained its increase at specific times according to the land's needs — "Glorified is He, Who is capable of all things."
The Pen & The Preserved Tablet
The first creations were the water, the Throne, the Pen, and the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ). The Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah decreed the destinies of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth. His Throne was upon the water."
Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH) explains these as layered decrees: the daily, the yearly, the life-long, and the primordial — each a detailed elaboration of the one before it. "This is evidence of the perfection of the Lord's knowledge, power, and wisdom." Allah says: {Every day He is bringing about a matter} — forgiving sins, relieving distress, giving life, causing death, elevating and abasing as He wills.
II. The Beginning of Time
The phrase {He created the heavens and the Earth in six days} appears in seven places in the Qur'an. Scholars differed on whether these were days like ours or each equivalent to a thousand years, as stated by Mujāhid and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
What Is a "Day" Before Creation?
Abu Suʿūd (d. 982 AH) notes: "The very concept of a 'day' — which refers to the duration of the sun's presence above the earth — cannot be conceived when neither earth nor sky existed." Ibn Taymiyyah adds that absolute time is the measure of absolute motion, and there were motions and times even before the sun and moon were created.
Time in Paradise
Ibn Taymiyyah notes that even in the Hereafter, after the sun and moon cease, there will still be motions and times in Paradise. Allah says: {And they will have their provision therein, morning and evening.} The people of Paradise will recognize day and night by lights appearing from the direction of the Throne, and there is a special Day of Increase — Friday — known by its distinct, powerful lights.
Why Create in Stages Instead of All at Once?
Allah could have created everything in an instant — {His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, 'Be,' and it is.} Yet He chose six days. Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597 AH) summarizes five reasons, with additional insights from other scholars:
1
Magnificence for Witnesses
Allah intended to bring about, in each day, a great matter that the angels and all who witnessed it would regard as magnificent (Ibn al-Anbārī).
2
Honor for Adam
The deliberate preparation of what was created for Adam and his descendants before their existence made him more esteemed in the sight of the angels.
3
Wisdom Over Power
Hastening would demonstrate power; gradual creation demonstrates wisdom. Allah manifests His power in "Be, and it is" — and His wisdom in the six days.
4
Teaching Deliberation
Sa'īd ibn Jubayr: "Allah could create in an instant, yet He made them in six days to teach His creation patience and deliberation." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Deliberation is from Allah, and haste is from Satan."
5
Ruling Out Chance
The gradual creation of things, one after another, is further from the assumption that creation happened by nature or by accident (Ibn al-Jawzī). Al-Qurṭubī adds: it also shows that everything with Allah has an appointed time — including the delay of punishment for sinners.
Imam Bin Bāz (d. 1420 AH): "Allah created them in six days to teach His servants not to rush, so that they reflect upon matters and act with wisdom… He did not say 'the most deeds' but 'the best deeds' — what matters is perfection, completion, and excellence."
III. The Creation of the Earth & Heavens
Allah says: {Say, do you indeed disbelieve in He who created the earth in two days?… And He placed on it firm mountains and determined therein its sustenance in four days… Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke… So He completed them as seven heavens in two days.} [Fuṣṣilat: 9–12]
Ibn ʿAbbās reconciled apparent contradictions: the earth was first created in two days (not yet spread), then the heavens were fashioned in two days, then the earth was spread out with mountains and provisions in two more days — totaling four days for the earth and two for the heavens, equaling six. Ibn Ḥajar confirms: "This is what is relied upon."
The Days of Earth's Detailed Creation
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ took his hand and said: "Allah created the earth on Saturday, the mountains on Sunday, the trees on Monday, the things that are disliked on Tuesday, the light on Wednesday, scattered the animals on Thursday, and created Adam after the afternoon on Friday — in the last hour, between the afternoon and the night."
1
Saturday
The earth (soil/ground) created
2
Sunday
Mountains created within it
3
Monday
Trees created
4
Tuesday
Al-taqn (minerals, insects) created
5
Wednesday
Light created
6
Thursday
Animals scattered across the earth
7
Friday
Adam created — last of all creation, after ʿAṣr
Imam al-Albānī (d. 1421 AH) clarifies: "The seven days in the hadith are different from the six days in the Qur'an. The hadith provides additional detail about what Allah carried out on the earth — it adds to the Qur'an without contradicting it."
Life on Earth: Origins & Sustenance
Allah says: {Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were in a closed-up state, and We cleft them and made from water every living thing?} [Al-Anbiyāʾ: 30]
Five Interpretations of "Ratq & Fatq"
Al-Shinqīṭī (d. 1393 AH) outlines five scholarly views on this verse. The strongest, supported by Qur'anic context and favored by Ibn Jarīr and Ibn ʿAṭiyyah: the sky did not rain and the earth did not produce vegetation — until Allah separated the sky with rain and the earth with vegetation. This is supported by the Qur'an's frequent use of rain and vegetation as signs of Allah's power.
Divine Provision for All Creatures
Ibn Kathīr (d. 774 AH): "Allah mentions what He created on the earth — mountains, trees, fruits, plains, valleys, and all creatures — pointing to His greatness, power, wisdom, and mercy. He has made provisions for every creature during its night and day, summer and winter." Allah says: {And there is no creature on the earth whose provision is not due from Allah.}
Seven Earths?
