Monotheism in the Dawah of Adam (peace be upon him) represents the very foundation of human faith. He was a prophet who worshipped Allah alone and taught his children this pure creed. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was once asked about Adam: “Was he a prophet?” He replied: “Yes, a prophet spoken to; Allah created him with His hand, then breathed into him His spirit.”
Monotheism is the methodology that has accompanied humanity since its inception. Upon it, life was established and the earth was populated. It is for this purpose that Allah created jinn and mankind:
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”[Surah Adh-Dhariyat: 56]
As for polytheism, disbelief, corruption, and misguidance, all of these are emergent deviations from the original creation and the natural disposition (Fitrah) upon which Allah created people.
The Core of Monotheism in the Dawah of Adam to His Offspring
Adam taught his children monotheism and faith in the Creator. He shared his story with the Creator—the Fashioner, the All-Knowing, the Wise, the Oft-Returning, the Merciful, Exalted be He. He delivered his divine message to his offspring. He was the first of the prophets to whom Allah sent revelation, and among the most important beliefs he taught his descendants was the creed of monotheism: that there is no creator other than Allah. Allah is the One who created the heavens and the earth, and created the angels and the jinn; thus, it is impermissible to worship anything besides Him in the heavens or on the earth.
He also taught them about his relationship with the angels, the reality of his creation, and the fashioning of his wife by Allah the Almighty.
He introduced his descendants to the Beautiful Names of Allah and His Attributes, such as Knowledge, Wisdom, Hearing, and Seeing.
He explained the reality of the angels, the enmity of Iblis, the story of himself and his wife with Paradise and how they exited it—due to a wisdom intended by Allah Almighty—and how he, his wife, and the righteous among his children will eventually return to it.
Warnings of the Barzakh, Resurrection, and the Hereafter
He clarified the danger of disobedience and sins, the importance of repentance, and seeking forgiveness and mercy from the Oft-Forgiving, the Acceptor of Repentance, the Merciful, Exalted be He. He explained to them the life of the Barzakh (the intermediary stage in the grave), which a person enters after death; that Allah will resurrect those in the graves, recreating them from dust once again; and that all people will be gathered for the Day of Reckoning. Both the life of the Barzakh and the Resurrection are evidenced in Allah’s address to Adam and his enemy:
“He said, ‘Descend from it, all of you, as enemies to one another. And if there should come to you guidance from Me – then whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray nor suffer. And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind.'”[Surah Taha: 123-124]
He explained to them the annihilation of the entire worldly life, which is the day Allah has set as the absolute limit for the life of Iblis. He taught that Allah’s curse upon Iblis is continuous until the Day of Judgment, after which his ultimate destiny will be the Fire, just like the rest of the disbelievers.
He made it clear that Allah Almighty has prepared Hell for the disbelievers, which He will fill with Iblis and his followers among the jinn and mankind. Allah mentioned in the story of Adam (peace be upon him) that Hell is the Fire in which He willed to punish these disbelievers—those who denied His signs and did not believe in them. Allah clarified that this Fire is permanent, its punishment is continuous, and its inhabitants will abide therein eternally. However, the sincere servants of Allah, over whom Satan has no authority, will not enter it. Adam (peace be upon him) is the protagonist of the story of the beginning of the human race. Consequently, it is natural that he would recount all its lessons, morals, and benefits to his children and grandchildren, with the participation of our mother Hawwa (Eve).
