The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 136
CH. 20 R. 7. ṬĀHĀ PT. 16 وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لا And when We said to the. 117 فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ الى لِآدَمَ angels, ‘Submit to Adam,' and they all submitted. But Iblis did not. He refused to submit. 2325 2:35; 7:12-13; 15:27-34; 17:62; 18:51; 38:72-75. or deliberate. To err is human and man, however spiritually exalted he might be, is prone to forgetfulness and consequently is sometimes liable to falter. 2325. Commentary: Who was this Adam who is mentioned in this verse and when and where he lived, is apertinent question. Adam, who lived about 6000 years ago is popularly believed to be the first man created by God upon this earth. This view is neither inhabitants of America, Australia, etc. are the progeny of this last Adam, or some other Adam who had gone before him. Iraq is considered by archaeologists to be the place where Adam lived. See also 2:31 and 7:12. submit to) اسجدوا لآدم The expression Adam)does not mean, "prostrate before Adam", because prostration before anything or being except God is, according to the Quran, a heinous sin and therefore completely forbidden (41:38). So prostration substantiated and proved by facts of before Adam by way of worship history nor supported by the Quran. being opposed to the express teaching The truth is that the world has passed of the Quran, a command to that through different cycles of creation effect could never have proceeded and civilization, and Adam, the from God. The expression therefore progenitor of the present human race, has evidently been used here in the was only the first link in the present sense of "obey Adam" or "submit to cycle and not the very first man in Adam" i. e. "assist him in the God's creation. There must have lived discharge of his great duties. " This is many Adams before him. Modern a Divine command which is given to science has computed one million the angels and through them to all years as the age of human race. (Enc. men whenever a messenger of God Brit. 14th Edit. , p. 767). It is not appears in the world. A reference to claimed that the race which lived this fact is to be found in a famous before Adam was entirely swept away saying of the Holy Prophet. He is before he was born. Most probably reported to have said: "When God there had remained a small remnant loves a person He communicates this of the old race and Adam was one of fact to the Arch-angel Gabriel who them. But he himself became the also begins to love him and proclaims progenitor of a new race and the in heaven that God loves a certain precursor of a new civilization. It is person. Upon this all the angels in difficult to say whether the original | heaven also begin to love him. The 2050