In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

This is the starting point of the great journey of human life. It begins by giving the human race power so that it can settle on earth. Here the reference is to an absolute fact that precedes the creation of mankind.

“We have established you firmly on earth and We have provided you there with means of livelihood. How seldom are you grateful.” (Verse 10) The Creator of both the earth and man is the One who has made it possible for the human race to establish itself on earth. It is He who has given the earth its qualities and characteristics and made all these balances which allow human life to prosper and provide people with sustenance and other means of livelihood.

It is indeed He who has made the earth suitable for sustaining human life, by giving it its atmosphere, its particular size, shape and make-up, its appropriate distance from the sun and the moon. It is He who has set it in its orbit in order to enable it to move round the sun, and given it its particular speed and determined the angle it makes with its axis. All these balances are as important as giving the earth the potential to produce sustenance and sources of energy to enable human life to continue and prosper. It is also God who has made man the master of all creation on earth, giving him the ability to utilize the earth’s potential and resources by his ability to identify and use the laws of nature.

Had it not been for the fact that God has established man on earth and given him all these qualities, man, a weak creation as he certainly is, would not have been able to make his `conquest of nature’, as people in jāhiliyyah communities, past and present, say. He would not have been able to stand up to the enormous, overwhelming forces that operate in the universe.

It is unfortunate that ancient Greek and Roman concepts continue to impart their colour to present-day jāhiliyyah. It is these concepts that portray the universe as hostile to man, and universal forces as opposed to man’s existence and action. They try to show man engaged in a fight against natural forces, with every discovery of natural law man makes portrayed as a triumph of man against nature.

All these concepts are both absurd and evil. Had it been true that the natural laws of the universe are hostile to man and that they work in opposition to what man does, and had it been true that these forces operate without any control by a wise will, man would have never come into existence in the first place. How could he have existed? How could he survive in a hostile universe and environment when these are subject to no external will or power whatsoever? How could he have sustained his life, when all these great forces are opposed to him? The question becomes even more forceful if we are to accept the claim that these forces are subject to no control other than their own.

Only the Islamic concept of life provides a coherent concept that relates all these details to their original and consistent line. It is God who has created both man and the universe. His will and wisdom has determined the nature of this universe making it possible for human life to maintain itself and prosper. He has also endowed man with the ability that makes it possible for him to identify certain natural laws and utilize them for his own needs. This perfect coherence and harmony is the one worthy of God’s creation, because God’s work is characterized by its perfection in every aspect. He does not place His creation on a war footing so that they are always hostile to one another.

Under this concept, man lives in a friendly universe, enjoying the care of a wise, supreme power. He is at peace with himself, reassured, able to move steadily in order to fulfil his task as vicegerent on earth. He feels that he can rely on unfailing help and he deals with the universe in an attitude of mutual friendship. He praises God every time he is able to discover a new secret or a new law of the universe which enables him to fulfil his task and makes it possible for him to make progress and increase his comfort.

This concept does not discourage man from working to discover the secrets of the universe and identify its laws. On the contrary, it encourages him to do so with confidence and reassurance. He is not in confrontation with a hostile universe that guards its secrets from him and withholds its help. He is not in conflict with an enemy who tries to forestall his efforts, his hopes and ambitions.

The great tragedy of the philosophical creed known as existentialism is this illconceived principle which describes the universe, and indeed, the collective existence of humanity, as naturally hostile to the existence of the human individual, trying with all its might to crush it. It is a sick concept that is bound to lead to an inwardlooking approach giving little value to one’s existence, or to a careless, rebellious and self-centred attitude to life as a whole. Both situations cause much worry and misery, both physical and mental. They leave man in total loss, although the sense of loss may differ a little in each situation.

But the tragedy is not that of a single European intellectual creed; it is indeed the tragedy of all European intellectual thought, with all its creeds and doctrines.

Furthermore, it is also the tragedy of jāhiliyyah as a whole, in all times and environments. Islam stops this tragedy altogether by its comprehensive faith that lays the foundation of a correct concept of this universe and the wise power that controls it.

Man is the son of this earth and this universe. God has created him out of this earth and established him on it, and He has provided him with the means of sustenance and livelihood. Moreover, He has enabled him to acquire knowledge and discover the secrets of the universe. He has made the laws of nature move in harmony with human existence, so that man is able to make use of these laws in order to set his life on the road to progress. What he needs for this is to try to identify these laws with an open mind.

But human beings are seldom grateful, because when they are in the depths of ignorance, they do not know what blessings God has given them. Even those who know are unable to thank God in full for the grace He has bestowed on them. How can they ever thank Him enough? It is an aspect of God’s grace that He accepts from them what they can do. In both situations, the Qur’ānic statement is true: “How seldom are you grateful.”

What we are about to learn is the story of human life with all its exciting events. It begins with an announcement of the forthcoming birth of mankind. The announcement is made in a majestic celebration attended by the Supreme Society, a Qur’ānic term that refers to the angels. As a further evidence of honour, no one other than God Almighty makes the announcement when the angels are gathered, and Iblīs is present, though he is not one of the angels. The whole event is witnessed by the heavens and the earth and all that God has created. It is indeed a great event in the history of the universe:

We have indeed created you, and then formed you. We then said to the angels:

“Prostrate yourselves before Adam!” They all prostrated themselves, except for Iblīs:

he was not one of those who prostrated themselves. And [God] said: “What has prevented you from prostrating yourself when I commanded you?” Answered [Iblīs]:

“I am nobler than he: You created me out of fire, while You created him out of clay.” [God] said: “Off with you hence! It is not for you to show your arrogance here. Get out, then; you will always be among the humiliated. “Said he: “Grant me a respite until the Day when all will be raised [from the dead].” God replied: “You shall indeed be among those granted respite.” [Iblīs] said: “Since you let me fall in error, I shall indeed lurk in ambush for them all along Your straight path, and I shall most certainly fall upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left; and You will find most of them ungrateful.” [God] said: “Get out of here, despised, disgraced. As for those of them that follow you, I shall fill Hell with you all. “(Verses 11-18)

This is the first scene, which is both exciting and very serious indeed. It is perhaps more appropriate to look properly at the scenes in this story, making our comments at the end when we can better try to understand its importance.