Adam (peace be upon him) explained to his children and descendants that the eternal punishment of the disbelievers in Hell is contrasted by the eternal bliss for those who follow the guidance of Allah. This contrast is established in two noble verses. Allah says in the story of Adam in Surah Al-Baqarah:
“We said, ‘Go down from it, all of you. And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance – there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. And those who disbelieve and deny Our signs – those will be companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.'”[Surah Al-Baqarah: 38-39]
Divine Addresses to the “Children of Adam”
Regarding the statement of Allah Almighty: “O Children of Adam,” we can state in this context our belief that every verse beginning with “O Children of Adam” had its meaning revealed in the books of the messengers and Allah’s revelations to them since the time of Adam. That is, it was revealed verbatim through the first messenger after Adam, or to Adam himself, in the language that the children of Adam used to communicate since their inception on Earth. It was likewise revealed to the Seal of the Prophets, just like other verses that were revealed through the tongues of previous prophets. We believe that by reviewing and pondering all these verses, the truth of this assertion becomes evident. Let us mention these verses below:
“O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness – that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember.”[Surah Al-A’raf: 26]
“O children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you as he removed your parents from Paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their private parts. Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them. Indeed, We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe.”[Surah Al-A’raf: 27]
“O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.”[Surah Al-A’raf: 31]
“And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said, ‘Yes, we have testified.’ [This] – lest you should say on the day of Resurrection, ‘Indeed, we were of this unaware.'”[Surah Al-A’raf: 172]
“And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference.”[Surah Al-Isra: 70]
Universal Guidance and the Value of Servitude
Among the proofs that the guidance and directives of these verses are intended for all the children of Adam, starting from Adam (peace be upon him), is that most of them—with the exception of “And We have certainly honored the children of Adam”—were revealed immediately after the story of Adam in Surah Al-A’raf, directly following Allah’s statement:
“He said, ‘Therein you will live, and therein you will die, and from it you will be brought forth.'”[Surah Al-A’raf: 25]
Furthermore, they mention Allah’s favor of sending down clothing to conceal private parts, which was among the very first blessings Allah bestowed upon Adam, and upon Adam and Hawwa. One also notices in these noble verses the legislation of prayer, and commands related to eating and drinking—teachings that Allah would not have delayed revealing until after the era of Adam. Additionally, they contain warnings to follow the messengers and the revealed books, and they differentiate between the believers and the ultimate destination of each group, similar to what was mentioned in the story of Adam itself.
It is also noteworthy that these verses open with a call to the “Children of Adam,” unlike the calls directed specifically to the believers from the nation of Muhammad, such as “O you who have believed,” or the general call to humanity, “O mankind.” It is observed that Allah Almighty began addressing people at the dawn of their existence with the phrase “O Children of Adam,” and He will address them on the Day of Resurrection using this very same phrase, as He says:
“Did I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you not worship Satan – [for] indeed, he is to you a clear enemy – And that you worship [only] Me? This is a straight path. And he had already led astray from among you much of creation, so did you not use reason? This is the Hellfire which you were promised. [Enter to] burn therein today for what you used to deny. That Day, We will seal over their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify about what they used to earn.”[Surah Yaseen: 60-65]
Allah honored Adam (peace be upon him) with prophethood and the divine message. He began worshipping Allah exactly as Allah taught him through the revelation of His new message, and he conveyed it to his children. He started teaching his offspring after him the law of Allah Almighty, how to worship Him, and how to be sincere to Him. He strove with all his might to establish Allah’s law on Earth, and to actualize monotheism and justice among Allah’s creation and upon His land. He was trustworthy with Allah’s message and truthful in conveying it to his descendants. He successfully instilled fundamental morals in his children, such as truthfulness, sincerity, trustworthiness, and justice.
Adam (peace be upon him) was eager to deeply plant the worship of Allah and His Oneness in his progeny. Actualizing servitude to Allah is a supreme value that elevates a human being to the highest of matters and raises their level above all other creatures. It is considered one of the greatest overarching values, alongside justice, excellence (Ihsan), and wisdom. The value of servitude to Allah Almighty is among the most refined Islamic values advocated by Adam (peace be upon him) and the procession of prophets and messengers who came after him.
The prophets and messengers, with Adam (peace be upon him) at their forefront, view worship as comprehensively encompassing all aspects of life, without anything falling outside the law of Allah Almighty, and without severing or fragmenting its general concept.
By Ali Al-Sallabi
