Is Adam the first human being?

by Kashif Shahzada


Is Adam The First Human Being? Yes According to the Bible. No According To The Qur’an.

While citing the accounts in Genesis, Bible believers would have it that Adam and Eve were the first human pair from whom the entire human race descended. That Adam is the first man, is central to numerous Judeo, Christian theology, and from there has also entered into Muslim nomenclature. However, is this concept justified by the Qur’an? The Qur’an in any of its 114 Suras (chapters) and above 6000 ayaat (verses) mention that Adam was the first man? The answer to this is in negative to all who investigate the Qur’an with an unbiased mind.

That Adam was the first man and Eve the first woman is clearly a concept of Biblical import (see Genesis 2:7 & 1 Cor 15:45) and one which has no basis at all within the Qur’anic text.

The word Adam occurs 25 times within the Qur’anic text and nowhere is Adam referred to as the first human being and in fact evidence to the contrary exists within the Book. This is discussed briefly as follows:

1) According to Qur’an 7:11 Adam is not the first human being:

“And certainly We created you, THEN We fashioned you, THEN We said to the angels: Make obeisance to Adam. So they did obeisance except Iblis; he was not of those who did obeisance.” 7/11 Shakir

The above verse shows three events. First creation of all mankind, followed by giving shapes to all mankind, then the event of Adam is narrated, showing that humankind existed prior to Adam.

The particle “Thumma” which means “Then” and which divides the timeline between these three events is indicative of the fact that mankind’s creation was prior to Adam, as is the past tense form “Khalaqnakum” ‘We created you all’ and ‘Sawarnakum’ ‘We shaped you all’.

As it is after creation of mankind and after giving it shapes that Adam comes on the scene and not before, therefore it is wrong to conclude that Adam is the first human being.

2) According. to Qur’an humankind was created in various stages and not instantly:

“What ails you, that you look not for majesty in God, seeing HE CREATED YOU BY STAGES?” Arberry 71/13-14

Human creation is not instantaneous like Adam and Eve of the Old Testament but in stages, as per Qur’an.

3) According to Qur’an God made humanity as a growth from earth:

“And Allah has made you GROW OUT OF THE EARTH AS A GROWTH:” Shakir 71/17

The above further lends support to the view of stages of creation of humanity and negates the view of an instant creation of man and woman in the garden of Eden.

The above and more verses demonstrate that the Qur’an does not forward the view that mankind came about through Adam and Eve and dictates its own terms on the concept of human creation.

When we study the Qur’an, it should be in its pristine form and not in the light of Biblical narrations. Qur’anic narratives and Biblical stories are not one and the same and are profoundly different in letter as well as spirit. That is why the Qur’an has challenged its critics to produce a narration like it:

“Let them produce a Hadith (narration) like this, if they are truthful.” Khalifa 52:34

A Hadith i.e. a narration similar to what is mentioned in the Qur’an, even one – if it can be produced then this would nullify the Qur’anic challenge. Critics claim that the Qur’an contains plagiarised Biblical stories. If this were so then we would see similarities between its Adam and the Biblical one. But the two are not the same, as demonstrated above, and what is more we even read about a challenge to produce a narration similar to Quranic narrations. If indeed Quranic narrations were forged copies from another source, then the original source material would have been there and the claim would have been nullified. But The Quranic challenge remains true and no single Biblical story can be produced which is having the same wordings and essence as Quranic narratives.