We have indeed created you, and then formed you. We then said to the angels:

“Prostrate yourselves before Adam!” They all prostrated themselves, except for Iblīs:

he was not one of those who prostrated themselves. (Verse 11)

‘Creation’ may mean initiation, while `formation’ may mean the assigning of a particular form and special characteristic. These are grades not stages of existence.

The conjunction `then’ may signify giving a higher status without having any element of a chronological order. To give something a form is more advanced than its mere existence, for the latter may be limited to the raw material only. Formation, in the sense of giving a special human form and characteristic, is certainly much more significant than mere existence. Hence, the Qur’ānic statement should be understood as not signifying mere existence but also giving that existence a number of higher characteristics. This is akin to the Qur’ānic statement which refers to God Himself as the One “who has given everything that exists its true form and then guided them.” (20: 50).

Everything has been given its characteristics and tasks and was guided to its fulfilment at the time of its creation. There was no time gap between the creation of everything and the assigning of its characteristics and duties and then the guidance to the fulfilment of those duties. The meaning remains the same if ‘guided’ in the above Qur’ānic statement refers to their knowledge of their Lord. Again, that form of guidance has been given to all creation at the time when it came into existence. Adam was also formed and fashioned and given his human characteristics when he was created. Hence, it is much more correct to say that in the Qur’ānic verse which states.

“We have indeed created you and then formed you,” the conjunction, ‘then’, signifies enhancement of grade not allowing for a time gap.

The total import of Qur’ānic statements that speak of the creation of Adam (peace be upon him) and the start of human life indicates very strongly that this particular creation was given its human characteristic and special tasks at the time of its coming into existence. Evolution in human history took the form of developing these characteristics and gaining further experience in utilizing them. It is not an evolution of existence which suggests, as Darwinism would like us to believe, that a process of evolution of species has reached its climax with the advent of man.

There might have been stages of advanced animals, with one coming after the other, as evidenced by the theory of natural selection. But this is no more than a theory that does not aspire to any degree of certainty, because the estimation of the ages of rocks in geological strata is again a theoretical process. It is the same as estimating the ages of different stars and planets on the basis of the characteristics of their rays. Future discoveries may amend or change these theories.

But even if we were to learn the ages of rocks with absolute certainty, there is nothing to prevent the existence of different species of animals, some of which are higher than others, in different time periods, and that their advancement makes them particularly suited for the prevailing circumstances. Some of them may disappear when circumstances change drastically to make it difficult for the earth to sustain their existence. That does not make it inevitable that these species have evolved one from the other. All the studies and observations of Charles Darwin and those who followed him cannot prove more than that. They cannot say with any certainty that one species evolved from a preceding one, on the basis of fossils and where they have been found. It simply proves that a subsequent species was higher than a preceding one. This can easily be explained as we have already said: the prevailing circumstances at one particular time allowed the existence of one species. The circumstances subsequently prevailing allowed the existence of another species and the disappearance of the first one.

All this means that the appearance of human beings was independent of other species. It took place at a time when the prevailing circumstances on earth facilitated the existence, development and advancement of this particular type of creation. This is the total sum of the Qur’ānic statements on the creation of man.

The fact that biologically, physiologically, mentally and spiritually, man has unique characteristics is so clear that it has been acknowledged by neo-Darwinists who include a number of atheists. This uniqueness also supports the view that human existence was totally independent of the existence of all other species. It simply has no biological interrelationship with them.

Be that as it may, God Himself, in all His Majesty, made the announcement of the birth of man in a great gathering of the Supreme Society: “We then said to the angels:

‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam!’ They all prostrated themselves, except for Iblīs: he was not one of those who prostrated themselves.” (Verse 11)

The angels are a different type of God’s creation who have their distinctive characteristics and special tasks. We do not know anything about them except what God has told us, which we have stated earlier.7 Iblīs belongs to yet another type of creation, different from the angels. God states in the Qur’ān, in reference to Iblīs: “He belonged to the jinn and acted contrary to his Lord’s command.” (18: 50) The jinn are also a type of creation different from the angels and we have already summarized earlier8

what God has told us about them. It will be stated later in this sūrah9 that Iblīs was created out of fire. Hence, most certainly he never was an angel, although he was commanded to prostrate himself to Adam together with the angels in that great event when the Almighty announced the forthcoming appearance of man, the unique creature.

As for the angels, who never disobey God in whatever He may order them and simply do what they are bid, they all prostrated themselves in total obedience to God. None hesitated; none showed any indication of arrogance, because none contemplated disobedience of God for any reason. Such is their nature and such are their characteristics. Here we see clear evidence of the honour God has given to man, and of the total obedience that is always shown by the type of God’s servants to whom we refer as the angels.

As for Iblīs, he wilfully disobeyed God, defying His orders. We will soon learn what thoughts were in his mind and what caused him to take this stance although he was perfectly aware that the One who was giving the orders was his Lord who had created him and who had control of his destiny as also of the destiny of the whole universe. Iblīs never entertained any doubt about all this. Nevertheless, he still disobeyed God.

