The symbols {} are used to further explain the topic and give it more relevancy.

The similitude of Jesus before ALLAH is as that of Adam; HE created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”. And he was.  Quran (3:59)

Life, in all its splendor and glory, is likened to the water cycle but much more complicated. One can approach this topic, which is quite mind-bending of and by itself, by looking at the washing machine.

This machine turns the clothes in soap and water, rinses them and spins them until they are fairly dry and the cycle is repeated for another set of washings to go through the same process.

Islam puts a great deal of stress on intelligent understanding and the seeking out the pleasure of THE LORD. That is why there is a major emphasis in following the Prophet (pbh) in action and deed as far as one is able. Of course, within that scope there are variations such that Islam does not show ‘heartless’ rigidity.

The call to ‘bring forth your evidence‘ is a clarion call in Islam so as to base one’s approach to Islam/life through acceptable channels.* Evidence must come from ‘reputable sources’ and backed up by other ‘reputable sources’ rather than personalized guesses or wacky, potluck interpretations. Therefore, a broad approach to any topic should include as many ‘reputable’ evidences as possible that interlink with each other.

                                {*Acceptable channels are channels that do not contradict the 5 Pillars of Islam in any way, shape or form!: Or, WHO originates creation then repeats it and WHO gives you sustenance from heaven and earth? (Can there be another) god besides ALLAH? Say, “Bring forth your evidence, if you are telling the truth!”  Quran (27:64)}

When a patient is lying down on a hospital bed waiting for surgery, the doctor could open the patient up with a surgical knife or a machete. Rational thinking would choose the surgical knife over the machete a hundred times out of a hundred.

In a few of my articles, I have ‘claimed’ that adam and Jesus (pbh) were both the Christ-soul and that this answer could answer many puzzling questions concerning Jesus (pbh) and the New Testament/Old Testament and Dead Sea Scrolls plus something from the Quran.

However, a 15 minute study about this issue, bringing in several hadiths, especially on the topic of Isra (the night journey of the Prophet (pbh) into the heavens) would, at first glance, tend to refute this supposition. Yet, one should get real about the situation.

First of all, in a few of my articles I claimed that Jesus (pbh) WAS NOT ADAM WITH A CAPITAL ‘A’ BUT ONLY adam with a small ‘a’! Is there any difference and what may that mean? That sounds like a simple, straightforward request but in reality it is not that easy to discuss as will soon be apparent.

We can approach this subject from the areas of science, religion including various religious texts such as hadith material and other religious sources of the Abrahamic tradition and the ‘human’ tendency of the priest-class as they try to hold a sway over their respective audiences.

ALLAH ALONE KNOWS BEST!

There are some people in Islam who deny the ‘value’ of evolution although science has proved that old chestnut in a variety of ways. Even Islam declares it in its own splendorous way. And one of the Glorious Names of ALLAH is AL-Bari meaning The MAKER OF CREATION WHO IS THE EVOLVER BY FORMING THINGS OUT OF PREVIOUS EXISTING MATTER.

Bara’a comes from the root word bari which implies the process of evolving from matter that was previously created. Before the human body was made, the stars were created. And from star material, the elements by ALLAH’s Permission were formed including the ‘mud-like clay’ used to mold Adam.

The subject is very deep, however, and like the subject of ‘adam’ it is very complex, interesting IF IT PROVIDES A VALUE, but very complex and NOT ESSENTIAL TO PRACTICING THE FAITH!

Here is a small list of problematic solutions, if you will:

  1. Over two decades ago while reading the ‘Arab News’ newspaper on the section concerning Islam it was stated by some scholars that the Adam in the Quran was referring to two things: Adam the father of the human race and Adam the human race itself meaning people in general.
  2. Adam with a capital ‘A’, from my point of view, forms a ‘prototype‘ of an individual or the mold that humanity would be based upon. Originally, he was around 60 cubits tall**(1 cubit being 18 inches or 60 cubits being 90 feet tall) and created with a somewhat weak disposition*** and lived some place other than the Earth****

                                       {**According to Abu Hurrairah the Prophet (pbh) said, “ALLAH created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall. When HE created him, HE said to him, “Go and greet that group of angels, and listen to their reply, for it will be your greeting (salutation) and the greeting (salutations of your offspring.”) So, Adam said (to the angels), As-Salamu Alaikum (i.e. Peace be upon you). The angels said, “As-salamu Alaika wa Rahmatu-l-lahi” (i.e. Peace and ALLAH’s Mercy be upon you). Thus, the angels added to Adam’s salutation the expression ‘Wa Rahmatu-l-lahi.’ Any person who will enter Paradise will resemble Adam (in appearance and figure). People have been decreasing in stature since Adam’s creation.          (Bukhari)}

