The First Prophethood - Vicegerency on Earth
The station that Adam attained during his journey back from wandering, to where he was once again mentioned in the heavenly kingdom, was the station of the first prophethood on Earth. By attaining this station, Adam became the first vicegerent (khalīfah) on Earth.
Many predecessors to Adam, the father of humanity, had attempted to reach this noble station but failed, leading to their extinction. The vanguard of the lineage from clay continued their attempts to attain this noble rank, but failure repeatedly awaited them. This continued until the angels became convinced that these attempts would not succeed. Then Allah decreed the appearance of the successful attempt, and that was Adam, the father of humankind.
When Allah informed the angels that He would appoint a vicegerent from the progeny of clay, they took exception: “And when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I will make upon the earth a vicegerent.’ They said, ‘Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?’ Allah said, ‘Indeed, I know that which you do not know.’ And He taught Adam the names [of things] - all of them. Then He showed them to the angels and said, ‘Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful.’ They said, ‘Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise.’ He said, ‘O Adam, inform them of their names.’ And when he had informed them of their names, He said, ‘Did I not tell you that I know the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth? And I know what you reveal and what you have concealed.’” (2:30–33)
The angels questioned Allah’s decision to create a vicegerent from the descendants of clay based on their prior knowledge derived from previous experiences with earlier human-like beings. However, when Allah revealed the unique potential of the human form, its ability to evolve, ascend, and continuously transition from ignorance to knowledge, the angels submitted and complied.
All these events transpired three times. Adam was created three times: twice in the realm of the heavenly kingdom (malakūt) and once in the realm of dominion (mulk). This corresponds to the three overarching attributes governing creation: the All-Knowing, the Ultimately-Willing, and the Most Capable.
Through knowledge, Allah enclosed His creation in the heavenly kingdom. Through His Will, He moved from enclosing it all in generality to particularization, approaching execution while still within the heavenly realm, but [moving] nearer to the [earthly] dominion. Finally, through ability, He executed [His Will] in the [earthly] dominion, as it had been executed generally and particularly in the heavenly kingdom.
The heavenly kingdom is the realm of intellect, while the [earthly] dominion is the realm of physical forms. Everything in the heavenly kingdom governs its counterpart in the [earthly] dominion, for the heavenly realm is the realm of subtleties (laṭā’if), while the [earthly] dominion is the realm of densities (kathā’if). Every subtle entity has dominion over every dense entity.
This is the meaning of Allah’s words: “So exalted is He in whose hand is the realm of all things, and to Him you will be returned.” (36:83)
Our dense forms return to our subtle forms by subjecting our lower selves, which are dense, to our intellects, which are subtle. The pinnacle of subtleties resides in the Essence (dhat) of Allah. Therefore, the ultimate return must be to Him. This return is achieved by aligning our attributes with His, through the insights of intellects, that are disciplined by the etiquette of truth and the etiquette of reality.
