Adam
- Was Adam The First Man On Earth
Question
Verse
30 of Surah 2 of the Qur'an, tells us that when God informed the angels of His
intention to place a vicegerent on earth, the angels exclaimed: "Will you
place therein one who will make mischief and shed blood?" As
we learn from the Qur'an, the angels could not know anything other than what God
has taught them. How could they ask such a question, if there were no creatures
on earth before Adam?
Answer
Your
question is valid. Certainly the angels could not know unless God had imparted
to them the information, or they might have witnessed something taking place.
When they described mankind as creature who are likely to make mischief and shed
blood, their knowledge could only have come through either of these two methods.
It may be that there were on earth creatures similar to
mankind who perpetrated the same sort of mischief and shed blood as human beings
do. On the other hand, God might have informed the angels of the nature of His
new creation. Whichever may be the case, the question put by the angels
relies on confirmed information.
There is nothing in Islamic teachings, which excludes
the possibility of some other type of creation having populated the earth prior
to the creation of man. Nor do we need to exclude the possibility of other
species of creation living in other planets in our own solar system or in other
solar systems or other galaxies. The universe is so vast that our minds
cannot envisage how far its outer limits are. When we speak of stars being
millions of light years away from us, we are talking in astronomical figures,
which are not easy to imagine. It is only to be expected that God, the Creator,
may have placed many other types of creation in different planets and stars.
That indeed fits with His greatness. That we know nothing about them is only due
to our limited knowledge. If it so happens that in future, we may come in
contact with any such creatures, that should only strengthen our faith in God,
the Creator of all worlds.
Islam
in Perspective