{***Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of ALLAH (pbh) said, “When ALLAH formed Adam in Paradise, HE left him as long as HE willed to leave him. Satan (Iblis) walked around him, looking to see what he was. When he saw that he was hollow, he knew that he was created such that he could not control himself.”    (Muslim)}

                                           {****Then did Satan make them slip from the (Garden) and get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been. WE said: “Get you down all (you people) with enmity between {your various} selves. On Earth will {now} be your dwelling place and your means of livelihood for a time.              Quran (2:36)}

Hypothetically, the word ‘prototype’ can either be a passive or an active mold or representation of events that will occur. For example, the washing machine example given above does not happen only once. The ‘process’ gets repeated although with a different set of clothes (souls/groups or troops, units).

Hence, the Garden of Eden could have hypothetically been in the heavens as well as on Earth at various times and the process of falling and reviving could also hypothetically be repeated for each ‘wave’ of souls occurring at certain but currently unknown episodic times. See ****** below.

Like the leaves on a tree during fall foliage, the leaves in that cycle do not all fall at the same time (dying at the same time) but drop in bunches. Then the cycle of life gets repeated again and again or year after year until the tree dies. The tree dies but not the forest!

So, in other words, souls come into the world and live their lives in a cycle determined known only by ALLAH and then exit the world. These then would be troops or groups and whatever occurs before and after is in the Unseen.

Aishah narrated that she heard the Prophet (pbh) say, “Souls are like recruited troops: Those who are like qualities are inclined to each other, but those who have dissimilar qualities, differ.”    (Bukhari)

Abu Huraira reported ALLAH’s Messenger (pbh) as saying: “Souls are troops collected together and those who familiarised with each other (in the heaven from where these come) would have affinity, with one another (in the world) and those amongst them who opposed each other (in the Heaven) would also be divergent (in the world)”.      (Muslim)

A tradition of Ubayy-bin Ka’b – All of mankind was assembled in{to} separate groups giving them {the separate groups} the understanding that they were to be made vicegerents on Earth while imparting their wisdom and understanding, i.e. granting them power such that each individual (would be) completely and fully responsible for their actions.

This means that  no individual can absolve him or herself from the responsibility of deviation from ALLAH’s WAY. Therefore, it became man’s duty to make use of all of his facilities of the gifts given to them to discern truth from error in their respective journeys through life-giving experiences.

  1. According to the rough genealogy*****given mostly in the Old Testament****** only an incomplete, roundabout guess of when adam lived (THE adam THAT WE HAVE COME TO KNOW AS ADAM does NOT go back into time that far, certainly not hundreds of thousands of years ago).

                              *****{(In the Days of Old), Noah cried to US and WE are the BEST to hear prayer.

And WE delivered him and HIS PEOPLE from the great calamity

And MADE HIS PROGENY TO ENDURE (ON THE EARTH)                            Quran (37:75-77)}

Noah’s Flood occurred about 30,000 years ago give or take a few thousand years, GOD WILLING. The genealogy between Noah (pbh) and adam (pbh) would be, according to the Old Testament, in the ballpark figure of a few tens of thousands of years. Therefore, a certain ‘type of humanity’ started with this type of adam.

This gigantic flood is presented in various cultures from around the world showing that mankind at one time underwent a huge and eventful though stressful event. This story of remembrance was then past down from society to society giving it a credulous occurance even outside of known religions.

 {******If you are in doubt as to what WE have revealed unto you, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before you: The truth had indeed come to you from your LORD: so be in no wise of those who doubt.    Quran (10:94)}

So by using the former Books of the peoples (keeping strictly with the Abrahamic Traditions) we can assume that the adam WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH – The adam whose Garden of Eden was on Earth – is NOT hundreds and hundreds of thousands or millions of years old. Definitely, the home of the adam that we know of was on Earth and NOT in the heavens!

  1. Scientists, however, have uncovered bones of human beings that ARE LIKE US ( MODERN HUMANS) IN STATURE AND SKELETAL CONSTRUCTION from Palestine that were dated over one-hundred thousand years old. A mistake in dating was discovered so that scientists are now certain that these ‘human remains’ have a date closer to one-hundred eighty thousand years or so!
  2. Because ‘MAN’ has supposedly (which is true) been getting SHORTER and LIVING LESS YEARS IN DURATION SINCE OUR PROTOTYPE ADAM and since the above skeletal remains show a normality in size, we have a problem.

