Returning to Eden
A journey through the origins of humanity, the wisdom of our descent, and the path back to our first and eternal home — Paradise.
Introduction
Opening Praise
In Praise of Allah — The First and The Last
"All praise is for Allah, the First and the Last, the Most Near and the Most High, the One who is All-Knowing about everything. The First, there is nothing before Him; the Last, there is nothing after Him; the Apparent, there is nothing above Him; the Most Near, whom there is nothing nearer than. He is the Eternal, the Preexistent, the One who has always existed with the attributes of divine perfection."
The introduction opens with a profound Arabic praise of Allah, affirming His eternal, all-encompassing nature. He knows the movement of a black ant on a solid rock in the darkest night, and the number of grains of sand. He raised the heavens without pillars, adorned them with brilliant stars, and placed a radiant sun and shining moon within them.
Every day, seventy thousand angels travel to the sacred house in the seventh heaven, never to return, glorifying and praising Allah without cease.
The Creation of the Earth and Humanity
The Earth
Placed above currents of water, with mountains on its surface, blessings within it, and sustenance apportioned in four days — before the heavens were created.
Adam
Created from clay by Allah's noble hands, shaped, and breathed into from His Spirit. Honored with knowledge and teaching, made able to hear and see.
Ḥawwā' (Eve)
Created from Adam, comforting him in his solitude. Both were granted residency in Paradise and showered with Allah's blessings.
Humanity
Spread across the earth — kings and shepherds, poor and rich — made successors until the Day of Judgment, when all will be presented before the All-Knowing.
Divine Provision for Humanity
Allah made rivers — small and large — flow from all directions, cutting through territories to towns according to their needs. He caused springs and wells to flow, sent down rain clouds, and caused the growth of all kinds of crops and fruits.
"If you were to count the blessings of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is unjust and ungrateful."
Among His greatest blessings, after creating and providing for humanity, was sending His messengers and revealing His books — clarifying what is lawful and unlawful, His commands, and the details of everything from the beginning to the end of time.
Core Theme
The Wisdom of the Descent from Paradise
Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH) writes:
"Indeed, when Allah caused Adam, the father of mankind, to descend from Paradise, He did so for wise reasons that the intellects cannot comprehend and the tongues cannot describe. His descent from it was, in fact, the perfection of his condition so that he could return to it in the best of states. Allah wanted him and his offspring to experience this world's toil, sorrows, and afflictions so that their entry into Paradise in the Hereafter would be of greater value to them. For a thing's opposite reveals its beauty, and if they were raised in the abode of bliss, they would not have recognized its true worth."
The Purpose of This Book
This book focuses on the most significant moral of the story: how to return to our original homeland in Paradise by fulfilling our covenant with Allah — our very purpose for existing. The covenant of Tawḥīd (monotheism) is inscribed in every created thing, embedded in innate human predisposition (al-fiṭrah), and preserved in the Qur'ān and Sunnah.
Come to the Gardens of Eden
"Come to the Gardens of Eden, for indeed they are… your first dwelling, and therein is the encampment.
But we are captives of the enemy, so do you think… we will return to our homelands and greet in peace?"
— Ibn al-Qayyim, Mīmiyyah Poem
Hardship as the Bridge
Desired goals cannot be achieved except through the means Allah has ordained. Even lower aims — food, clothing, wealth — require effort. How then can the highest stations be attained without striving?
The World of Struggle
The habitation of Adam and his offspring in this world — where they acquire the means leading to the highest stations — is itself part of Allah's complete favor upon them.
The Greater Entry
He did not expel Adam from Paradise except to allow him to reenter it in the best possible fashion. The second entry far surpasses the first, as relief after trial surpasses comfort without it.
The Covenant
The Gift Given After the Fall
Something Better Than What Was Lost
Ibn al-Qayyim explains: "When Allah expelled Adam from Paradise and subjected him and his descendants to various trials and hardships, He gave them something far better than what He had withheld from them — the covenant He made with them and their descendants. He informed them that anyone who adheres to this covenant will be led to His pleasure and abode of honor."
The Divine Promise
Allah said after their expulsion: "Descend from it, all of you. And if there comes to you guidance from Me, then whoever follows My guidance will not go astray or be unhappy."
And: "Whoever turns away from My remembrance — indeed, he will have a difficult life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind."
When Allah broke Adam by expelling him from Paradise, He repaired him and his descendants with this covenant.
Remembering Our Origin and Our Destination
Only by knowing the beginning and end of the human story — our origin, path, and destination — can we find true purpose and meaning in this world, which is only a temporary stop, not our ultimate home.
Foundation of Faith
Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH) stated: "There is no doubt that the foundations of faith are belief in Allah and the Last Day; in creation and resurrection; in the origin and the return."
The Prophet's Teaching
'Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb reported: "The Messenger of Allah stood among us and informed us about the beginning of creation, until the people of Paradise entered their homes and the people of the Hellfire entered their homes."
Friday as Remembrance
The creation story and return to Paradise should be recalled regularly. The day of Jumu'ah has been dedicated to its recollection — a reminder of Allah's oneness and humanity's origin and final return.
The Significance of Jumu'ah (Friday)
Al-Suhaylī (d. 581 AH) reflects: if you contemplate each previous Friday, your thoughts ascend until they reach the Friday on which Adam was created — and beyond that, your mind halts, finding nothing existed except the One, the Self-Sufficient, the Unique.
The Prophet's ﷺ Words
"The best day upon which the sun has risen is Friday: on it, Adam was created; on it, he was admitted into Paradise; on it, he was expelled from it; on it, the Hour will commence; and on it, there is an hour in which no Muslim servant asks Allah for good except that He grants it to him."
Action Aligns with Belief
Ibn al-Qayyim notes that Allah ordained Friday as a day for His servants to gather and remember the beginning of creation, the return, Paradise, and Hellfire. The Prophet ﷺ recited Sūrat al-Sajdah and Sūrat al-Insān in Fajr on Fridays — both containing references to Adam's creation, the beginning, the final return, and the entrance into Paradise or Hell.
The Unseen
How Long Has the World Existed?
The exact age of the world and its ultimate fate are beyond human comprehension and known only to Allah. The beginning and end, the origin of life, and the universe's lifespan belong to the realm of the unseen, inaccessible to mere human speculation.
Qur'ānic Testimony
"Say, 'None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah, nor do they perceive when they will be resurrected.'"
Ibn 'Uthaymīn (d. 1421 AH)
"Anyone who speaks about anything concerning the heavens and the earth without religious or empirical proof — his statement is not to be accepted."
Ibn Ḥazm (d. 456 AH)
"We do not have a fixed limit in this regard. It may have existed for multiples upon multiples of these figures… all these statements do not undermine our consensus that the world has a beginning and an origin."
Much Is Unknown of Early Human History
Just as the world's origins are dependent on valid scriptural evidence, the same holds for prehistoric eras. Undocumented periods are fertile ground for speculative theories and myth-making, often shaped by ideological agendas.
Allah reveals that many nations and prophets are unknown to us: "And messengers about whom We have not related to you." Countless generations between Nūḥ, ʿĀd, Thamūd, and others remain unknown — "None knows them except Allah."
Even for known generations, much is hidden. The earliest generations enjoyed far longer lifespans — a single generation could span centuries. Ibn Kathīr notes that between Ādam and Nūḥ alone could be thousands of years, and Allah knows best.
Divergent Claims About the World's Age
Ibn Ḥazm documented the wide range of claims across traditions — from 5,000 to 400,000 years — and concluded that any definitive claim is a clear falsehood. Al-Maqrīzī (d. 845 AH) similarly analyzed materialist, Hindu, Persian, Greek, and astrological traditions, finding them riddled with contradictions and myths.
"Everything pertaining to the beginning of creation and the circumstances of past generations is mixed with falsifications and legends, due to the lengthy passage of time… Hence, it is proper not to accept from that except what is confirmed by a revealed Book from Allah — one that is sound, unaltered, and unabrogated — or by a report transmitted by trustworthy narrators."
— Al-Maqrīzī
Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān's Conclusion
"What is truly worthy of reliance is what has been conveyed in the Noble Qur'ān and the purified Prophetic Sunnah regarding the beginning of creation… Examining historical books only leads to abundant contradictions, intense discrepancies, bewildering confusion, and lies without authenticity. Engaging in such matters is the habit of the foolish, not the intelligent."
The Remaining Time
How Much Time Remains?
Ibn Kathīr (d. 774 AH) affirms: "What remains of this world, compared to what has already passed, is very little. Despite this, no one except Allah knows the exact and precise amount of what remains, just as Allah alone knows what has already passed."
Ibn Rajab (d. 795 AH) adds: "The duration of the past from the beginning of the world until the mission of Muḥammad ﷺ, and the duration of what remains until the Day of Resurrection, is known in reality only by Allah. Whatever is mentioned about this is merely speculation that does not yield certain knowledge."
The Prophet ﷺ compared this ummah to the nations before it as "a white hair on a black bull" — indicating the vastness of what came before and the nearness of the Hour.
The Islamic Stance
The precise age of the world and humanity is part of the unseen, known only to Allah. Islamic teachings encourage us to recognize our temporary existence and prepare for the Hereafter — rather than speculate about what cannot be known.
Ultimately, the focus is on understanding our purpose and fulfilling our role in creation.
Book Structure
The Structure of This Book
This book is divided into three chapters and a concluding section, each exploring Adam's creation and its profound significance for our species' purpose of existing.
Conclusion
Three essential reflections on the enduring conflict between Satan and humankind, offering guidance on navigating this timeless struggle.
Chapter Three — Adam's Story
Details Adam's story, highlighting over fifty key lessons and insights from his experience.
Chapter Two — The Interlude
A pivotal interlude shedding light on crucial events between the shaping of Adam's body and the moment he was granted a soul.
Chapter One — The Universe's Origins
Traces creation from its very first moments, culminating in the formation of Adam.
The Path Back to Eden
"It has been established in His wisdom that happiness, bliss, and comfort are only reached through the bridge of hardship and effort. One cannot enter these states except through the door of discomfort, patience, and bearing difficulties… He did not expel Adam from Paradise except to allow him to reenter it in the best possible fashion."
— Ibn al-Qayyim
Believe & Submit
Respond to divine information with belief and submission.
Obey & Follow
Follow the divine commands with obedience and the prohibitions with reverence.
Attain Eternal Bliss
Thus attaining permanent bliss, far removed from the deniers' position in the Hellfire.