Israel Oriental Studies 13 (1993): 113-74
Ādam: A Study of Some Legends in Tafsīr and Ḥadīth Literature
Article languages: English
Adam.pdf ADAM: A STUDY OF SOME LEGENDS IN TAFSIR AND HADIT LITERATURE*
M. J.
KISTER
To my wife Zahava
Stories and tales about the prophets, and about pious, ascetic, and righteous people of bygone days, the so called qisas al-anbiya', circulated widely in the Muslim community already in the first century of Islam. The origin of these stories, as stated by T. Nagel, must be traced back to pre-Islamic Arabia; they were disseminated in that period by Jews and Christians. i The recently published papyrus of Wahb b. Munabbih,2 the papyri edited by the late Nabia Abbott3 and the papyri of Hirbet Mird edited by A. Grohmann bear evidence to the fact that already in that early period of Islam there were elaborate stories about prophets, sages, and saints which were widely circulated. The Tafsfr of Muqatil b. Sulayman5 and the Tafsfr of 'Abd al-Razzaq6 contain valuable material of the qisas al-anbiya', and reflect the way in which these stories were absorbed and incorporated into the exegetical compilations of the Quran. The important work ofIshaq b. Bisr(d ..206 H.) Mubtada' al-dunyawa-qisasal-anbiya', until recently considered lost,7 has been rediscovered and, I am told, is
⢠One part of this pafer was published in A. Rippin (ed.), Approaches to the History 0f the Interpretation of The Qur'an, Oxford 1988. I T. Nagel, ~Kisasal-anbiya', Ef. 2 Raif Georges Khoury, Wahb b. Munabbih, Der Heidelberger Papyrus PSR Heid Arab 23, Wiesbaden 1972. 3 Nabia Abbott, Studies in Arabic Literary Papyri I (Historical texts) and II (Quranic Commentary and Tradition), Chicago 1957, 1967. 4 Adolf Grohmann, Arabic Papyri from Hirbet Mird, Louvain 1963. 5 Muqatil b. Sulayman, Tafsir al-Qur'an, MS Saray, Ahmet Ill, 74, I-II: idem, op. cit. vol. I, ed. 'Abdallah Mahmud Sahata, Cairo 1969 (including the first six suras). 6 'Abd al-Razzaq b. Hammam, Tafsir al-Qur'an, MS Cairo, Dar al-kutub tafsir 242. 7 See Nabia Abbott, op. cit., 1,46 sup.: (Document 2, Story of Adam and Eve) " ...there is a strong possibility that the papyrus with its rather 'unique'text could belong to this somewhat discredited and lost work ... "
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now being prepared for a critical edition.8 The importance of this early compilation was pointed out by T. Nagel in his Inaugural Dissertation, Die Qisas al-anbiya';9 Nagel devoted five pages to an examination of the personality of Ishaq b. Bisr and to a detailed scrutiny of the sources of the Mubtada'.10 The MS, which contains the first part of the composition, consists of 218 folios, and ends with the death of Abraham. Nagel's high view of the significance of this rich early source is entirely justified. The Quran contains a great many reports concerning prophets and sages, but these are usually formulated in vague terms and frequently do no more than mention an event or refer to a person who is not further specified. The transmitters of the tales aimed at widening the scope of the stories; they availed themselves of the lore contained in local traditions current in the Arab Peninsula in the period of the Gahiliyya, in Christian narratives concerning the life of Jesus, the Apostles, the martyrs and the monks, in Jewish Biblical legends, and in the utterances of sages and ascetics. 11 This huge mass of material started to infiltrate into the realm of /Jadi! and ta/sfr very early on in the Islamic period, and from the terse reports and utterances, combined with the additional material derived from other sources, a rich tapestry of lively and plastic narrative was woven. As the advent ofIslam and the mission of the prophet Muhammad were, according to the concepts of the Muslim community, part of God's predestination, as Mley were contained in God's prior knowledge and heralded by the prophets of all ages, the stories of the prophets became an integral part of the books of history, and were duly embedded in the preamble (the mubtada" bad', or ibtida') with which, as a rule, these compilatons began. The Muslim community was eager to learn of the biographies of the prophets, of the past, because the Prophet was identified