The scene portrays three different types of God’s creation: the first is that given to absolute obedience and complete self-surrender. In this scene, its role is completed with the submission it makes which manifested itself in the angels prostrating themselves, one and all, to Adam as commanded by their Lord. The second type is that of absolute disobedience and spiteful arrogance, while the third is that of human nature. We will be discussing shortly the characteristics of these latter types and how they work.

And [God] said: “What has prevented you from prostrating yourself when I commanded you?” Answered [Iblīs]: “I am nobler than he: You created me out of fire, while You created him out of clay” (Verse 12)

Iblīs here claims for himself a private opinion and a right of discretion to consider whether to comply with an order given by God or not. He wants to base his action on what appears to him to be justifiable. Needless to say, when a clear order is given by God no one has the right of discretion. The only thing that is left is complete obedience and perfect compliance. However, fully aware that God is the Creator and Sustainer of all creation and who controls the universe to the extent that nothing takes place without His permission and consent, Iblīs refuses to comply, justifying his disobedience by his own logic: “I am nobler than he: You created me out of fire, while You created him out of clay.” (Verse 12) Immediately, he received the right answer to his arrogance: “[God] said: Off with you hence! It is not for you to show your arrogance here. Get out, then; you will always be among the humiliated.” (Verse 13)

Neither his knowledge of God nor his belief in God’s existence and attributes were of any benefit to Iblīs. The same applies to anyone who receives a divine order and claims for himself a degree of discretion about whether to accept or refuse that order, or claims the right to refuse God’s ruling on any question whatsoever. For this entails disbelief in spite of knowledge and certitude. Iblīs was not at all lacking in either his knowledge of God or his certainty of His attributes. He was expelled from Heaven and deprived of God’s grace. He incurred God’s displeasure and was condemned to permanent humiliation.

Evil and obstinate as he is, Iblīs does not forget the cause of his expulsion and God’s displeasure with him: namely, Adam. He does not want to accept his miserable fate without trying to avenge himself. Furthermore, he wants to fulfil his task in accordance with the evil nature which he has come to symbolize: “Said he:

‘Grant me a respite until the Day when all will be raised [from the dead].’ God replied: ‘You shall indeed be among these granted respite.’ [Iblīs] said: ‘Since You let me fall in error, I shall indeed lurk in ambush for them all along Your straight path, and I shall most certainly fall upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left; and You will find most of them ungrateful.’” (Verses 14-17)

His attitude, then, is one of complete determination to follow the evil path, and absolute insistence on trying to lead people astray. Here we see his nature revealing its main characteristic of a deeply entrenched, deliberate evil, and not a passing or temporary one.

We also see here a concrete outline of thoughts, concepts and reactions, all portrayed with exceptional vividness. Iblīs requests his Lord to give him respite until the Day of Resurrection, knowing that what he is asking can only be granted by God’s will. God granted his request and gave him respite until the “Day of the appointed time” as it is described in another sūrah. A number of reports explain that this is a reference to the Day of the blowing of the Trumpet when everything that exists in the heavens and the earth is stunned unconscious, with the exception of whomever God wills. In other words, his respite does not extend to the Day of Resurrection.

As he has been granted prolonged life, Iblīs announces with wicked arrogance that he will concentrate his efforts in leading astray the very creature on whom God has bestowed His honour and who was the cause of Iblīs’s own tragedy and rejection.

His endeavour to tempt human beings away from the right path is shown here by drawing the practical import of what he declared: “I shall indeed lurk in ambush for them all along Your straight path, and I shall most certainly fall upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left.” (Verses 16-17)

He wants always to be close to God’s straight path watching for Adam and his offspring, trying to turn away any human being who tries to pass along. The way to God cannot be a concrete one, because God is above being confined to a certain place.

It is, then, the road of faith and obedience which leads to God’s pleasure. Iblīs, then, will have to come at human beings from every direction: “I shall most certainly fall upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left.” (Verse 17) His aim will always be to try to prevent them from believing in God and obeying Him. This is a very lively portrait of Iblīs falling upon human beings in his neverending endeavour to tempt them away from God’s path so that they cannot believe in God or show their gratitude to Him, except for a small number of them who manage to escape Iblīs’s efforts: “You will find most of them ungrateful” Gratitude is mentioned here because it is in harmony with what was mentioned earlier in this sūrah: “How seldom are you grateful.” (Verse 10) We have here the reason for this lack of gratitude on the part of human beings. Its real cause is Iblīs’s endeavour and the fact that he lurks in ambush for human beings to prevent them from believing in God. Human beings are then alerted to the designs of their enemy who tries to stop them from following divine guidance. They should be on their guard, since now they know the reason for their ingratitude.

Iblīs’s request has been granted because God has willed human beings to find their own way since their nature is susceptible to good and evil. Furthermore, man has been given a mind to think, reflect and choose, and he has been given reminders and warnings through God’s messengers. Furthermore, he has been given the means to control and correct himself. It is God’s will that he receives signals of right guidance and error, and that goodness and evil should have their fight within him so that his faith is determined in accordance with the law God has set in operation.

God’s will is thus accomplished by testing human beings. Whether they follow right guidance or go astray, God’s law is thus accomplished.

