Religion Before Adam
Adam, the bearer of the first complete prophethood on Earth and the father of present humanity, was the first to fully uphold monotheism (tawheed) in most aspects of his life. The religion of monotheism was revealed to him by Allah through Gabriel. This, however, was not the first instance of Gabriel’s communication with humans; he had previously interacted with the failed experiments of earlier Adams that preceded the successful experiment embodied in Adam, the father of present humanity.
The emergence of Adam as a prophet, a vicegerent, and the father of present humanity does not mark the appearance of human intellect. Instead, it signifies a stage in the journey of human intellect toward maturity. Human intellect had appeared long before Adam’s time. This intellect is the Divine Spirit (ruh ilahi) that Allah breathed into the human structure, thereby binding it to Him, after it was previously drawn to the Earth by its inherent nature. Regarding the breathing of the Divine Spirit into humanity, Allah says: “And [mention] when your Lord said to the angels, ‘I will create a human being out of clay from an altered black mud. And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down to him in prostration.’” (15:28–29)
One of the most significant phrases in these verses is “when I have proportioned him”, which refers to the preparation of the vessel for the infusion of the Divine Spirit. This preparation spanned an incomprehensibly long duration, referred to by Allah as “a period of time”. Allah says: “Has there come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing [even] mentioned?” (76:1)
The preparation for humanity to receive the Divine Spirit encompassed the first stage of development, the second stage, and a significant portion of the third stage. The Divine Spirit was not breathed into Adam the vicegerent alone; it permeated all progeny of existence as the spirit flows into bodies. However, in humans, the proportion of the spirit was increased. In Adam, the vicegerent, this proportion increased even further, elevating him to the status of prophethood and vicegerency, and he was preserved at those ranks.
The infusion of this spirit into humanity prior to Adam served as preparation for the Divine Breath that bestowed prophethood and vicegerency upon him. When the Divine Spirit was breathed into pre-Adam humanity, it distinguished them from animals and brought upon them the obligation of worship, albeit in simple forms. This marked the beginning of religion.
In this early stage, there were no messengers other than the inherent logic of intellect. Religion at that time was polytheistic and idolatrous, but it represented the starting point of faith, a rudimentary form of Islam. With the advent of the messengers, inaugurated by the appearance of Adam, the father of humanity, the purpose of their mission was not to inform people of the existence of a Creator, for the intellect had already served as a messenger in this regard. Instead, the purpose of the messengers was to teach people how to know their Creator.
During the stage of pure physical evolution, Allah prepared humanity in a unique way. He did not make humans physically powerful enough to dispense with ingenuity in overcoming the challenges posed by their environment. Nor did He make them so weak and frail as to be unable to face reasonable challenges. Instead, He created them with balanced strength, enough to require the use of intellect for problem-solving while also being capable of executing plans devised through their intellect, at least in most situations.
Through this wise balance, intellect emerged, and humans began to rely on their intellect for devising strategies while using their physical strength and structure to execute them. With this practice, the stage of combined physical-intellectual evolution entered the scene.
Allah created Adam in His image, Most Glorified and Most Exalted is He, and He created the entire cosmos in Adam’s image. Allah created Adam for Himself and created the cosmos for Adam. He breathed His spirit into Adam and breathed Adam’s spirit into the cosmos.
The breath of Allah's spirit into Adam occurred at the peak, while His breath [through Adam spirit] into the cosmos occurred at the base. This process of breathing is continuous, ascending in a spiral path that coils around itself, completing a full cycle every time it ascends through seven levels. The endpoint of each cycle lies above its starting point in elevation, resulting in a leap toward Allah in the journey of ascent.
This spiraling path converges inward as it ascends, drawing closer to its center with each stage. At the completion of the seventh stage, the cycle begins anew, with its endpoint becoming the starting point for the next cycle. This process continues endlessly (sarmad). Thus, the breath [of life] is infinite.
Regarding the infusion of the Divine Spirit into the human being through these seven stages, Allah says: “And We created man from an extract of clay. Then We placed him as a thickened fluid (sperm-drop) in a firm lodging. Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators.” (23:12–14)
Similarly, regarding the infusion of the Divine Spirit into the structure of the cosmos through these seven stages, Allah says: “Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He covers the night with the day, chasing it rapidly; and the sun, the moon, and the stars, are subjected to His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, Lord of the Worlds.” (7:54)
When Allah said, “then established Himself above the Throne” (7:54), it refers to the seventh phase of the infusion of the Divine Spirit.
The term sulalah refers to what is drawn out from something, extracted gently and with care. It also signifies lineage or offspring, as when one says, “He is of noble sulalah (lineage)” or “He is from a noble sulalah (lineage).” The process of extracting this sulalah from clay extended over an unimaginably vast span of time, as previously indicated.
After this extraction was completed and the vessel was prepared for the infusion of the Divine Spirit, marked by the emergence of higher animals, humans appeared by Allah’s Grace. From that time onward, humans reproduced through the union of male and female. Here, the term “a sperm-drop in a firm lodging” refers to the mixing of the man’s seminal fluid with the woman’s ovum in the womb.
The phrase “then developed him into another creation” signifies the emergence of the upright form of humanity, distinct from animals both outwardly and inwardly. This emergence occurs as a leap, representing the culmination of the successive stages that were realized in the previous six phases, as previously noted. Throughout all these stages, the Divine infusion is ongoing and perpetual, continuing indefinitely through time.
The Torah also speaks of the infusion of the Spirit into the structure of the universe over seven days, saying: "And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their hosts. And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because in it He rested from all His work which God had created to make." Genesis 2:1-3
Here, the depiction of God needing rest after work reflects an anthropomorphic conception, projecting human attributes onto the Divine. This stage is necessary in the progression of humanity's understanding of God. It is a stage that, when compared to earlier stages, seems complete but reveals its deficiency when contrasted with later, more advanced conceptions of Divine understanding that emerged as human thought developed and ascended.
In response to this anthropomorphic conception in the Torah, the Qur’an states: “And We created the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them in six days, and We were not touched by weariness.” (50:38)
This Qur’anic expression presents a conception of Allah that is more appropriate and reflective of true understanding than the depiction in the Torah. However, the phrase in the Torah, “and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done”, is not without purpose. It parallels the Qur’anic phrase “then established Himself above the Throne” and also “then developed him into another creation” (23:14).
All these expressions, despite their differences, point to the culmination of creation after the sixth phase with the emergence of the vicegerent, the complete human. With the appearance of the complete human, toil and hardship cease, and tranquility is achieved through nearness and peace.
The “days” of Allah are not like our days. They signify phases of His manifestations and revelations to His creation through His creation. This means the manifestation of His command (which is hidden) in His creation (which is apparent) for His creation, humans, who possess intellect. Allah refers to this in the verse: “Then He established Himself above the Throne. He covers the night with the day, chasing it rapidly; and the sun, the moon, and the stars, are subjected by His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds.” (7:54)
The Throne symbolizes all creation, including luminous and subtle spirits, representing the Realm of Creation (‘Alam al-Khalq). The reference to night and day pertains to Earth (as well as motion and time), as they are related to Earth’s position relative to the sun.
The phrase “then established Himself above the Throne” signifies the dominance of Allah’s volitional authority over creation. This dominance is clarified by the statement “subjected by His command”, which represents the Realm of Command (‘Alam al-Amr). The Realm of Command presides over the Realm of Creation. To Allah belongs both the creation and the command.
This dominance is the infusion of the Divine Spirit into the cosmos, occurring over seven levels, referred to as seven days.
Allah, Most Glorified and Most Exalted, subjected the cosmos to serve the infusion of the Divine Spirit into humanity by sowing enmity among living beings and between living beings and other elements. Allah says: “Indeed, among your spouses and your children are enemies to you, so beware of them.” (64:14)
He also says: “Indeed, Satan is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy.” (35:6)
Thus, humanity was created amidst hostility: “We have certainly created man into hardship.” (90:4)
From the beginning, humans were tasked with striving for reconciliation, peace, and love to preserve their lives.
The early humans found themselves surrounded by hostilities in the natural environment where Allah created them. Allah fashioned them as balanced beings, neither so strong as to rely solely on their physical might for solving problems nor so weak and frail as to be incapable of meeting challenges. As a result, humans followed the path of “thought and action” to sustain their lives.
Allah guided humans, through their intellect and heart, to categorize the forces around them into friends and foes. Foes were further divided into those within their capacity to confront and those beyond their ability to overcome. Similarly, friends were divided into those who could reciprocate mutual benefit and those whose generosity and kindness far exceeded human capability to repay, due to their immense strength and resources. In this latter case, humans felt gratitude and acknowledged their inability to reciprocate.
This perspective guided humanity’s path in life. For foes encountered within their capacity, such as predatory animals and hostile humans, they engaged in confrontation, struggle, and cunning. They created tools to augment their strength and compensate for the lack of claws and fangs, which were no longer part of their natural constitution. They also used ingenuity, building homes in trees, caves, and mountain peaks. From these efforts emerged experimental science, which culminated, in the twentieth century, in splitting the atom.
For friends with whom mutual benefits could be exchanged, the resulting camaraderie led to living in larger communities than animals typically do, necessarily leading to considerations for the welfare of others. This approach gave rise to social systems, which eventually led to customs, traditions, and conventions, the precursors to laws and legislation.
For the exceptional friends and formidable foes, humans resorted to appeasement. They sought to win their favor through offerings, displays of submission, and flattery. Toward the friends, they acted out of hope, and toward the enemies, out of fear. From this practice, the rituals of worship began, and thus, religion was born.
Indeed! The matter is not as simple as it may appear here. These are but words that are compelled by the necessity for brevity and simplification. They are general, tangential, and deficient in capturing the full picture. Yet, our excuse is that we do not presently possess a better means to convey this understanding.