I Bodleian Library. MS Huntingdon 388. For using this MS lowe thanks to Mrs. Ruth Lieber. who is working on its edition. 9 Tilman Nagel. Die Qi~~ al-anb~I'ii'. Ein Beilrag zur Arabischen lileralurgeschichle. Bonn 1967. 10 Nagel. Die Q~% pp. 113-118; and see additional details about Is\1aq b. Bisr: Ibn 'Adiyy. al-Kamil ft t!u'ajii' al-rigal, MS Saray. Ahmet III. 2943. I. fols. 118b-119a; Ibn J:libblin aI-Busti, al-Magrul;tfn. ed. Ma\1miid Ibrlihim Zliyid. Cairo 1976. I. 135-137; Ibn 'Asiikir. Ta'ri1} Dimasq (Tah Another tradition says that God revealed to him 40
17 See e.g., Nar aI-DIn al-Haytamt, Magma' al-zawii'id wa-manba' al-fawii'id, Beirut 1967, 1, 196, 197, VIII 198: ...a-nabiyyan kana adam? qiila: na am; al-Suyutl, Gamri1J. Bodley., Marsh 288, p. 27. MS 31 AI-Mas'iidr. AlJblir al-zamlin, ed. 'Abdallah Ismen aI-~awi. Cairo 1357/1938. p. 51.
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after his disobedience and expulsion he spoke Syriac.P These injunctions and prohibitions seem to have formed the sari at Adam, the binding law of Adam. The Prophet is said to have acted before his Call according to the sarra of Adam.33 Before his death Adam summoned SIt, ordered him to hide his will (wa~iyya) from the progeny of QiibTland instructed him as to the injunctions and penalty laws enjoined by God, (al-sarii't" wa-/l)udud).l4 The Sri version of the transfer of the will is slightly more detailed. According to it, God ordered Adam to hand over to SI1 (=l;IibatulUih) the True Name of God tal-ism al-a'zami, the Ark of Covenant (rabur) in which the Knowledge (al-'ilm) and the Will (wG.,I"iyya) had to be deposited. Adam enjoined SI1to avoid contact with the progeny of QabI1.3s There are many reports about the ginn and the angels who ruled on earth before Adam and who had to be replaced by the rule of Adam. We have mentioned above the view that the announcement made by God that He was installing a halifa was directed at the angels who were in the company of Iblis. Abu Hayyan indeed says that God addressed the angels who fought the ginn on the side of Iblis: God intended to lift them to Heaven and replace them by Adam and his progeny. Abu Hayyan gives a short report about the rule of the ginn on earth and says that a force of angels was dispatched under the command of Iblis to fight them;" The reports recorded by Ishaq b. Bisr in his M ubtada' contain interesting details about the role of Iblis and give us an idea as to the notions concerning the ginn that were current in the early period of Islam. An account given on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas tells the following story about angels and ginn. The ginn were inhabitants of the earth, the angels were in the Heavens. Every heaven had its angels, who performed their special prayers and glorifications of God; the higher the Heaven, the more powerful was the worship, the glorifications, and prayer. According to some they inhabited the earth for 2,000 years, according to others, for only 40 years and "God knows the truth. "37 The other report recorded by Ishaq b. Bisr is also given on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas and contains some new details about the classes of the ginn and their activities. When God created Sawrna, the father of the ginn - it was he who was created from the smokeless fire (marig) - God said to
Anonymous, Siyar al-anbiyd', MS Br. Mus. Or. 1510, fol. 19b. Ibn l;Iagar al-HaytamI. al-Faliiwii al-lJadiJiyya, Cairo 1390/1970. p. 153. J4 Anonymous, Siyar al-anbiyiP, MS Br. Mus. Or. 1510, fol. 22a. J5 AI-Mas'udI, I!biil al-wasiyya, Najaf 1374/1955, pp. 16-17. J6 Abu l;Iayyan, op. cit., I, 140 ult.-14I,1. I; al-SuYU!I.al-Durr, 1.44--45; al-Kisii'i, 'Agii'ib al-malakia, MS Hebrew Univ., AR 8° 63, fol. 39b. 37 Is1,1aq Bisr, Mublada' al-dunyii wa-qisas al-anbiyii', MS Bodl. Huntingdon 388, fol. b. 38b.