The Qur'an and authentic Sunnah mention seven earths. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever wrongfully takes even a handspan of land, it will be placed around his neck from the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection." Ibn Taymiyyah notes consensus among scholars of hadith on this.
The Majority View
Al-Qurṭubī: "Seven earths layered one above the other, with a distance between each earth similar to the distance between one heaven and another. Each earth has inhabitants from among Allah's creation."
Scholarly Caution
Ibn al-Qayyim cites Ibn Masʿūd: "When you convey a matter to people that their intellects cannot grasp, it becomes a source of trial for some of them." Ibn ʿAbbās, when asked about the seven earths, replied: "What assures you that if I explained it, you would still believe?"
Practical Guidance
ʿAṭiyyah Sālim (d. 1420 AH): "We say: We believe in Allah and in what has come from Allah by the intent of the Messenger… It is sufficient that hadiths of warning be passed on as they came, without delving into detailed interpretation. The wording is enough to deter anyone tempted to commit injustice."
IV. "The Most Merciful Rose Above the Throne"
Allah says: {The Most Merciful rose over the Throne.} [Ṭāhā: 5] Al-Awzāʿī said: "We and the Tābiʿūn in great numbers used to say: Indeed, Allah — Exalted is His mention — is above His Throne, and we believe in what has been reported in the Sunnah regarding His attributes."
Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh affirmed: "There is a consensus among the scholars that He is above the Throne and knows everything in the lowest of the seven earths and the depths of the seas." ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim reported that scholars across all lands — Ḥijāz, Iraq, Shām, and Yemen — held: "Allah is above His Throne, distinct from His creation, as He has described Himself — without asking how. He has encompassed all things in knowledge."
Al-Shinqīṭī clarifies the correct creed of the Salaf: free from both anthropomorphism (likening Allah to creation) and negation (denying scripturally affirmed attributes) — "untainted by either, in light of the mighty Qur'an."
Mercy Above the Throne
The Prophet ﷺ said: "When Allah finished the creation, He wrote in His Book, which is with Him above the Throne: 'My mercy precedes My anger.'"
Ibn al-Qayyim's Insight
"His Throne is His vastest creation, and mercy is His vastest attribute. He ascended above His Throne — which extends over all of creation — with the attribute of His mercy that encompasses everything. This book, akin to a covenant from Him to all of creation, is for their mercy, forgiveness, pardon, covering, delay of punishment, forbearance, and patience. The establishment of the heavens and the earth is based upon the content of this book."
Allah's Self-Sufficiency
Ibn Taymiyyah: "He is above His heavens, upon His Throne, distinct from His creation. He is independent of the Throne and all creation; He does not need anything from His creation. Instead, He is the One who, by His power, bears the Throne and those who carry it." Allah describes Himself: {The entire earth will be within His grip on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand.}
The Throne-Bearing Angels
Allah says: {Those who bear the Throne and those around it exalt Allah with praise of their Lord and believe in Him and ask forgiveness for those who have believed, saying: 'Our Lord, You have encompassed all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who have repented.'}
The Greatest of Angels
Al-Saʿdī (d. 1376 AH): "These angels have been appointed by Allah to bear His mighty Throne. There is no doubt they are among the greatest, most powerful, and most majestic of the angels. Allah's selection of them, His mentioning them first, and their nearness to Him indicate they are the most superior of all angelic beings."
Their Immense Size
The Prophet ﷺ said: "I was granted permission to speak about an angel from among the bearers of the Throne: the distance between his earlobe and his shoulder is a journey of seven hundred years." Another hadith describes an angel whose feet pass through the seventh earth while the Throne rests upon his shoulders, saying: "Glory be to You! How great You are, our Lord!"
Their Intercession for Believers
Al-Saʿdī: "Allah informs us of His complete kindness toward His believing servants and how He has facilitated means of their happiness beyond their control — such as the intercession and supplication of the closest of His angels on their behalf, praying for what ensures the rectitude of their religion and afterlife."
Veils of Light
Above the Throne, Allah has veiled Himself from His creation. The Prophet ﷺ said: "His veil is light — if He were to unveil it, the splendor of His Face would burn whatever His sight reaches from His creation." (In Abu Bakr's narration: "fire.")
Ibn ʿUmar on the Veils
"Allah has veiled Himself from His creation with four: fire, darkness, light, and darkness."
ʿUthmān al-Dārimī (d. 280 AH)
"Allah veiled Himself from His creation with this fire by His power and authority. Had He willed to unveil it, the brilliance of His Light would have burned everything His sight encompasses. When He manifested Himself to that particular mountain, had He done so to all the mountains of the earth, they would all have crumbled."
Why the Veil?
ʿUthmān al-Dārimī: "He veiled Himself from them in this world and called them to believe in Him in the unseen… so that those whom He has destined for happiness would believe in Him. Had He unveiled Himself, all on earth would have believed without the need for messengers, scriptures, or preachers, and none would have dared to disobey Him even for the blink of an eye."