The sūrah here does not state clearly that any permission has been given to Iblīs to put his threat into effect. At least not in the same way as it clearly states that his request to be given respite has been granted. Rather, we are not told the result of that threat. But we are informed of Iblīs’s humiliating expulsion and that he had fallen completely from grace. Furthermore, the sūrah tells us that God has warned that He will fill hell with Iblīs’s offspring and all those human beings who follow him into error: “[God] said: ‘Get out of here, despised, disgraced. As for those of them that follow you, I shall fill Hell with you all.’” (Verse 18)

His followers among human beings may simply follow him in his knowledge of God and his belief that God is the supreme deity and overall Lord, but they may, nevertheless, reject God’s sovereignty and legislative authority. They may follow Iblīs in claiming that they have discretion to look into God’s orders and to determine whether to implement them or not. On the other hand, Iblīs’s human followers may simply follow his footsteps and thus they are turned away from guidance altogether.

Both situations represent following Iblīs and both earn hell as a reward.

God has granted Iblīs and his offspring the chance to lead people away from the right path. He has also given Adam and human beings in general the freedom of choice so that He can put them to the test. It is this choice which makes man a special type of creation: he belongs neither to the realm of angels who obey God in all situations nor to the world of satans who disobey Him all the time. Man has a totally different role to play.

Fast on the heels of the scene ending with Satan’s expulsion from Heaven follows a scene in which we see God looking at Adam and his wife. Only at this point do we realize that Adam has a wife of his own species. We do not know how she came to exist. This passage which relates this story of the creation of man and similar passages in the Qur’ān do not tell us anything about the creation of the female human being. All the reports that speak of her being created out of Adam’s rib belong to Israelite literature. As such, they are not totally reliable. What we can say without fear of being contradicted is that God created for Adam a spouse of his own type, to make them a couple. Making all species in couples is the law applicable to all creation. God says in the Qur’ān: “Of all things We have created couples so that you may reflect.” (51: 49) Keeping this rule in mind, it seems to us that it was not long before Eve was created, and that it must have been in the same manner as Adam’s creation.

Be that as it may, both Adam and his wife are now addressed to outline God’s commandment to them. They are to be given their experiences so that they are prepared for the fulfilment of their basic role for which they have been created. This is the role of vicegerency on earth, as is stated clearly in the second sūrah, The Cow, or, Al-Baqarah, in which we are told: “Your Lord said to the angels: I am appointing a vicegerent on earth.” (2: 30)

“And (as for you), Adam: dwell you and your wife in this Garden, and eat, both of you, whatever you may desire; but do not come near this tree, lest you become wrongdoers.” (Verse 19) The Qur’ān remains silent about what kind of tree it was, because providing any specific information on this point does not add any particular information about the purpose of its prohibition. Withholding such information lends weight to the view that the prohibition itself was the objective. God has permitted Adam and his wife the enjoyment of what He has made lawful, and commanded them to steer away from what has been forbidden. It was necessary to identify something as forbidden so that the human race could learn that people must not exceed their limits. Thus man’s will is restrained such that he controls his desire and caprice. He is thus able to elevate himself above the level of animals who respond involuntarily to their desires and cannot control them. This is indeed the quality that distinguishes man from animals.

Now Satan begins to play the role for which he dedicated himself. This against a unique creation whose birth God so graciously announced Himself before the Supreme Society in grand celebration. Furthermore, He ordered the angels to prostrate themselves to him, and expelled Satan from heaven on his account. We are told how God created man with a dual nature, capable of following both the right and wrong paths. He has inherent weaknesses and desires which can lead him astray, unless he observes God’s commandments.

Thus Satan saw his chance and began to play on human desires: “But Satan whispered to them both, so that he might show them their nakedness, of which they had previously been unaware. He said to them: ‘Your Lord has only forbidden you this tree lest you two become angels or immortals.’ And he swore to them: ‘I am indeed giving you sound advice.’” (Verses 20-21)

We do not know how the whisperings of Satan took place, because we do not even know Satan’s nature or from what he is made, let alone understand how he acts. We cannot say how he establishes his contact with man or how he tempts him. But we know for certain, on the basis of true information given to us by the only source acceptable in connection with such matters known only to God, that temptation to do what is evil does actually happen in order to encourage man to do what he is forbidden. Such temptation relies on the weaknesses in human nature, but such weakness can be transformed into strength through faith and remembrance of God.

None of Satan’s schemes can be of any effect with a believer who remains conscious of his Lord.

Thus Satan whispered to them in order to show them their nakedness. This was his aim. They certainly had unsightly parts of which they were unaware because they were made not to see them. We will soon learn from the Qur’ānic passage that these were in their physical constitution, requiring to be covered. Hence, we may understand this as a reference to their private parts. Satan did not reveal to them his objective but continued to play on their desires: “He said to them: ‘Your Lord has only forbidden you this tree lest you two become angels or immortals.’” (Verse 20) He knew the inner desires of man who loves to be immortal or at least to have a very long life. He also loves to be an angel who is not limited to a short lifespan.

The Arabic word in the Qur’ānic text which refers to ‘angels’ is also read in a different form so as to make it mean ‘kings’. Only a change of a short vowel, which is not normally written in Arabic script, is needed to make the word denote either meaning. This second reading is further supported by the statement reporting Satan’s word in Sūrah 20, “Ţā Hā”, when Satan is quoted as saying to them: “Adam, shall I lead you to the tree of life eternal, and to a kingdom that will never decay?” (20: 120)

According to this reading, the temptation offered by Satan was that of everlasting wealth and immortality. They represent man’s two strongest desires. It may be said that sexual desire itself is only a means to fulfil a desire for immortality, perpetuating human existence one generation after another. If we take the first reading which makes Satan’s words refer to angels: “Your Lord has only forbidden you this tree lest you two become angels or immortals”, then the temptation is slightly different. He is tempting them with removal of the limitations of their bodies so that they are like angels and with unending life. Although the first reading, speaking of an everlasting kingdom, is less well-known, it is more in line with the other Qur’ānic statement quoted above and fits more perfectly with Satan’s scheming when he tries to play on man’s desires.

Wicked as he is and knowing that prohibition of that tree was firmly rooted in their minds, Satan thought to shaken its effect by assuring them that they had nothing to fear. He coupled that by tempting them with the fulfilment of their desires. He swore to them that he only gave them sound advice and that he was sincere in that advice: “And he swore to them: I am indeed giving you sound advice.” (Verse 21).

Upon the influence of their desires and the reassuring effect of his oath, Adam and his wife forgot that Satan was their enemy who would never point out something good to them. They became oblivious of the fact that God had issued a commandment to them which they had to obey, whether they recognized its purpose or not. They further forgot that everything takes place in accordance with God’s will.

If it is God’s will that they should not be immortal or should not have an everlasting kingdom, then they will have neither. They forgot all this and yielded to Satan’s temptation. “Thus he cunningly deluded them. And when they both had tasted the fruit of the tree, their nakedness became apparent to them, and they began to cover themselves with leaves from the Garden. Their Lord called out to them: `Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you both that Satan is your open enemy?” (Verse 22)

The temptation was thus complete and yielded its bitter fruit. With their error, Satan brought them down from the level of obeying God to that of disobeying Him.

Thus he caused their delusion: “Thus he cunningly deluded them.” (Verse 22) Now they realized that they were naked after they were unaware of those bodily parts which should remain covered. They began to gather leaves from the trees of heaven and patch them together to cover their nakedness. The way all this is expressed in the Qur’ān suggests that it is a reference to the physical private parts which a human being is naturally too shy to expose. He only exposes them when his nature is corrupted under the pressure of traditions and practices that may prevail in jāhiliyyah societies.

Their Lord called out to them: “Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you both that Satan is your open enemy?” (Verse 22) They heard their Lord’s reproach for their disobedience and for taking no heed of His advice. As to how this reproach was made and how they heard it, these are matters of which we have no knowledge other than that they took place. We accept that as we accept the statement that their Lord spoke to them the first time and also spoke to the angels and to Iblīs. God does what He wants.

With this address from on high, the other side of man’s nature is revealed. He is liable to forget and to err. He has a weakness which gives Satan the opportunity to delude him. He does not always maintain the right path. However, he recognizes his mistake and regrets it, and seeks God’s help and forgiveness. He is ready to turn back to God. He does not insist on his disobedience as Satan did, nor does he request his Lord to help him sink deeper into error: “Said they: ‘Our Lord.’ We have wronged ourselves; and unless You grant us forgiveness and bestow Your mercy upon us, we shall certainly be lost.’” (Verse 23) This is one of man’s main characteristics, establishing his bond with his Lord. This opening of the doors leading to his Lord involves recognition of his error, repentance, seeking forgiveness, feeling his own weakness, seeking God’s help and mercy. He is all the time certain that his own power is of no avail unless God helps him and bestows His mercy on him. Otherwise he is lost.

Thus the first experience is completed. Man’s main characteristics are thus outlined. He has become aware of these characteristics and he has gone through this experience. It all provides him with the necessary equipment to fulfil his task as vicegerent on earth. He can now enter into the battle against his enemy which is meant to be an unabating battle: “Said He: ‘Get you down hence, [and be henceforth] enemies to one another, having on earth your abode and livelihood for a while.’” (Verse 24)

“There shall you live, “ He added, ‘and there shall you die, and from there shall you be brought forth [on the Day of Resurrection].” (Verse 25) They all fell down, descending to this earth. But where were they? Where is Heaven? All that belongs to the realm which remains unknown to us except in so far as God, who holds the keys to that realm, tells us. Any attempt to discover that realm after revelations have ceased is bound to be futile. Any denial of it based on what is familiar or what is known today to human beings is a mark of arrogance. Man’s knowledge certainly falls short of trying to discover this unknown world without the proper tools and means. Man is both conceited and arrogant when he denies the existence of that realm which lies beyond the perception of his senses, when it is all around him. In the world of matter, which is within man’s own world, what is unknown is much greater than what is known.

All of them: Adam and his wife, Iblīs and his host, fell down to earth where they began their fight fuelled with hostility. The battle rages between two natures, one of them devoted completely to evil while the other has a dual aspect which responds to good and evil. Thus the test begins and God’s will is done.

Adam and his offspring are destined to remain on earth where they have the power to build it and to enjoy its comforts for a while. On earth they live and they die, before they are resurrected, when they return to their Lord at the end of their great journey. He then assigns them either to heaven or to hell.

The first round in the battle is over, but it is to be followed by numerous rounds.

Man will also be victorious when he seeks help from his Lord and follows the path He has shown him. He will end up in defeat whenever he defers to his enemy.

What we are told in this sūrah about Adam’s creation is not a mere story. It is a presentation outlining the truth of the creation of man, explaining his nature and origin as well as the world around him and what control he has over his life. It also seeks to explain the code which God wants him to implement, the test to which he is put and the destiny awaiting him. All these are basic elements in the Islamic concept of life. We will tackle these only briefly in our commentary, because they are tackled in greater depth in a separate book.10

The first fact which we derive from studying the history of human existence and how man came into being demonstrates that there is full and complete harmony between the nature of the universe and the creation of man. Divine planning, which is characterized by being elaborate and careful, encompasses both man and the universe. It is this planning which makes man’s existence the outcome of a deliberate plan, not a mere coincidence. It also makes harmony between man and the universe the norm.