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him: "(say) what is your desire?" Sawmi answered: "I wish that we should see but remain unseen, that we should disappear in moist ground (al-lart1) and that our people of ripe age should be turned young." These wishes were granted: ginnfs see but remain unseen, the dead disappear in moist ground, a ginnf of ripe age never dies before being turned into a young ginn.)8 This report is followed by a short passage: When God created Adam He asked him about his desire; Adam said that he desired horses (al-l.Jayl), which were indeed granted to him.39 The story about the revolt of the ginn on earth and about the expedition of warriors from heaven against them is given in the following passage: God created the ginn and ordered them to inhabit and build up the earth. They did so and worshipped God for a very long time. But afterwards they became disobedient toward God and shed blood; amongst them was an angel called Ynsuf; they killed him. Then God dispatched against them a military force of the angels who dwelt in the Lower Heaven isamd' al-dunyii); this force was of the division of the l;rinn.40 Among them was
Ps. A~ma'I, Qila~ al-anbiyii', MS Br. Mus. Or. 1493, fol. 5b; al-SibIr, Akam ai-margan,
18
p.85.
39 ls~liq b. Bisr, op. cit., fol. 38b; this and the following are recorded in Muhammad b. 'Abdalilih al-SibJrs Akom ol-morgon ji gorii'ibi l-olJbor wo-oJ.!komi I-gonn, ed. 'Abdalllih Muhammad al-Sadiq, Cairo 1376, pp. 9-11; the author quotes the source: Abu ~uqayfa Is~aq b. Bisr's al-Mubtada". The name of the "father ofthejinn" is given as Sawmayo; the editor remarks that Burhan al-Halabt records the name in his 'lqd al-margiin (see Brockelmann, GAL, II, 307, SIl, 82) as Sawmayli. And see al-Qalyubi, Nawadir, Cairo 1371/1955, p. 125 (whether the creation of the horse preceded the creation of Adam). And see al-$affuri, Nuzhat ol-magolis wa-muntahab al-na/ii'is, Beirut n.d., p. 227: when God showed Adam all the creations He allowed him to choose one of them; Adam chose the horse. Then he was told that he had chosen glory and power ('izz) for himself and for his progeny. And see Ibn ~agar al-Haytami, al-Fatowa al-I)adiliyya, p. 65. Some reports stress the differences between the ginn and the angels; the angels do not eat, drink or copulate; the ginn eat, drink and copulate (al-Haytamt, op. cit., p. 63). And see al-Haytami, op. cit., p. 71 (the ginn die like human beings; Iblis grows old, but turns to be young like a person of 30 years) . ⢠0 Isl)aq b. Bisr, op. cit., fols. 38b-39a; The hinn are defined as the lowest class of the ginn; they are nicknamed kiliib ai-ginn; al-SibIr, Akiim, p. 6 inf. and see al-FayriizabadI, al-Qomiis al-mul)f{, Cairo 1371/1952, IV, 218, s.v. I,Inn: wa-l-hinn bi-l-kasr hayyun mina I-ginni minhumu I-ki/obu l-sildu l-buhmu aw safilatu I-ginni wa-tfuikati ibiidalan wa-qalii: a-lal'a/"'; and see al-Diylirbakri, op. cit., I, 36. c 41 Is~1q b. BiSr,op. cit., fol. 39b.
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ginn community, God ordered 'AzazTI to send one of his community in order to summon them to abandon disobedience and accept belief. 'AzazTI sent to them Sahlut b. Balahit; he summoned them to embrace Islam, but they killed him. 'AzazTI continued to send messengers to them and they went on killing them. The last of the messengers was Yusuf b. Yasif; the ginn tortured him and finally killed him by casting him into a copper cauldron filled with boiling oil. Then God sent down against them a troop of angels; they held swords in their hands and fire poured from their mouths. God put them under the command of al-Hari; (i.e., 'AzazIl - K.) and they defeated the wicked ginn.45 It is evident that this acount is different from the reports recorded by Is~aq b. Bisr: Iblls (alias al-Hari], alias (AziWI) is one of the ginn who, inspired by a deep religious conviction, parts from the sinful community, dedicates himself to the worship of God, and fights at the head of the troops of angels for a victory of righteousness and truth. Nothing is said about the vicissitudes of 'AzazTI (=al-ijari!, Iblis) after that victory. A quite different account recorded by al-Diyarbakri gives interesting details of the career of the pious ginn! 'AzazTI.When the community of the ginn deteriorated he separated himself from them and devoted himself to the fervent worship of God. The angels in heaven admired him so much that they asked God to lift him to Heaven. God raised him to the Lower Heaven and he exerted himself in worship there as well. The angels of the second Heaven asked God to elevate him, and so he passed all the heavens until God placed him in the highest position, that of the Treasurer of the Throne, and entrusted him with its keys. He used to circumambulate the Heavens; the angels sought his favours and addressed him as the Treasurer of Paradise and the Chief of the Pious (asceticsj.e Additional traditions concerning the events in the career of Iblis are no less divergent. Some early traditions reported on the authority of the Companions of the Prophet or of their Successors (the tiibi'iin) say that Iblls belonged to the ginn who dwelt on earth and were defeated by the force of the angels dispatched against them. He was young when he was captured and brought to Heaven; there he worshipped God in the company of the angels. When God ordered the angels to bow to Adam, Iblis refrained.s? Other traditions maintain that Iblis (named al-ijari!) belonged to a group of angels created from the fire of samiim, while other groups were created from light. They were called al-lJinn.48 Several traditions say that he was one of the dignified angels; God put him at the head of the
4~ 46 47 41
AI-DiYirbakri, op. cit., I, 33. AI-Diyirbakri; op. cit., I, 32, inf. - 33. AI-Taban, Tcrr~,l, 87; idem, To/Sir I, S07, nos. 698-699; Abill:{ayyln, op. cit., I, 153. AI-Taban, Tafsir, I, S02, no. 685.
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kingdom of the Lower Heaven and appointed him as Treasurer of Paradise; the division of angels to which he belonged was called ai-ginn, because they were the Treasurers of Paradise (l:Juzzan al-gannay" Some accounts stress his knowledge, devotion in the worship of God, and his high position: he was the head (ra'1s) of the angels in the Lower Heaven and his kunya was Abu Kurdiis; he belonged to the division of angels called al-ginn, who were the Treasurers of Paradise and was one of the noble group of angels who were equipped with four wings.>? A peculiar tradition says that Iblls was sent as judge (qaifi) to the ginn on earth and that he meted out judgment among them in righteousness for 1,000 years; he was called Hakam and God approved of this name. He grew, however, haughty and insolent and began to cause hatred and dissension to spread among people, and for 2,000 years they shed blood in internal wars. Then God sent a fire and burnt the people. Having seen that which had happened, Iblls went up to Heaven and became a fervent and devout worshipper at the side of the angels.» Some scholars denied his provenance from the angels and based their argument on the verse of the Quran (Sural al-kahf. 50): kana min al-ginn. Al-Tabari provides a harmonizing solution in his Tafsir: it is possible that God created one part of His angels from light and another part from fire; Iblis could possibly belong to that group of angels who were created from fire and he may have also been created from the fire of samiim. The fact that Iblis had offspring can be explained by the hypothesis that God installed in him sexual desire, an impulse which was denied to other angels. The fact that he was from the ginn does not mean that he was not an angel, as the angels also belong to the category of the ginn, because they are invisible to the sight of human beings (li-gtiniinihim 'an absiiri bani adam).52 Tabarf's opinion can be traced back to Ibn Qutayba-' and is echoed in Sibil's Akam.54
â¢â¢ Al-Tabart, Tafsir, I, 503. nos. 688-689; 'Abd al-Malik b.Habtb. Ta'rih, MS, p. 12; Ibn N~ir al-Dln, op. cit., MS fol. 136b. 5/) ·Ibn Gungui, op. cit., fol. 24a; comp. sl-Suyntt, al-Durr I, 50. The kunya of Ibiis in Ibn al-A!ir's aJ-Mura11a', ed. Ibrahim al-Samarra't, Baghdad 1391/1971, p. 287 is given as Abu al-Karawwas. SI AI-Tabari, Ta'rTIJ,I, 88. S2 Al-Tabart, Tafsir, I, 508. Ibn l:Iagar al-Haytaml, al-Fatiiwii, pp, 61 sup., 125; al-Fahr al-RazI, op. cit., II, 213-215, 218, XXI, 3, 124, 136-137; al-'Ayni, 'Umdat al-qiirf, XV, 167-168; MI!am, Sarl,rnahg al-baliiga, I, 174. Sl Ibn Qutayba, Tafsir garib al-qur'dn, ed. Ahmad Saqr, Cairo 1378/1958, p. 21: al-ginn mina I-igtiniin wa-huwa l-istudr ... wa-qala ba'4u l-mufassirina fi qawlihi ''fa-sagadii iIIii iblisa kiina mina J-ginni/a-josaqa 'on amri lliihi': ay mina t-mala'ikati.fa-sammahum ginnan Ii-gtiniinihim wa-stitiirihim 'ani l-absar. This assumption is strongly refuted by Ibn Hazm in his aJ-ll,rkiimliWfiili I-al,rkiim, ed. Muhammad Ahmad 'Abd al-'Aziz, Cairo 1398/1978, pp. 511-516 (see e.g., p. 512: ... wa-qad hamala l-tahawwuru qawman riimii nasra madhabihim hiihunil /a-qiilii inna J-maJii'ikata yusammawna ginnan li-gtiniinihim, wa-hiiqii qawlun
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The pivot of lengthy discussions was the question whether IblTsbelonged to the angels or to the ginn.ss According to some scholars IblTs was an angel; he was metamorphosed (musil:Ja) by the order of God and having been banned from the community of angels he joined the ginn.S6 Descriptions of IblTs' odd and perverse ways of copulation and parturition and several lists of his sons are actually given in the literature." One of his descendants, Hama b. aI-HIm, is said to have visited the Prophet; the Prophet taught him some chapters of the Quran and welcomed his conversion to Islarn.»
fii!Jisun min wugahin ... wa-I-!iili!u: igmtTu l-ummati 'alii anna man sammd gibrila aw mTI:JiPilaginniyyan/a-qad kafara ... qiila 'aliyyun 1 Ibn J:lazm/: wa-hiicjii hacjayiinun Ii-ba'qi ahli l-lugati, wa-fi kulli qawmin gunun ... ).
s.c
AI-Sibli, Akiim,
'ani l-absiir.
p. 7: li-anna l-ginna tastamilu
'alii l-mald'ikati
wa-gayrihim
mimmani
glanna
ss See e.g.⢠al-Nasaff Tofsir, Cairo, n.d., I. 42, III, 67; al-Sawklinr. FalJ:z al-qadtr, 1.66, 191, Ill. 130; Mi!am, Sar!J nahg. I. 174; 'Abd at-Gab bar. Tanzih ai-qur'dn 'ani l-ma{tTin, Beirut, n.d., p. 22; al-Tabarl, Tafsir, I. 502-508; al-Qurtubl, Tafsir, X. 25; al-Fahr al-Rizi. op. cit., XXI, 136; Ibn Abi al-Hadld, SarI;! nahg, I. 110; al-Suyuti, al-Durr, IV, 227; Anonymous, Siyar al-anbiyii', MS Br. Mus. Or. 1510, fol. 4b; al-Tabarst, Magma' al-bayiin fi ta/sir u/-qur'iin, Beirut 1380/1961, I, 180-183; al-Rui. MasiPii al-riizfwa-agwibaluhii min garQ'ib iiy al-tanzil, Cairo 981/1961, pp. 202-203. 56 See e,g., al-Razl, MasiPii. Pl'. 202-203; al-Suyutl, al-Durr, IV, 227; Ibn Abr al-Hadld, Sarh, VI. 435-436. S7 See e.g., Isl]aq b. Bisr. op. cit., fols. 52b-53b; al-Kisa'I, 'AgiPib al-malakiit, MS fol. 42b (and see ib., fol. 39a); al-Maglisi, BiJ:ziir al-anwdr, LXIII. 306-307; XI 237; al-Daylaml, Firdaws al-alJbiir, MS Chester Beatty 3037, fol. 74a: J:zina amara Iliihu 'uzza wa-galla an yahbita iidamu habata wa-zawgatuhu wa-habata ibtts wa-lii zawgat« lahu wa-habtuati
l-hayyan: wa-lii zawga lahii fa-kana awwala man talawwata bi-nafsihi iblisu, wa-kiina/ cjuriyyatuhu min nafsih! ... ; Mu~ammad b. J:labib, al-MulJabbar, ed. lise Lichtenstadter,
Hyderabad 1361! 1942, p. 395; al-SibIT,op. cit., pp. 176-177; al-Suyii~i,al-Durr, IV, 226 inf.:
... wuldu iblis ~amsatun: [abir wa-l-o'war wa-zalanbiir wa-miswa{ wa-diisim ... ; ... 'an sufyan, qiila: biit/a ib/rs ~amsa bayt/iil ... ; L 'A, s. v. j! y: when God was willing to create a wife and
progeny for Iblis He imposed wrath on Iblls; from a splinter of fire of this wrath God created the wife of IbITs.(See this report in al-Damiri,l!ayiit al-!Jayawiin, Cairo 13831 I%3, 1.209); and see about the peculiar way of the self-fertilization of lblrs and about his children; ib., I, 209; and see Ibn J:libban al-Bustl, K. al-Magra!Jfn, ed, Mu~ammad Ibrahlm Ziiyid, Cairo 1976, 1,266; al-'Ayni, 'Umdat al-qiirf, XV, 168; 'Abd ai-Malik b. ~abib, Ta'riIJ, MS, p. II inf. 51 See e.g., ls}:liq b. BiSr, op. cit., MS ~ahiriyya359(magmila)fols. 126b-127a; 'Umar b, Mu}:lammad al-Maw,ili, al-Wasfla, Hyderabad 1397/1977, IV2, 81-83; a1-MagIisi, op. cit., LXlll, 303, 99-101; Ibn 'Arabi, Mul}iitjarllt aJ-abriir wa-musilmaral a/-sl]yiir, Beirut 1388/1968, I, 98-99; al-Sawkini. al-FawiPid aJ-mogmila, ed, 'Abd a1-RaI)min b. Yal]ya al-Mu'aIlimr, Beirut 1392, p. 498, no. 1377; Ibn a1-GawD, al-Mawt/iliit, ed. 'Abd aI-RaI)mln M ul]ammad 'Ulman, ai-Modi,", al-munawwara, 1386/1966, I, 207-208; a1-Suyilti, ai- JA'iilT /-nuztnila Ii 1-IIiJ4di1 Il!-mowtjilll, Cairo n.d., I, 174-178; al-Flkihi, Ta'rl1J Mllkka, MS Leiden, Or. 463, fols. 37Ib-372a; and see Mu}:lammad b. ~ibbln al-Bustt, K. al-~rn,I, 136-137 (on tbe authority oflsi]iq b. Bilr); Ibn 'Ariq, op. cit., 1,238-239, no. 23 (on the
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Everybody is, in fact, accompanied by a Satan and even the Prophet had his Satan; God, however, helped the Prophet, and his Satan embraced Islam.t? The Prophet pointed out the difference between his Satan and the Satan of Adam: "My Satan was an unbeliever, but God helped me against him and he converted to Islam; my wives were a help for me. Adam's Satan was an infidel and Adam's wife was an aid in his sin.'~ Scholars devoted long discussions to the question of where the angels got their knowledge that Man would cause corruption on earth. Some assumed that God had disclosed it to them, others conjectured that they might have seen it on the Tablet ial-lawh al-maIJ/uf); some commentators surmised that they had learnt it by analogy from the corruption and decline which had previously befallen the realm of the ginn on earth.w A different explanation of the sources of information available to the angels is supplied in an account traced back to Mugahid (d. 104 H.): Iblis was given the rule of the lower heaven of this world (kana iblis 'ala sultan samii'i l-dunya) and of the heaven of the earth iwa-sultiin samii'i l-ardii. It was written in the highest firmament tal-raqi' al-a'Jii) in the presence of God ('inda lliihi "azza wa-gallav, that from early on it was in God's knowledge (qad sabaqa fi 'ilmihii that He would set up a l:Jalrfaon earth and that there would be bloody events and calamities. 1blis saw the document and read it (while the angels did not know it); when God mentioned Adam to the angels, Iblis informed them that Allah would
authority ofIs~aq b. Bisr); al-Damiri, op. cit., I, 208; Ibn 1;i3gar al-Haytami, op. cit .⢠pp. 70. 234; al-'UqaylI, Kitiib al-t/u'afii'. MS :?ahiriyya, l;ladfJ.362. fol. 19a (on the authority of Is~aq b. Bisr); ai-MuttaqI I-Hindi, Kanz al-tummdl, Hyderabad 1377/1958, VI. 82-84, no. 650. S9 See e.g., Ahmad b.Hanbal, Musnad(reprint) Beirut 1398/1978, III, 309 inf.: ...fa-inna I-say!iina yagrimin ahadikum magra l-dami; quina: wa-minka yii rasiila lliih? qala: wa-minni, wa-lakinna /liiho a'iinani 'alayhi, fa-aslama: .. ; al-Darimi, Sunan, Dar i~yii' al-sunna alnabawiyya, n.p., n.d.,1I, 320; Ibn Dayba', Taysir al-wusiililii gami' al-usiil, Cairo 1390/1970. lll, 285, no. 4; al-~aganI, Mabariq al-azhiir jisarlJ masariq al-an war, ed. 'Izz al-Din 'Abd al-Latlf b. 'Abd aI-'AzIz, Ankara 1328, I, 309; al-Sukkart, Guz', MS Zahiriyya, magmii'a 18, fol, 237a; Ibn l:iagar al-Haytaml, op. cit., p. 72; Ibn al-Gawzl, Talbls tblfs, Beirut 1368 (repr.) p. 34; al-TaJ:!liwI,Mwkil al-iiJiir, Hyderabad 1333, I, 30-31; al-Dahabi, Mfzan ai-Nidal, ed. 'AlI Mu~ammad al-Bigliwi, Cairo 1382/1963, IV, 59 inf.-6C, no. 8293; 'Abd al-Razzaq, Tofsir, MS Cairo, fol. 37a ult. - 37b. 60 See e.g.⢠aI-Muniiwi, Fayt/ al-qadir, sar!J. l-giiml~ al-~agfr, Beirut 1391/1972, IV, 440, a no. 5885: /ut/t/iltu 'alii iidama bi-IJ~/atayni: kana say!iini kiifiran /a-a'iinanf lIahu "alayhi l;iallii aslama, wa-kunna azwiigf'awnan If; wa-kiina say!iinu adama kiifiran wa-kiinat zawgatuhu 'awnan 'alii lJa!i'alihi; aI-SuYii!i, al-Durr, I, 54; al-Daylami, Firdaws al-alJbar, MS Chester Beatty 3037, fol, l09b, I. 2. 61 See e.g., Abu ~ayyan, op. cit., I, 142; al-Naysabiiri, op. cit .⢠I, 232-234; al-Qurtubi, op. cit., I, 274-277; al-Tabari, Tafsir, I, 454-472; Ibn Gungul, op. cit.⢠fol. 23b.