The Greatest Reward
The Prophet ﷺ said: "When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, Allah will say: 'Do you want anything more?' They will say: 'Have You not brightened our faces? Have You not admitted us into Paradise?' Then the veil will be lifted, and they will not be given anything more beloved to them than looking at their Lord."
Ibn al-Qayyim on Divine Majesty
"Imagine if all the beauty of creation, from the first to the last, were gathered in one person, and then all of creation possessed the same beauty as that one person. Their beauty in comparison to the beauty of the Lord would be no more than a weak lamp compared to the sun's mass.""The same applies to His power, His knowledge, His hearing, His sight, His speech, His ability, His mercy, His wisdom, His generosity, and all of His attributes. If the splendor of His most exalted Face cannot be withstood by any of His creation — such that, if He lifted the veil of light, it would burn the entire upper and lower realms — then what does that suggest about the majesty of that noble Face, its grandeur, its immensity, its perfection, and its glory?!"
Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH) — commenting on the hadith of the veil
V. "Allah Created the Heavens & Earth in Truth"
Allah says: {He created the heavens and the earth in truth. Exalted is He above what they associate.} Ibn al-Qayyim explains that "truth" here refers to the wisdoms and praiseworthy purposes for which all creation was brought into existence.
Ibn al-Qayyim concludes: "Creation exists by truth, for truth, and is infused with truth — it originates from truth, leads to truth, and is composed of truth." The believers say: {Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You!} — while Allah says that to believe creation is aimless is the assumption of the disbelievers.
The World Was Created for Man's Benefit
Allah says: {It is He who created for you all that is on the earth.} Qatādah: "He made subservient to you all that is on the earth, as an honor from Allah and a blessing for the son of Adam."
Two Types of Knowledge from Creation
Al-Saʿdī (d. 1376 AH): Reflecting on creation yields two great types of knowledge — (1) evidence of Allah's perfect attributes, majesty, wisdom, and blessings; and (2) extracting practical benefits. "All the various arts and crafts, in their diversity and excellence — especially in our time — are part of the benefits of what He has subjected to us."
Guidance Across All Creation
Al-Rāghib al-Aṣfahānī (d. 502 AH): Allah guides inanimate objects through subjugation, animals through instinct and inspiration (as with bees building hexagonal hives), and angels through innate intellect. For humans, He added reason and reflection — enabling them to create tools, develop industries, and subdue creatures stronger than themselves.
Man as the Purpose of Creation
Al-Rāghib: "The purpose of the world and its creation, step by step, is to bring the human being into existence… The purpose of rational souls is to carry out Allah's vicegerency on Earth. By fulfilling its duties, the soul reaches eternal bliss." Allah says: {I am placing a vicegerent on Earth.}
Conclusion: Why Adam Was Created Last
Humanity was created perfect from the outset — the Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah created Adam with a height of sixty cubits." Adam was made the last of all creations. Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH) enumerates ten wise reasons for this:
Preparation of the Home
The dwelling must be prepared before the inhabitant arrives.
The Ultimate Purpose
Adam is the purpose for which all other things were created — the heavens, earth, sun, moon, land, and sea.
The Craftsman's Finest Work
The most skilled craftsmen complete their work with the best finishing, just as they begin with the foundation.
Souls Anticipate the End
Souls are always eager to know the endings — as Moses said to the magicians: "Throw what you are throwing," and the people looked forward to what would come after.
The Best Is Saved for Last
Allah delayed the best of books, prophets, and nations until the end of time. He made the Hereafter better than the first life, and the ends more complete than the beginnings.
Adam Is the Microcosm
Allah gathered what He divided in the world within Adam — he is the small world, and within him is what exists in the great world.
The Essence and Fruit of Existence
Adam is the essence of existence and its fruit; thus it was fitting that his creation came after all other beings.
Divine Honor
Allah prepared Adam's needs, means of sustenance, and reasons for life — so that when he raised his head, everything was already ready and available.
Revealing His Honor Over Creation
When Allah created Adam and commanded the angels to prostrate, his superiority through knowledge was revealed. When Adam sinned and repented, the angels realized Allah has a secret in His creation that no one else knows.
The Pen and the Scholar
Allah began creation with the Pen — the tool of knowledge — and fittingly concluded it with man, the scholar. This is why He showed Adam's superiority over the angels through the knowledge given to him alone.
Key Takeaways from Chapter One
Tawḥīd First
The creation story's most important lesson: Allah alone is Lord and deity. All creation is obligated to worship Him.
Everything Is Decreed
Fifty thousand years before the heavens and earth, Allah wrote all destinies. Everything happens precisely as He knew and decreed.
Deliberation Is Divine
Creation in six days — despite Allah's ability to create in an instant — teaches that excellence requires deliberation, not haste.
Creation Has Purpose
The universe was created in truth, for truth, and bears witness to truth. Nothing was created in vain — all points to Allah's names, attributes, and the ultimate purpose of worship.
"Contemplate the lines of creation, for they are messages sent from the highest realm to you. And it has been inscribed therein, if you ponder its writing: 'Indeed, everything, except Allah, is vain.'" — Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH)