Returning to Eden — Chapter Two

Returning to Eden — Chapter Two
Interlude
"When your Lord said to the angels, 'Indeed, I am creating a human from clay, and when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down to him in prostration.'" — Qur'an 38:71–72
The Creation of Adam: A Timeline
The Prophet ﷺ described the sequence of Allah's creation across the days of the week, culminating in the creation of Adam on Friday — the most honored day.
1
Saturday
Allah created the dirt (earth's soil)
2
Sunday
The mountains were created
3
Monday
The trees were created
4
Tuesday
Unpleasant things were created
5
Wednesday
Light was created
6
Thursday
Creatures were spread across the earth
7
Friday (after 'Asr)
Adam was created — the final and most honored creation
"The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday; on it, Adam was created, on it he was admitted to Paradise, and on it, he was expelled from it." — The Prophet ﷺ
Adam: Created from All the Earth
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed, Allah created Adam from a handful He took from all of the earth. So the children of Adam came in proportion to the earth — some red, some white, some black, and others between that; some gentle, some harsh, some good, and some evil."
Ibn al-Qayyim explained that this earthly origin necessitated diversity within the human species — variation in character, intentions, and actions. Ibn 'Abbās added that Adam was created after 'Asr on Friday from all of the earth's surface — its red, black, pure, and impure parts — which is why his descendants reflect this full spectrum.
Between Body and Soul: Forty Years as Clay
The Forty-Year Interlude
Adam's body remained as formed clay for forty years before the soul was breathed into him. This is supported by Adam's own statement to Musa (in the authentic hadith): "Do you blame me for doing a deed which Allah had decreed for me to do forty years before He created me?"
Imam Abu Hafs al-Bulqini explained that "before He created me" refers to before the soul was breathed in — meaning Adam's clay form lay for forty years before receiving his spirit.
Where Was Adam's Clay?
Al-Bayḍāwī reconciled the narrations: Allah gathered dust from the earth, fermented it into clay, then dried clay — left between Makkah and Ta'if in the valley of Nu'man. Once ready to receive the human form, it was carried to Paradise, shaped, and the soul was breathed into it.
Al-Bayḍāwī noted: Adam's body came from the lower world, while his form — which distinguishes him from animals and resembles the angels — came from the higher world.
Event I
Satan's Premature Declaration of Triumph
Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "When Allah formed Adam in Paradise, He left him as long as He willed. Then Iblīs began to circle him, looking at him. When he saw that Adam was hollow, he knew he was created in a way that he could not control himself."
"When he saw that he was hollow, he said: 'I have triumphed over him; he is a creation that cannot resist.'"
The Hollow Body
Al-Ṣana'ānī explained that Iblīs recognized the hollow creation as one susceptible to desire, whispering, and sin — unable to repel temptation.
Why Angels Are Infallible
This hadith indicates that angels are not hollow — which is why they are infallible. The hollow nature of humans is the very source of their vulnerability.
Ibn al-Qayyim's Insight
The earthly substance required that humans be tested with passion, anger, love, hatred, and an enemy who never rests — Iblīs himself.
The Human Trial: Why We Were Made This Way
Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH) offered a profound reflection on why Allah created humanity with this vulnerable, earthly nature — and why divine wisdom required it to be so.
1
Tested by Desire and an Enemy
Allah tested humanity with passion, anger, love, hatred — and with Iblīs, who spares no effort in causing ruin and never ignores them. He also adorned the love of worldly desires: wealth, children, gold, silver, horses, livestock, and land.
2
Guidance Was Not Withheld
Allah did not leave humanity without guidance. He sent messengers, revealed books, clarified what pleases and displeases Him, and promised perfect joys in the everlasting abode for those who resist their desires. Yet most minds could not prefer the awaited Hereafter over immediate pleasures.
3
Divine Wisdom in the Design
Had humans been otherwise, the purpose of testing, the diversity of servitude, and the manifestation of divine names and attributes would not have been fulfilled. If the righteous were always the majority, the virtue of striving — among the noblest forms of worship — would be lost entirely.
Three Substances, Three Creations
Ibn al-Qayyim explained that the rational beings Allah addresses are made from three substances — each with distinct qualities that shape their nature and relationship to obedience.
🌍 Earthly (Human)
Created from clay — diverse, unstable, susceptible to desire and affliction. Capable of both great good and great evil. Subject to trial and purification.
🔥 Fiery (Jinn)
Created from fire — light, impulsive, volatile, rapidly changing, and unstable. Less inclined toward steadfast obedience than the earthly substance.
✨ Angelic (Angels)
Free from the defects of the other two substances. Beings created from it are wholly good — which is why they are infallible and do not require trial.
Allah ultimately purifies what is good from creation — extracting the pure for the abode of the purified, just as gold is refined from ore. The pure essence is always less than the impurities, yet it is the most precious.
Event II
Allah's Foretelling of Muḥammad's Prophethood
Maysarah al-Fajr (رضي الله عنه) asked: "O Messenger of Allah, when were you written a prophet?" He ﷺ replied: "While Adam was between the soul and the body."
Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH) explained: "The meaning is that Allah wrote his prophethood, then manifested and announced it after the creation of Adam's body, before the soul was breathed into him — just as Allah writes the sustenance, lifespan, deeds, and happiness of the newborn after the creation of their body, before the soul is breathed into them."
This was a decree in the written record, not yet his physical existence as a prophet — since his prophethood did not physically manifest until Allah appointed him at the age of forty.
Muḥammad ﷺ: The Seal and Summit of Creation
The Best of Adam's Children
Ibn Taymiyyah said: "If the best of the righteous from the children of Adam is Muhammad ﷺ, and his creation is the ultimate goal and intended wisdom — more significant than any other — then the perfection of creation and the completion of its excellence was achieved with Muhammad ﷺ."
Just as Adam was the last of creation on Friday, Muhammad ﷺ is the last of the prophets — the seal and summit of all that was created.
A Balance: Honor Without Exaggeration
Al-Aṣbahānī noted that Allah designated Muhammad ﷺ as a Messenger even before his existence, before his birth, and before revelation — as confirmed in the words of 'Isa (عليه السلام): "bringing the good news of a Messenger who will come after me, his name will be Ahmad."
Yet the Prophet ﷺ himself warned: "Do not exaggerate in my praise as the Christians exaggerated in the praise of Jesus. I am just a servant — say: the servant of Allah and His Messenger."
Event III
Allah's Covenant with All of Mankind
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed, Allah created His creation in darkness, then cast upon them from His light on that day. Whoever was touched by His light was guided, and whoever was missed went astray. Therefore I say: the Pen has dried upon the knowledge of Allah."
Ibn al-Qayyim called this hadith "a fundamental principle of faith" through which a great door of understanding divine decree (al-qadar) and its wisdom is opened. The light Allah cast gave life and guidance — the innate disposition (fiṭrah) took its share, and revelation completed what fiṭrah alone could not perfect: light upon light.
The Soul Breathed In & Adam's Offspring Revealed
01
The Soul Is Breathed In
When Allah breathed the soul into Adam, Adam sneezed and said "Al-ḥamdu lillāh." Allah responded: "May Allah have mercy on you, O Adam." He was then sent to greet the angels — establishing the greeting of salām for all his descendants.
02
Adam Chooses Allah's Right Hand
Allah held both hands closed and said: "Choose whichever you wish, O Adam." Adam replied: "I choose the right hand of my Lord, and both of His hands are right and blessed." Allah opened His hand to reveal Adam and all his descendants, each with their lifespan written.
03
Dāwūd and the Gift of Years
Among the descendants, Dāwūd (David) shone most radiantly. His written lifespan was forty years. Adam gifted him sixty years from his own. When the Angel of Death came early, Adam denied the gift — and from that day, matters were commanded to be recorded in writing and confirmed by witnesses.
The Primordial Covenant: "Am I Not Your Lord?"
{And when your Lord took from the children of Adam, from their loins, their descendants and made them testify of themselves, saying: "Am I not your Lord?" They said: "Yes, we testify."} — Qur'an 7:172
Ibn 'Abbās (رضي الله عنهما) reported that Allah took this covenant from the back of Adam at Na'man — the valley of 'Arafah — bringing forth all descendants like scattered particles of dust, speaking to them directly. Ubayy ibn Ka'b added that Allah called the seven heavens, the seven earths, and Adam himself as witnesses, declaring: "Know that there is no god but Me — and I will send you messengers reminding you of My covenant."
Three Covenants — One Unbroken Truth
Ḥāfiẓ Ḥakamī (d. 1377 AH) and others of the Salaf harmonized the different interpretations of the covenant, showing they are not contradictory but complementary — three layers of the same divine truth.
The First Covenant
The Covenant of 'Ālam al-Dharr — Allah extracted all of Adam's descendants, made them testify: "Am I not your Lord?" and they answered: "Yes." This is the explicit text of the Sahihs and the view of most scholars of tafsīr.
The Second Covenant
The Covenant of Fiṭrah — Allah created every human upon the natural disposition (Islam), embedding within them the knowledge of, acknowledgment of, love for, and submission to Him. This is established in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah and others.
The Third Covenant
The Covenant of Revelation — Allah sent messengers and revealed books to renew and remind humanity of the first covenant. Whoever remains on fiṭrah accepts this immediately. Whoever denies it breaks all three covenants and has no excuse before Allah.
The Covenant in Verse: Ḥāfiẓ Ḥakamī's Poem
"Understand that Allah did not leave His creation purposeless and neglected. He created them to worship Him and to single out His Divinity."
"Like scattered ants, He brought forth his descendants from the back of Adam. He made a covenant with them that there is no god deserving worship but Him."
"After this, He sent His messengers and sent down the Book with the truth — so they might be reminded of this covenant, warned, and given glad tidings."
"Whoever believes in them without dissension has fulfilled that covenant — they are saved from the Fire and are the heirs of the eternal home."
"But whoever denies them and the revealed book, and persists in ignoring and rejecting them — has broken both covenants, deserving disgrace in both worlds."
This poetic summary by Ḥāfiẓ Ḥakamī masterfully encapsulates the Salaf's understanding of the covenant verses in Sūrat al-A'rāf (7:172–173).
The Purpose of Our Existence
'Abd al-Raḥmān al-Mu'allimī (d. 1386 AH) beautifully summarized the full arc: Allah created Adam, brought forth his offspring, endowed them with intellects, took a covenant from them, then sent them into the world upon fiṭrah. He provided them with hearing, sight, and hearts — and made all of creation signs pointing to His existence, power, and perfection.
He sent a messenger to every nation in their own language, supported by miracles, reminding them of the covenant and guiding them with a just law in harmony with sound reason. He sealed the prophets with Muḥammad ﷺ — sent to all of creation — and preserved His book and Sunnah through trustworthy companions. You were there at the beginning. The covenant is yours. The purpose is clear.
"Allah will say to the least punished person in Hell: 'I wanted from you something easier than this, when you were in the loins of Adam: that you should not associate anything with Me — yet you insisted on associating with Me.'" — Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī