The creation of man is referred to in the Koran
in many places.
Adam was the first man God created. Then He created Eve, and they lived together in
heaven.
God regarded man as his noblest creation. He sent him as His vicegerent on earth. Before creating Adam, He told the angels in the heavens that He was
creating 'man from clay, moulding him from
earthly substance', and asked them to 'fall down before him in prostration, when I have
given him form and breathed into him My spirit'. The angels were aghast:
They asked: 'Pray, will you put
man there Who will do mischief and shed blood? Why not send us instead who worship and
glorify You? [2:30]
They prayed to the Lord not to humiliate them. God
told them
to obey His command, for, he said, 'You know not what I
know.' The Koran states:
So each one of them obeyed except Satan. God asked him: 'Why did you not prostrate?' Satan replied: 'Because I am
worthier, my Lord, than Adam. Of fire You have created me, from clay you have created
him.' [7:12]
God thundered: Begone from My presence! There is
no place for you here. Your arrogance makes you the meanest of My creatures.
[7:13]
Satan bowed before the Lord, and made one plea: Grant me, my Lord, a reprieve
until the day man is raised again. [7:14]
God granted Satan the reprieve. Satan then said: Since you have thrown me out, I
shall now waylay man on the straight path you have laid and make him commit sin, from the
right hand to the left, from before and behind him; You will not find in Adam and in most
of his progeny, gratitude for Your bounties. [7:16-17]
God told Satan that he was disgraced, and banished him from
paradise: Those of My creatures who follow
you they shall be consigned to hell with you. [20:123-124]
Turning to Adam, God said: You and Eve can reside in the
garden of paradise. Eat fruits from any tree you like, but there is one to which you shall
not go nor shall you eat its fruits. For, indeed, it will be a transgression.
[2:35]
Adam and Eve began to live blissfully in paradise, but Satan
would tempt them so as to swerve them from the right path. He whispered into their ears
that they should enjoy their bare bodies, which until then they had not perceived. He told
them that their Lord had asked them to keep away from the prohibited tree because He did
not wish them to become angels and thus immortal. He asked them to swear that they would
not betray his trust and then urged them to eat the forbidden fruit. He assured them that
he was their 'true friend'.
He used all his guile to entice
them. Eventually, Adam and Eve succumbed to his enticements and tasted the forbidden
fruit. They covered themselves with leaves in order to conceal their shame. On seeing this
transformation, their Lord asked them:
Did I not forbid you to go near
that tree? Did I not warn you that Satan is your enemy? [7:20-22]
Adam and Eve realized their mistake and begged forgiveness of
their Lord: O Lord, we have sinned
grievously. Please grant us Your forgiveness or else we shall be lost forever. [7:23]
The Lord in His mercy forgave them, but cast them down to live
on earth. He told them that there shall be eternal enmity and feuding between them and
Satan. The Lord reminded Adam and Eve, and their progeny who followed them, that clothing
might cover their shame, but what was more important for them was to cover themselves with
the 'garment of true piety':
O Children of Adam! Let Satan not
be your guide as he has been of your parents. He misled them and drove them out, stripping
them of their nakedness. [7:27]
Satan made Adam and Eve commit indecency. Thus they disobeyed
the command of their Lord. They were warned of Satan's designs; they were asked to tell
Satan:
Our Lord commands us to do what
is right and just. He is to be worshipped in every place and prayed to with all the
sincerity of faith. It is He who has brought us to life, and it is He who will raise us
again. After we die we shall return to Him. Some of us have been guided right. But some
have taken to Satan's ways. They are, indeed, in the wrong. [7:29-30]
Referring to Cain and Abel, the two sons of
Adam, the Koran says that each of them made an offering to God; the offering of Abel was
accepted and that of Cain was rejected:
Cain said to his brother: 'I will
kill you.' But his brother replied: 'Only from those who truly fear the Lord does God
accept an offering. If you try to kill me, I will not do the same to you. For I fear my
Lord, Who is the Lord of all beings. If you kill me, the sin will be on your head and you
will be consigned to hell.' [5:27-29]
Abel's words had no effect on Cain. He murdered his brother
without any cause and 'took his place among the lost'. God
sent a raven who dug the ground to cover the corpse of Abel. Seeing this, Cain felt most
remorseful and cried, 'Woe to me. I am worse than this
raven, for I cannot hide the evil that I have done to my brother.' The Koran admonishes:
O Children of Israel! If anyone
kills another without just cause, except in retaliation for a murder or for causing
corruption in the land, it is as if he has killed the whole of mankind. And whosoever
saves a life, it is as if he has saved the whole of mankind. [5:32]
Story of Noah
God
sent Noah to his people and asked him to tell
them to worship none but the One, who was the Creator of all. He was also told to warn
them that 'stern retribution will overtake them' if they
did not heed his call.
The nobles among them refused to believe him. They said: You are just a human
being like us; why should we follow you? Except the vulgar who may thoughtlessly hasten to
listen to you, you have no superiority over us; in fact, you are nothing but an impostor
[11:27]
Noah beseeched them not to misunderstand him: I have a clear
message from the Lord Who in His mercy has granted me this task. I ask you not to be deaf
to what I have to say. I am not coercing you nor am I asking you for wealth. My reward is
with my Lord. I will not turn away believers. Only pause and think of your future. I do
not claim to possess God's treasures nor have I the knowledge of the Unseen; I am also no
angel. But do not be scornful of those who believe in God or talk ill of them. [11: 28-31]
These people, however, remained adamant in their
opposition and told Noah bluntly: You have raised a
dispute between us; we have heard your contentions and also the warnings of dire
consequences. Bring upon us the calamity that you threaten; let us see what your God can
do to us. [11:32]
Noah warned them that if God so willed, He would do
what He wanted and nothing could frustrate it. He pleaded with them again to come out of
their 'persistent delusion'. But they refused to listen to
him.
In desperation, Noah told the Lord: O my Lord, night and
day I have pleaded with my people, but instead of listening to me they have fled away from
me. Each time I have asked them to seek Your forgiveness, they have put their fingers in
their ears and wrapped their heads with rich garments; they have persisted in their
arrogance. Even so I pleaded with them, privately as well as publicly, in all earnestness,
entreating them to seek Your forgiveness and to remember Your bounties and Your Awesome
Majesty. But they have said 'no' to me. On the contrary, they have asked people not to
abandon the worship of their gods. [71:5-23]
God then asked Noah not to be distressed and to
construct an ark 'under Our eyes and by Our inspiration'.
As he began the work, the chiefs of his people mocked him. He told them that soon they
would realize who was in for 'lasting doom'.
And so it happened; under a decree from the Lord,
the waters gushed forth and flooded the earth. Noah was commanded by the Lord to take into
the ark two creatures of each species, a male and a female, members of his family, except
the wrongdoers among them, and all the believers who numbered just a handful. Noah's son
refused to board. The father pleaded with him, but he said, 'No, I will climb the mountain and take shelter there and protect myself.'
Noah cried out: This day there shall
be no protection from the wrath of God, save for those who will receive His mercy.
The waves came gushing forth in torrents and swept
off Noah's son and all unbelievers; when Noah saw his son drowning, in a moment of
weakness he asked God to forgive his son and to save him.
The Lord said: 'He was not a true son of yours; what he did was wrong. Do not ask for
something which is wrong and of which you have no comprehension. Otherwise, you may be
counted among the ignorant and the willful.' Noah realized his folly and was repentant.
He
asked for God's forgiveness, and the blessings came: Noah! Take to the
way of peace; Our blessings are upon you and upon people descending from you. We will give
satisfaction to believers and retribution to unbelievers. the future is only known to Us;
neither you nor your people have an inkling, hence be patient and fear your Lord. [11:48]
As the floods overwhelmed the unbelievers and took
them to their doom, Noah prayed to the Lord: O my Lord! Forgive
me and all believers who have taken shelter under my roof, but do not leave on earth a
single unbeliever. For if You spare any one of them, He will lead Your servants astray and
also their offspring and make them faithless wrongdoers. [71:26-28]
Noah and his companions in the ark were safely
conveyed to the shore. God kept them steadily under His grace and granted them His
bounties.
Story of Hud
To the industrious and hardworking people belonging
to the tribe of Aad, God sent Hud as His messenger. He told them:
O my people, worship
God. There is no one other than Him. The other notions you have are all false. He is the
only true God. I ask you to worship Him, I ask nothing for myself. My reward is with Him
who has fashioned me. Will you not understand this? Seek His forgiveness and remember His
bounties, and do not revert to your evil ways. [11:50-52]
The elders of the tribes rebuked Hud: We think you are a
simpleton. Nay, worse, a liar. [7:66]
Hud assured them: I am not a
simpleton; I am God's apostle. I bring His message to you, hence, heed the warning I give,
for you are Noah's people. If you have God's blessings, everything will go well with you.
[7:67-69]
But they persisted in their unbelief and told Hud: You have brought us
no clear Signs save what you are telling us. How can we abandon our gods? It seems some of
our gods have smitten you with evil so that you go on the wrong path. [11:53-54]
Hud answered them: I swear by my Lord
that I am not guilty of your charge. I believe only in my Lord; To me no one else matters
and none can delude me and make me go against Him. Nothing moves without His will; His
path alone is the right path. If you do not respond to my call and turn away from the
Lord, the loss will be yours, not His. In your place He will bring others, for He has
control over all things, He watches over all that happens. [11:54-57]
Hud reminded the elders of the tribe of how God
gave them tenure of the land upon which they built their castles and homes. They had
forgotten all His bounties and resorted to corrupt dealings and evil ways. Eventually,
they had to pay the price of their unbelief: they were overwhelmed by a raging tempest.
The fury lasted for seven nights and eight days; the people of Aad perished and their
castles and dwellings became like 'stumps of hollow palmtrees'.
Story of Salih
For the good of the people of Thamud, God sent
Salih as His messenger. He asked them to believe in the Oneness of God and
to worship none but Him. He told them that God had sent a Sign to the
arrogant oppressors of the poor in the form of a she-camel. Water was
scarce at the time, and the privileged class tried to prevent the poor and
their cattle from having access to the springs and
pastures.
The she-camel was made a test case to see if
the haughty, rich people would come to see reason. Salih wanted them to
allow the she-camel to graze without any let or hindrance. He warned them
that they should have no evil intentions toward her, or the wrath of God
would fall upon them.
He reminded them that the Lord had been kind to
them in the past and had made them successors to the people of Aad, who
were destroyed for their evil deeds. They had been given land, so as to
build palaces and castles on the plains and homes in the mountains. Salih
beseeched them not to spread disorder in the world, to remain
ever-conscious of God's power and to be grateful for His
kindness.
But the chiefs of the tribes jeered at him;
they asked the people not to believe in what Salih said. Some did not
listen to them and heeded Salih's call, but many followed the advice of
their chiefs. And as a mark of their defiance, they hamstrung the
she-camel and killed her, challenging Salih to bring upon them the
calamity which he had threatened them with.
Salih grieved for his people, for he knew what
lay in store for them. He therefore left Thamud with his followers, and
soon thereafter there was a dreadful earthquake, which destroyed the
inhabitants of Thamud, burying them along with their castles and
palaces.
Story of Abraham
After Noah, Abraham was selected by God to be His
Prophet. Abraham first preached in his own country, now known as Iraq. Then he moved to
Syria, Palestine and Egypt. Finally, he settled down in Arabia.
In carrying on with his
mission, he was assisted by other messengers appointed from his own family by God: Lot,
his nephew, who lived in the midst of the people of Jordan, and Abraham's two sons, the
elder son Ishmael [or Ismail], and the younger Isaac [or Ishaq].
Isaac preached in Syria
and Palestine. Ishmael assisted his father in Arabia and is credited with having helped
him in building the Ka'aba, which is now the religious center of the Islamic world.
Ishmael and Isaac founded two sects, the Ismailites and Israelites respectively.
The tribe
of Quraish, to which Muhammad belonged, is said to be Ismailite in origin, while the Jews
and the Christians are said to be descendants of Jacob, whose other name was Israel, the
son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham. Hence Abraham is regarded as the father of all
Semitic peoples; from him were born not only Jews and Christians but also the Muslims. He
is the common bond who links them all. After him, God transferred the leadership to Isaac
and Jacob, and their descendants are collectively described in the Koran as
'the Children of Israel'.
As soon as Abraham received the commission from the
Lord to propagate the Oneness of God and preach His worship among the people, he called
upon the Lord to preserve the Ka'aba that he had built to eradicate the worship of idols,
which had led many people astray. Abraham asked them, 'What
is it that you worship?'
They replied: We worship the
idols, as did our fathers. And in devotion to them we shall remain steadfast.
[26: 72, 74]
Abraham asked them: Do they hear you
when you call them? Have they the power to do anything, either good or bad for you?
[26:73]
He reminded them that there was only one God, the
Lord of all creation, who controlled Life, death and resurrection. He told his own father,
Azar, to desist from worshipping idols. He said he had learned from his own experience
that God alone was worthy of worship. He was shown by God 'the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth so that he might be convinced of the faith' in
his Creator.
The Koran narrates: When the night was
dark, Abraham saw a star; he said to himself, 'This must be the Lord.' But soon the star
set and his faith was shaken. Then he saw the moon rising in the sky. 'This is the Lord,'
he said. However, when it waned, he lost faith in it. Likewise, when the sun rose,
brighter than everything, he was convinced that it was the Lord. But the sun also set, and
Abraham cried: 'I set my face against all these. I repudiate every other kind of worship
except the worship of God, Creator of all that is in the heavens and on the earth.'
[6:76-79]
The people jeered at Abraham and remonstrated with
him, and even stoned him; they tried to frighten him into believing that their idols would
destroy him and his God would not be able to save him.
But Abraham responded: Will you dispute
with me about God who has guided me? I have no fear of the idols you
worship. Unless my
Lord wills nothing can happen. [6:80-81]
Turning to his father, Abraham asked what the
images were to which he and his people were devoted. Azar replied that they worshipped
what their fathers had worshipped. Abraham said: 'Then
assuredly, you and your fathers are clearly in error.' Earlier, he had told Nimrod, the
King of Iraq, not to forget that it was God who gave him the Kingdom and power and glory;
but the King, in his arrogance, had denied it and had declared that he determined the life
and death of his subjects.
Abraham had then asked him:
'God makes the sun rise from the east; can you make it rise from the west?' The King had
no answer. He sentenced Abraham to be burnt alive.
Abraham bore all the hardships but remained firm
and steadfast in his loyalty to God. One day he broke all the idols in the Ka'aba, one by
one, except the largest. As soon as the people heard of the destruction, they rushed to
the temple and, seething with rage, cried: Who has done this to
our idols? This is, indeed, an outrage. [21:59]
They were told that young Abraham was the culprit. 'Fetch him,' they demanded. 'And let everyone witness what
we do do him.' When Abrahm was brought before them, they asked him: 'Who has done this to our idols?' 'Not I; it is that big idol over there. Why
don't you question him?' They replied that idols did not speak.
Abraham said: Isn't it strange
that you should worship these idols which can neither speak nor do anything. They can
neither help nor harm anyone. Shame on you and on your idol worship. How foolish of you to
worship them. [21:60]
They were fashioned, he reminded them, by their own
hands. He beseeched them to worship the One God who created and fashioned everything. They
were so angered by his words that they decided to throw him into a pyre of blazing fire.
They could not succeed, however, because God 'made them
bite the dust'.
Abraham prayed to the Lord to grant him an heir,
who 'will be numbered among the righteous'. So God gave him
a gentle boy, Ishmael. But Abraham had pledged to God in a dream that if he had a son, he
would offer him in sacrifice to the Lord. Abraham told his son of his dream and his
pledge. 'Then, Father, ' said Ishmael, 'you should honor
your commitment and surrender me to the will of God.'
So Abraham laid him down, and as he was about to
slay him, he heard the Voice commanding him: Enough, Abraham! You
have kept your word with Us. You have already fulfilled the vision. [37:105]
The Lord had intended merely to test Abraham; He
now declared that he had fulfilled his commitment: We redeem Abraham's
son with a great sacrifice and We give Our benediction to him and bless him through
generations to come and shower Our peace upon him. [37:107-109]
Thus God rewarded the righteous and His 'believing servants'.
In Isaac, Abraham's other and younger son, the Lord
gave to the world 'one of the best of prophets'. Among
their descendants some did good deeds, but some who did bad, 'were blatant evil-doers, who sinned against themselves' . [37:110-113]
The Koran clarifies: Abraham was neither
a Jew nor a Christian. He was a hanif, a man of pure worship, he was not an idolator but a
believer in One God; only those who follow him are entitled to claim relationship with
him. Muhammad and his followers are nearer to him. God is the protector of all
believers. [3:67-68]
Referring to the House of Mecca, 'the place of sanctuary and serenity for the people',
God asked
Muhammad to 'make it your House of prayers'. Thus God's
covenant given to Abraham and Ishmael was fulfilled and the Ka'aba became for the
believers 'the pilgrim circuit' for worship and for
prostration. Abraham and Isaac had prayed to God to 'send
among our people after us a messenger of our own kin who recites to the people Your
revelations, teaches them the Book and the wisdom it contains and purges them of all evil'
[2:129].
God
admonishes: Tell the people, O
Muhammad! that to be rightly guided one need not be a Jew or a Christian. The righteous
belong to the community of Abraham, who was pure in his worship of God. So were Ishmael,
Jacob and the tribes, and Moses, Jesus and the rest. They are all Our messengers; We make
no distinction between them. [2:135-136]
Story of Lot
Lot lived among a people who practiced naked
lewdness; they went lustfully after men instead of women. God chose him as His messenger
to tell them to give up their perversity and fear Him. He told them: My people, ask
forgiveness of your Lord and repent for your evil ways. [27:55]
But instead of listening to him, they jeered at
him, calling him and his family 'these despicable, puritan
folk'. They hounded them out of the town. God rescued all of them except Lot's wife, who
turned back and decided to be with the unbelievers. Suddenly a rain of fire and stones
fell on the inhabitants of the place and they were destroyed.
The Koran reminds: In your travels
either by morning light or the fain glimmer of the fall of night you can see their ruins
as you pass by. [37:136-138]
Story of Shuyab
Shuyab was sent as a messenger by God to the people
of Madyan, who were mostly merchants. they lived in an area surrounded by thick forests.
He told them: I beseech you, my
people, to worship God and fear the coming of the Last Day. Do not take to perverse habits
and generate corruption in the land. [29:36]
Instead of heeding his call, they called him a
liar; he reminded them that they should fear the Lord, who had sent him as His faithful
apostle. He asked them to give up their practice of cheating in business: Fear the One who has
created you and listen to what I have to say. Pay in full measure and do not defraud by
stinting and giving short measure and weight. Use the right balance, and be honest and
cease to be perverse. [26:179,181-183]
The people scolded Shuyab and called him 'bewitched'; they said to him:
How can we forsake
what our fathers taught us and abandon the methods which have come down to us?
[37:136-138]
They praised his gentle nature and asked him to
follow his forebears and give up his new fangled ideas. Shuyab told them he did not wish to cross swords
with the people of Madyan, but he could not do what they were asking him to do.
He
explained: My mission is to set
things right and to fulfill God's will. My trust in Him is implicit. I always turn to Him
in need. I beseech you not to disobey His call lest the same fate befalls you as befell
the detractors of Noah, Hud and Salih. The people of Lot, who lived near by, also suffered
because of their unbelief. [11:89]
The people of Madyan were deaf to his plea: You are weak in the
head; but for your family, we would stone you. [11:91]
Shuyab answered them resolutely: My people, do what
you like; I hold on to my belief; you will know who is a liar when God's punishment comes
to you. [11:93]
The elders of the tribe warned Shuyab: We will expel you
from our city and all those who follow you. [7:88]
Shuyab replied that his Lord controlled everything.
The people jeered at him: If you are speaking
the truth let pieces from the sky fall on us. [26:187]
Shuyab told them: Watch me then; and I
am also watching you. [11:93]
Soon thereafter, Shuyab left the city with his
followers. One night, a blast struck the inhabitants of Madyan and by next morning they
lay lifeless, as if they had never lived.