Myth 1: The oldest, original myth
We accept the birth of a human child as a routine occurrence of everyday life, Everyone knows that a child is born of a pregnancy which is the result of sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. But the question of the birth of the very first human -or the original couple -is a complex one. The human mind, during its infancy, was unable to come up with a satisfactory answer it. Perplexed, it sought refuge in a myth, The source of the fictional story of the origin of Man is the Torah, the most sacred ancient text of Judaism
The Creation of Man
The Torah states that, after having created the Earth, and populating it with the Plant and Animal Kingdoms,
"the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."
That is to say that God created the first man by making the human form from dust and putting life into it, But a solitary human could not procreate; the woman was needed. She was created thus:
'So the Lord caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman' for she was taken out of a man.
'So the Lord caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman' for she was taken out of a man.
Thus was solved one of the greatest riddles of life' Fascinating as it was', this myth became universally popular as it satisfied the human mind in a big way. It is very difficult now to establish the original source of the story.
The Quranic view
This myth had established itself as a reality when, around 1500 years ago, the last divinely appointed prophet (Mohammed) appeared in Arabia. He announced through Revelation that the aforementioned concept of the origin of Man is a fabrication, being a figment of imagination by the human mind. Mankind is the latest link in the long chain of biological evolution on Earth. Briefly, according to
God's scheme of things, the first living cell came about as a result of interaction between inorganic matter and water (teene laazib in the Quran's terminology). As it grew, the original life-cell split into two parts having male and female sexual characteristics. Life evolved from cells to insects, to marine and then to land animals, and eventually to the species we call Man. Since this revelation by the Quran, the discoveries of Science have only gone to prove the Quranic view.
Still, the 'child' in the human mind clings to the ancient myth of creation of Man. Moreover as it happens with all mythical stories -passing time has added color to it. Even more amazingly, this kind of story-telling has become a part of the religious literature of Muslims in the face of their belief that the Quran is God's word. To make matters worse, such myths are attributed to the great personage of Mohammed who gave the world a glitteringly realistic book of knowledge and truth, the Quran.
God's scheme of things, the first living cell came about as a result of interaction between inorganic matter and water (teene laazib in the Quran's terminology). As it grew, the original life-cell split into two parts having male and female sexual characteristics. Life evolved from cells to insects, to marine and then to land animals, and eventually to the species we call Man. Since this revelation by the Quran, the discoveries of Science have only gone to prove the Quranic view.
Still, the 'child' in the human mind clings to the ancient myth of creation of Man. Moreover as it happens with all mythical stories -passing time has added color to it. Even more amazingly, this kind of story-telling has become a part of the religious literature of Muslims in the face of their belief that the Quran is God's word. To make matters worse, such myths are attributed to the great personage of Mohammed who gave the world a glitteringly realistic book of knowledge and truth, the Quran.
Commentaries on the Quran
The commentary by Ibn Kathir holds a prominent and respected place in early Muslim religious literature. It states:
'Angels were created on Wednesday, animals on Thursday and Adam on Friday.'
About the creation of Adam it says:
Then smooth and good clay was taken for Adam (pbuh)L§J After it had fermented, God created Adam (pbuh) with His own hand(s). He remained just a form for forty days. Iblees (the Devil) would come and kick it whereupon the form resounded as if it were hollow. He [IbleesJ would enter the mouth and come out of the back opening, and vice versa. Later, when God breathed life into him [Adam], it traveled from the head downwards, creating blood and flesh on the way. When the breath of life reached the navel, he was very pleased to see his body. He promptly tried to get up but failed because the lower body was still lifeless. When the entire body had been breathed alive, he sneezed and said, "All praise be to the Sustainer of all worlds." God responded: "God be kind with you." m
'Angels were created on Wednesday, animals on Thursday and Adam on Friday.'
About the creation of Adam it says:
Then smooth and good clay was taken for Adam (pbuh)L§J After it had fermented, God created Adam (pbuh) with His own hand(s). He remained just a form for forty days. Iblees (the Devil) would come and kick it whereupon the form resounded as if it were hollow. He [IbleesJ would enter the mouth and come out of the back opening, and vice versa. Later, when God breathed life into him [Adam], it traveled from the head downwards, creating blood and flesh on the way. When the breath of life reached the navel, he was very pleased to see his body. He promptly tried to get up but failed because the lower body was still lifeless. When the entire body had been breathed alive, he sneezed and said, "All praise be to the Sustainer of all worlds." God responded: "God be kind with you." m
Adam's wife:
The book goes on to state:
'He was all alone. One day, he was overtaken by sleep and Eve was created from his left rib. Waking up, he saw her and asked, "Who are you and why have you been created?" She replied, "I am a woman and have been created to keep you company and to please you.'"
About Woman's creation from Man's rib, it comments:
The authentic Tradition [Hadith] has it that Woman has been created out of a rib. The top-most rib is the most bent. Therefore, if you try to straighten it, you will snap it. You can benefit from it only if you leave it a little bent.
The myth was made more colorful thus:
'When Adam reached out to touch her, God's revelation arrived forbidding him to do so before he had paid her dower. Adam asked, "My Lord! What is her dower')" God replied, "It is to praise Mohammed and his family ten times." Adam did precisely that and the two were married with angels standing as witnesses. Towards the end of that Friday, angels were instructed to decoratively clothe and make Eve up in genuine diamonds and pearls and enter both in Paradise."
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The story of Man narrated by the Quran refers not to an individual, or a couple, but to mankind. The term 'Adam' appears in only one other location in the Quran: 'We exalted among peoples of the world, Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Imran.' llQ] Surely, the Adam in this verse -if he was indeed an individual and a prophet-cannot be the same as the one in the symbolic story of Man. It is beneath a prophet of God to go against divine instruction and be punished for it by expulsion from Paradise. No messenger of God would have done so, Therefore, the myth of Adam just cannot be the story of a prophet.
'He was all alone. One day, he was overtaken by sleep and Eve was created from his left rib. Waking up, he saw her and asked, "Who are you and why have you been created?" She replied, "I am a woman and have been created to keep you company and to please you.'"
About Woman's creation from Man's rib, it comments:
The authentic Tradition [Hadith] has it that Woman has been created out of a rib. The top-most rib is the most bent. Therefore, if you try to straighten it, you will snap it. You can benefit from it only if you leave it a little bent.
The myth was made more colorful thus:
'When Adam reached out to touch her, God's revelation arrived forbidding him to do so before he had paid her dower. Adam asked, "My Lord! What is her dower')" God replied, "It is to praise Mohammed and his family ten times." Adam did precisely that and the two were married with angels standing as witnesses. Towards the end of that Friday, angels were instructed to decoratively clothe and make Eve up in genuine diamonds and pearls and enter both in Paradise."
9
The story of Man narrated by the Quran refers not to an individual, or a couple, but to mankind. The term 'Adam' appears in only one other location in the Quran: 'We exalted among peoples of the world, Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Imran.' llQ] Surely, the Adam in this verse -if he was indeed an individual and a prophet-cannot be the same as the one in the symbolic story of Man. It is beneath a prophet of God to go against divine instruction and be punished for it by expulsion from Paradise. No messenger of God would have done so, Therefore, the myth of Adam just cannot be the story of a prophet.
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