Those who do not have a proper concept of God and do not properly understand His nature or give Him the respect due to Him, apply their own human measures to His will and actions. When they realize that man is only one of numerous creatures which live on earth, and discover that the earth is no more than a small particle in the ocean of the universe, they claim that “it does not stand to reason” that man’s existence has a definite purpose or that man has a role to play in the overall universal system. Some claim that human existence was a mere coincidence and that the universe is hostile to human existence and life in general. These are no more than blind thoughts that result from imposing human standards on God’s actions.

Clearly, had man been the owner of this vast universe, he would have paid no attention whatsoever to this earth, or to man, the creature walking here and there on the face of the earth. That is because human concerns cannot be addressed to everything that exists in this great creation or to the establishment of harmony between them. But the Lord of the universe is God (limitless is He in His glory) who does not allow a single particle in any part of the heavens or the earth to escape His attention. He is the sovereign of this great kingdom in which nothing can exist without His will or survive without His care. The problem with man is that when he deviates from divine guidance and follows his own desires, which he may call occasionally as science and knowledge, he forgets what God is like and gives Him a picture of his own making. He then starts to measure His actions by his own standards. As a result, he imposes the dictates of his desire, thereby distorting the truth.

As an example of the many erroneous human concepts let us look at this statement by Sir James Jeans:

Standing on our microscopic fragment of a grain of sand, we attempt to discover the nature and purpose of the universe which surrounds our home in space and time. Our first impression is something akin to terror. We find the universe terrifying because of its vast meaningless distances, terrifying because of its inconceivably long vistas of time which dwarf human history to the twinkling of an eye, terrifying because of our extreme loneliness, and because of the material insignificance of our home in space — a millionth part of a grain of sand out of all the sea sand in the world. But above all else, we find the universe terrifying because it appears to be indifferent to life like our own; emotion, ambition and achievement, art and religion all seem equally foreign to its plan. Perhaps indeed we ought to say it appears to be actively hostile to life like our own. For the most part, empty space is so cold that all life in it would be frozen; most of the matter in space is so hot as to make life on it impossible; space is traversed, and astronomical bodies continually bombarded, by radiation of a variety of kinds, much of which is probably inimical to, or even destructive of, life.

Into such a universe we have stumbled, if not exactly by mistake, at least as the result of what may properly be described as an accidents11

We have already explained that to assume that the universe is hostile to the emergence of life, together with the assumption that there is no deliberate planning or controlling force, and the fact that life exists in spite of all this cannot be entertained by any man of reason, let alone a scientist. How is it possible that life could appear in a hostile environment assuming there is no controlling power that determines what takes place? Is life stronger than the universe so as to emerge despite its hostility to it? Is it possible to imagine that, even before he comes into existence, man is stronger than the universe which already exists? This is the only meaning of their statement that man existed despite the hostility of the universe.

Such concepts do not deserve a moment’s attention. Had those `scientists’ limited their role to telling us about what they see and discover, through the means available to them, in the universe, without venturing into such metaphysical concepts that have no basis whatsoever, they would have played a constructive role, limited as it may be, in making the nature of the universe known to mankind. But they go beyond the area of safe knowledge into the maze of theories and assumptions, without any guidance other than their own whims and caprice.

Praise be to God for His guidance! We, for our part, do not feel any sense of fear when we look at this great universe. We certainly have a sense of awe when we consider the creation of this universe and we feel the greatness of its Creator, and the beauty of His creation. We feel safe and secure with this friendly universe in which God has placed us and with which He made our existence harmonious. We are overawed by its greatness and its elaborate systems, but we fear nothing. Nor do we experience any sense of loss or forthcoming destruction. The Lord of the universe is God, our Lord. With the universe we deal with ease, friendship and confidence. We expect to find in it provisions to sustain our life and comforts to make it more enjoyable. We hope to remain always grateful to God: “We have established you firmly on earth and We have provided you there with means of livelihood. How seldom are you grateful.” (Verse 10)

The second fact to be concluded from the story of the start of human life is that man is not only unique among living creatures, he is also noble and honoured.

Moreover, a great task has been assigned to him. He moves within a wide expanse and deals with a variety of worlds, within the framework of his submission to God alone. This concept is diametrically opposed to man-made materialistic philosophies which ignore his role in the universe and give all importance to matter and its inevitable influence. It is also opposed to the theory of evolution which sends man down to the animal world and cares little for his unique and distinctive characteristics. Similarly, it is contrary to the Freudian philosophy which uses psychiatric analysis to depict man as totally lost in the quagmire of sex, to the extent that he can only sublimate himself through sexual behaviour. But the nobility and honour Islam assigns to man does not make of him a god, as he is depicted by the philosophical theories formulated in the Age of Enlightenment. The Islamic concept is distinguished by being factual and balanced at the same time.

Based on the import of all the Qur’ānic statements that speak of man’s existence, we are more in favour of the view that man’s existence was an independent one, but we cannot say that with absolute certainty. The birth of this unique species was announced in a great gathering witnessed by the Supreme Society. The announcement was made to this noble gathering and to the whole universe by God Almighty. In another account of this event, related in the second sūrah, man’s mission as vicegerent on earth is also announced at the beginning of his creation. Then he faced his first test in heaven to prepare him for discharging the duties of vicegerency.

Qur’ānic statements in other sūrahs also make it clear that God has made the whole universe, not only the earth, helpful to him. He has made all things in the heavens and on earth subservient to him.

In this we note the great task assigned to man by his Creator. To build life on a whole planet and to be in charge of it by God’s will, regardless of the size of the planet, is certainly a great honour.

What appears from this story and from other statements in the Qur’ān, is that man is a unique creature, not only in respect of this planet of ours but also in the universe.

Other worlds of creation like the angels and the jinn, and other types known only to God, have other tasks, and have been created with suitable natures that differ from that of man. Man has his own characteristics and tasks giving him a unique position in God’s system of creation. This is further supported by God’s statement in the Qur’ān: “We offered Our trust to the heavens, and the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it because they were afraid of it. Yet man took it up, for he has always been prone to be a wrongdoer and foolish.” (33: 72) This makes man a species on his own, with unique characteristics which include being a wrongdoer and foolish. He has also been given freedom of choice within limits, the ability to learn and acquire progressive knowledge, and a free will of his own. He has the ability to maintain justice and acquire great knowledge in the same way as he has the ability to be unjust and sink into ignorance. This dual ability is indeed his distinctive quality.

All this shows how false is the view of man, based on the very small size of the planet on which we live, compared to other great entities in the universe. Size counts for little. The qualities of a knowledge- absorbing mind, a will that is independent, within the limits of submission to God, the freedom of choice and the ability to weigh up things are all far more important elements than the size of the earth upon which Sir James Jeans and others base their views of man and his role.

The importance which this story and other Qur’ānic statements give to mankind is not limited to man’s role as vicegerent on earth, with all his unique characteristics.

That importance is complemented by a careful look at the vastness of the world within which man moves to fulfil his task and the worlds with which he deals. To start with, he has a direct relationship with his Lord, limitless is He in His Glory. It is his Lord who made man with His own hand, and it is He who has announced his birth to the Supreme Society and throughout the universe, and then placed him in heaven to eat of its fruit as he pleases, with the exception of the forbidden tree. It is his Lord who then put him in charge of the earth and gave him the basis of knowledge, as related in Sūrah 2, The Cow, in which God states: “He taught Adam the names of all things.” (2: 31) We understand that statement as referring to man’s ability to assign verbal symbols and names to matters and ideas. That is the basis which enables human beings to exchange knowledge and make it available throughout the human race. His Lord then gave him His instructions while still in Heaven and later after he came down to earth. He gave him all the abilities making the human race unique. He then sent him messengers with His guidance, and committed Himself to bestow mercy on man, forgive him his slips and accept his repentance. Indeed the blessings God has bestowed on this unique creation are endless.

Man also deals with the Supreme Society, for God has ordered the angels to prostrate themselves to him. He also assigned angels to guard man, and gave some of them the task of delivering revelations to His messengers. He sends down some of the angels to give happy news to those who declare that God is their Lord and maintain an attitude of obedience to Him. Angels are also sent to support those who fight for God’s cause. He gives some angels the task of fighting unbelievers, killing them and taking away their souls. The dealings between angels and human beings continue in this life and in the life to come as well.

And man also deals with the jinn, whether believers or unbelievers. The Qur’ān portrays in vivid scenes the first battle between man and Satan. That battle still rages and will continue until the appointed day when the life of this world comes to an end. Man’s dealing with the believers among the jinn is mentioned in other Qur’ānic statements. Making the jinn serve man is also stated clearly in the story of the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him).

Man also deals with this material world, particularly the earth and the not-toodistant planets and stars. He is God’s vicegerent placed in charge of the earth. God has made all potential sources, provisions and latent powers available to him. He has the ability to uncover some of its secrets, and identify some of its laws which help him in discharging his great role. Hence, he deals with all that lives on and in the earth. Finally, with his dual nature and ability, he has an unlimited scope within himself. He can be so sublime as to elevate himself above the rank of angels when he makes his submission to God pure, absolute. And he sinks down far below the level of animals when he makes himself subservient to his desire. For then he sheds his human characteristics and sinks into a bottomless pit. Between these two the gap is far greater than that separating the heavens from the earth in our material sense.

Nothing of all this is available to any creature other than man, as we understand from this story and other Qur’ānic accounts.

The third fact which we can deduce from this story is that despite the uniqueness of man, or because of it, he is weak in certain aspects of his constitution. His weakness makes it possible for him to be led by his desire to evil and to bottomless depths. His two main weaknesses are his love of survival and his possessive desire.

He is at his weakest when he leaves God’s guidance and submits to his desire or to his sworn enemy who has taken it upon himself to try to seduce him and never let him go.

But God has shown His grace to man by not leaving him alone to carve his path on the basis of the dictates of his nature and reason without any further help. God has sent him messengers to remind and warn him, as we will see in a following verse.

This represents man’s salvation indeed. He is saved from his caprice and desire by turning to God, and he is saved from his enemy who flies away whenever man remembers his Lord and seeks His mercy and reward.

All these elements strengthen man’s resolve and help him elevate himself above his desires and weaknesses. He received his first training in this area whilst still in heaven. He was told then that a particular tree was forbidden him. That training aimed to strengthen his will and to highlight its opposition to temptation and weakness. If he failed in his first experience, that experience should stand him in good stead in the future.

By the grace of God, the door of repentance and return remains open to man at every moment. Should he remember after a slip or a lapse of memory, and should he repent after having fallen into sin, then he finds the door open. God will accept his repentance and forgive him his slips. When he maintains the right path thereafter, God substitutes good deeds for bad ones and multiplies his reward as many times as He pleases. God has not made man’s original sin a curse that chases him and his offspring, for there is simply no permanent, everlasting or inherited sin. No one bears the burden of another.

This basic element in the Islamic concept relieves mankind of the burden and the myth of original, inherited sin which forms the basis of Church concepts in Christianity. It also provides the basis for a great mass of rituals and superstitions. It depicts Adam as a sinner whose sin becomes a curse threatening mankind all the time. The only way to save man, according to this concept, is for God to take the form of the son of man, the Christ who, bearing the burden of atonement for this inherited sin, is allegedly crucified. Thus, forgiveness is granted only to those who are in communion with Jesus Christ who sacrificed himself to atone for Adam’s sin inherited by his offspring.

The Islamic concept is much simpler and much easier. Adam forgot his instructions and slipped into sin, but he then repented and prayed for forgiveness.

God accepted his repentance and forgave him. That puts an end to that first sin.

What remains of it is the experience which helps mankind in its ongoing fight against sin and temptation. How simple, how clear and how easy.

The fourth and final conclusion to be derived from this story is that man’s battle with Satan is real, serious and unabating. As it is related, the story tells us of the great persistence of this avowed enemy to chase man in all situations and to try to delude him at every moment and attack him from every corner: “[Iblīs] said: ‘Since You let me fall in error, I shall indeed lurk in ambush for them all along Your straight path, and I shall most certainly fall upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left; and You will find most of them ungrateful.’” (Verses 16-17) The evil one has chosen to be given a very long life in which to continue his wicked scheming. He opted for this wickedness in preference to turning to God in sincere repentance, praying to Him to forgive him his sin committed openly in public after he heard His command in person. He made it clear that he would lie in ambush for human beings trying to turn them away from God’s path, and attack them from every corner in order to divert them from God’s guidance.

Satan can only play on man’s weaknesses and tempt him with fulfilling his desires. Man cannot protect himself against Satan except through consolidating his strength with faith and remembrance of God and by raising himself above desires and making these desires subject to the guidance he has received from God.

The battle with Satan is the major encounter, because it is a fight against desire through the following of divine guidance, and a fight against caprice through enhancing will-power, and a fight against evil and corruption to which Satan leads those who befriend him. It is a fight conducted through following the divine law which sets life on earth on the right path. This fight takes place within man’s conscience and in his daily life, with the two linked together because Satan continues to stir the fight on both its fronts.

Tyrants who try to subjugate people to their rules, laws, standards and values and exclude those derived from divine faith are evil human beings who listen to the whispering of the evil ones among the jinn. The fight against those tyrants is the same as the fight against Satan himself.

This means that the major battle which rages on is that fought against Satan himself and those who befriend him. As a Muslim engages in the fight against his caprice and profane desires, against Satan’s friends who tyrannize on earth, their servants and soldiers, and against the evil, corruption and immorality they spread in the land, he realizes that it is all a single, ferocious battle fought in earnest, because his enemy, Satan, is intent to fight him to the bitter end. Thus the fight goes on and jihād, or the struggle for God’s cause, continues until the Day of Judgement, taking numerous forms and shapes.

Finally, the story and the comments that follow it refer to an intrinsic aspect of human nature, which makes man too shy to willingly appear naked: “But Satan whispered to them both, so that he might show them their nakedness, of which they had previously been unaware.” (Verse 20) “Thus he cunningly deluded them. And when they both had tasted the fruit of the tree, their nakedness became apparent to them, and they began to cover themselves with leaves from the Garden.” (Verse 22) “Children of Adam, We have sent down to you clothing to cover your nakedness, and garments pleasing to the eye; but the robe of God-consciousness is the finest of all. In this there is a sign from God, so that they may reflect. Children of Adam, do not allow Satan to seduce you in the same way as he caused your (first) parents to be turned out of the Garden. He stripped them of their garment in order to make them aware of their nakedness.” (Verses 26-27)

These verses emphasize the importance of this question showing that it touches on something deeply rooted in human nature. Clothing is not merely an adornment to man, but it also covers his physical nakedness, in the same way as fearing God covers his mental nakedness.

Sound, uncorrupted human nature abhors revealing its physical and mental nakedness. Those who try to persuade people to cast off their clothes and the garment of God-consciousness and fearing Him, in order to make them appear naked, unashamed, aim only to deprive man of some of his basic natural qualities.

This attempt is supported by many who speak up or write or utilize the media in order to paint this nakedness as normal, using every means for this evil end. Their goal is to deprive man of some aspects of his humanity which distinguishes him from other creatures. They all want to put man at the mercy of his enemy, Satan, who has always wanted to undress him and expose his nakedness. Such people are only putting into practice some evil Zionist schemes, aiming to destroy humanity, and spread promiscuity so that all mankind submits without resistance to the kingdom of Zion, after they have lost their distinctive human characteristics.

Nakedness is a quality of animal nature. Man does not prefer nakedness except when he sinks down to a level below that which befits man. Those who find nakedness beautiful suffer from a distortion of human taste. Some primitive peoples in the heartland of Africa are always nude, but when Islam penetrates into these areas, the first aspect of civilization it imparts to them is that they start to wear clothes. In modern, `progressive’ jāhiliyyah people sink into the depths from which Islam rescues those who are backward and puts them on the road to civilization in the Islamic sense, which promotes the distinctive characteristics of man.

Psychological and mental nakedness, which sheds the sense of shame and fear of God, is strongly advocated by many people in the media, but it is simply a step back into jāhiliyyah. It is a far cry from the superior level of advancement and civilization, although its advocates try to depict it as so.

The story of the creation of man as told in the Qur’ān emphasizes these values and standards and explains them fully. We praise God for having guided us and saved us from following the whispers of Satan and rescued us from the quagmire of ignorance and jāhiliyyah.