The problem gets even more complex the more we go into it but science and Islam are NOT really divergent if we are talking about the ‘PROTOTYPE’ ADAM and the other(s) adam!

  1. Islam discusses a ‘certain’ type of human being carrying a belief system, genetic system from one group to another while the ‘FLOOD’ of Noah (pbh) wiped out the misfits whatever that may have entailed.

So mankind in its purest sense went from adam to Noah to Abraham and then to the family of Imran etc. with the ‘believers’ being protected as a unit/system down through the ages. See ***** above.

  1. Science has ‘now’ discovered various human-type forms with various ‘monkey/ape type features from a small number to one with greater extent that went extinct with some of them possessing enough intelligence in very primitive tool making. This may eventually go back a million years more or less depending on the latest findings.

Certainly, footprints that are well over two million years old show a human-type of navigation and form (very much human-like rather than monkey-like) from a diminutive adult species (scientists have named her ‘LUCY’). In other words, this is far, very far from being 90 feet tall! Four feet tall, yes but definitely NOT anywhere near 90 feet in height!

  1. Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas*******, a most excellent companion of the Prophet at a very young age, may have provided a clue as to this ADAM/adam quandary. His dropped hint about such matters actually would allow science and Islam to be in agreement and to show that there is a PROTOTYPE ADAM and other adams also.

{*******Ibn Abbas ‘supposedly’ said concerning the verse of the 7 heavens and Earths, “If I explain this verse to you, it will {be made to} feel absurd to you. And you will think of it as a lie.” He also was reputed to have said: “How can I be sure that you won’t deny the extraordinary explanation of this verse {if I give it to you?”}

Ibn ‘Abbas was once reportedly asked about the verse Q (65: 12), “It is ALLAH who has created seven heavens and of the Earth, the like of them.” He replied, “Seven Earths: In every Earth is a prophet like your Prophet, an Adam like your Adam, a Noah like your Noah, an Abraham like your Abraham and a Jesus like your Jesus”… (Al-Durr Al-Manthur in the  Tafseer Bil-Ma’thur by Imam Suyuti who adhered to the Sunni- Shafi’i madhhab or school of thought). The soundness or correctness of the above declaration may or may not be in doubt – as ALLAH WILLS.}

  1. We are NOT here as our main purpose to solve mysteries. The Glorious Quran is filled with the principle idea of why we are here and that boils down to worshiping and obeying THE ONE LORD OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH AND THAT IN ARABIC IS CALLED ALLAH!

HOW these things are accomplished basically is for the present none of our business to put it quite bluntly. We, as human beings, have been given a task to perform while on Earth and the Quran and hadith material are filled with these helpful and positive steps to be taken. Steps that lead to the goal of salvation rather than just satisfying one’s curiosity.

The above exercise is just one of defending Islam IN THE LIGHT OF MODERN SCIENCE/THINKING while showing that Islam was actually correct from the very beginning as it takes the ‘son of adam’ a long enough time to awaken to the real importance and truth of Islam.

It might now become apparent ‘why’ Jesus (pbh) declared himself to be the ‘Son of MAN’ when put in the proper context. The New Testament declares this title as belonging to Jesus (pbh) about 78 times.

It also gives the researcher a lesson in looking at the Testaments in a broader sense and seeing the inherent beauty of scripture such as it is as well as a very small glimpse of the SUBLIME connectivity and purposeful WISDOM the CREATOR is capable of!

In summation one can say that the ‘son of man’ is in the IMAGE of MAN or the prototype of man which is THE ADAM. Hence, one who follows in that WAY is called the son of MAN or an adam as in the adam that we have come to know who fell from ALLAH’s GRACE and then sorrowfully repented and his repentance was accepted!

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost Luke (19:10).

Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?     Matthew (16:13).

The similitude of Jesus before ALLAH is as that of Adam; HE created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”. And he was.  Quran (3:59)

The amazing WORD of ALLAH, in all its depth and simplicity as coming from HIMSELF, THE AL-BARR (The Author of ALL Goodness, The Beneficent and Truthful One) cannot be totally comprehended by the minds of men yet at the same time, it is a BOOK that can be understood and well-received by souls attuned to its nature.

Rather than being totally ‘monkish’ and avoiding the world, Islam asks its devotees to put one’s trust in ALLAH while engaging in the dynamics of life. AND in meeting the dynamics of life or what life can throw at us to be THANKFUL, APPRECIATIVE AND WORSHIPFUL TO THE ONE WHO GAVE US LIFE AND THE GOOD SENSE/CHOICE TO WORSHIP HIM AND ONLY HIM IN OUR THOUGHTS, ACTIONS AND DEEDS.

“Say: None in the heavens and the earth {truly} knows the Ghaib (UNSEEN) except ALLAH”…  Q  (27: 65)

“And WE did not create the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, for {just plain} mere amusement.

WE created them ONLY FOR JUST ENDS {according to OUR WELL THOUGHT THROUGH PLAN}: but most of them DO NOT KNOW {COMPREHEND THIS}.”                          Q (44: 38-39)

And among HIS Signs is the creation of the heavens and the Earth and the living creatures that HE has scattered through them {BOTH the heavens and the Earth}: and HE has THE POWER to gather them together WHENEVER HE WILLS.  Q (42: 29).

It is not a crime for people to study the Quran and acknowledge it as more than just a ‘religious book’ but it is a crime to go beyond the general concepts UNLESS INSTRUCTED OR THAT WHICH IS POINTED OUT BY THE PROPHET OR HIS COMPANIONS AND AS LONG AS WHAT IS STUDIED DOES NOT DISCREDIT THE FAITH ITSELF.

No religion has ever come close to Islam in giving the fullest picture concerning the LAST DAY of JUDGMENT. The Quran and hadith material have an abundant, multitude of descriptions concerning this event. Whereas Judaism and Christianity have touched on this issue sparingly, Islam provides a huge, wealth of material.

This was indeed prophesied by Jesus (pbh) as he spoke the following:

However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth {by telling the truth and exposing falsehoods and misconceptions}: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear {as in REVELATION}, that shall he speak {REVEAL UNTO YOU}: and he will show you things to come {that will take place in the future}.   John (16:13)

For they (the sinners), when they were {actually} told that there is NO god EXCEPT ALLAH {THE UNIVERSAL ONE GOD FOR ALL OF THE CREATION}, would puff themselves up with pride {and do their own thing in contravention to the truth}.

And say: “What! Shall we give up our {various, invented god-concepts} for the sake of a poet possessed?”

NO! he {Muhammad} has come with the (very) TRUTH and HE CONFIRMS (THE MESSAGE) {PASSED ON FROM THE MESSENGERS OF OLD THAT CAME} BEFORE HIM.  Quran (37:35-37)

Their eyes {the eyes of the disbelievers} will be cast down, – ignominy will cover them; seeing that they had been summoned AFORETIME to BOW IN ADORATION while they were whole {in their body with life} (AND THEY REFUSED).    Quran (68:43)

O man! what has seduced you from your LORD MOST BENEFICENT?

HIM WHO created you, fashioned you in due proportion and gave you a just bias

In WHATEVER FORM HE WILLS, does HE put you together {to toil in various ways and conditions you know not}.

Nay! but you do reject the Judgment {TO COME}.    Quran (82:6-9)

And so mankind is addressed! And in the end we shall be given that knowledge which we lack and which would today provide little benefit to most human beings except to reflect once again on the true job at hand!

A (long) respite will I grant them: TRULY POWERFUL IS MY PLAN.   Quran (68:45)

Islam is not a complex religion in the sense that ALLAH takes note of our individual needs and individual talents as we strive to honor and worship THE ONE WHO CREATED US WITH A PURPOSE.

That what is given but not earned (born with a silver spoon in the mouth) is generally not appreciated but that which is won through by hard work and diligent striving is cherished and very much appreciated with gratitude.

It seems a truism that life imitates art and that the physical world is something similar to the spiritual world even to the knowledge of receiving rewards and punishments from the grave.

Such seems to be the way of life and while hopefully being of those who by HIS GRACE and MERCY have been allowed to overcome the obstacles in our existence (OUR PURPOSE IN LIFE)********through stages,********* we must know that our life has NOT been in vain!

                                        {********But teach (your Message) {O Prophet} for teaching benefits the Believers. I {ALLAH} HAVE ONLY CREATED Jinns and men, that they may serve ME.                              Quran (51:55-56)}

                                          {*********From various commentators of the Quran: [That] you will surely experience state after state.

That you shall journey on from plane to plane.

You shall surely travel from stage to stage.

That you shall most certainly enter one state after another.

That you will certainly pass through one stage after another.   Quran (84:19)}

And there is no better way to serve our LORD than to follow the wisdom found in the Quran which reflects knowledge to what man can sense and also that which is beyond his worldly senses:

“This is no less a Reminder {Message} to (ALL) the WORLDS {seen and unseen, known and unknown}.

And you shall MOST DEFINITELY KNOW THE TRUTH OF IT (all) after a while.”      Quran (38:87-88)