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bring about a creation which would shed blood and that He could order the angels to bow to this lJalfja. Thus when God said: Inni gifilun fi l-ardi lJalfjatan, the angels remembered what Iblis had said to them and they questioned: "a-tagisa was offended by his words, hypocrites in Medina calumniated 'All and tried to get rid of him. Then the Prophet uttered the saying: man kuntu mawliihu, thus refuting the calumnies of the hypocrites. Finally: the Prophet used to appoint a deputy when he left Medina for an
66
See e.g., al-Qurtubl, op. cit., 1,264-265; Ibn Ka!ir, Tafsir, 1, 124.
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expedition. When he appointed 'An and left for the expedition of Tabuk, the hypocrites claimed that he left him at Medina because he hated him. Another rumour which was bruited about in Medina by wicked people said that he left 'Ali merely in charge of his family. The sayings of the hypocrites were denied when the Prophet said about (All: ka4abu, bal hallafrulea kama hallafa milsa hiirilna.67 The SIin, al-Anwiir al-nu'maniyya, Tabriz- Teheran, 1380, I, 267. 71 Uri Rubin, "Pre-existence and light, Aspects of the concept ofNiir Mu!;lammad", israel Oriental Studies V (1975) 62-119. 71 Rubin, op. cit., p. 71; Ibn 'Asiikir, Ta'ril] (taht}ib), ed. cAbd aI-Qiidir Badrln, Beirut 1399/1979 (reprint) II, 345; aI-Qul1ubI, Ta/srr, I, 279; aI-Suyii~, al-Durr, 1,62, aI-Ta'labI, Ta/srr, MS Sprenger, p. 84; aI-'Ayni, 'Umda: al-qiirr, XV, 204. 72 Al-Suyii~, al-Durr, I, 62; al-CAyni, CUmdDtal-qiirr, XV, 204. 7l Al-Bu!liiri, al- Ta'ril] al-kabrr, VI, 68-69, no. 1736 (...somiCtu l-nabiyye 1# yaqulu: innf 'abdu lliihi wa-lJiitamul-nabiyyrn wa-inna iidama ID-mungadilunfi!rnalihi ...); Ibn Taymiyya (Magmi1'at) al-JWli>i1 al-kubril, Beirut 1392/1972, II, 357 inf. (see the evaluation of this lJadfJby Ibn Taymiyya); N~ir al-Din al-AlbinI, SilsilDtal-al}iidrJal-4a'fj'a, nos. 302-303, pp. 316-317; al-Muniwi, Fay4 al-qadir, V, 53, no. 6424; al-$ili!;li, al-Sfra al-siimiyya, 1,96-107.
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Amina, the mother of the Prophet, she saw in her dream a tall man who gave her the good tidings that she would give birth to the Lord of the Messengers; the tall man was Adam.74 When Muhammad was born he disappeared for a short time; he was brought to the presence of Adam, who kissed him on his forehead and told him that he would be the lord of Adam's progeny; those who adhered to his faith and uttered his sahiida would gather on the Day of Resurrection under the banner of the Prophet.7s God created the world for the sake of Muhammad, Adam saw on the throne of God thelahiida: "There is no god except God, Muhammad is the messenger of God," and when Adam begged God to forgive him his sin he irivoked by the merit of Muhammad. 76On Adam's forehead was a blaze of light which was to be transferred through the generations down to Muhammad: it was the light of Muhmmad.?? Stiya'al-'Umari, Baghdad 1401/1981, 11,684; and comp. ib., 11,638, inf. about Abu Baler and 'Umar: qaddamahuma ramlu lliihi (f) fa-man t.fii lIaq, YU'alJlJiruhumii?) 19 AI-BasawI,op. cit., II, 806 penult. (and see ib. p. 807 II. 1-2). 90 AI-Basawi, op. cit., II, 500; Anonymous, Maniiqib al-fa/;Jiiba, MS fol. 6b; al-Suyatt, al-l!iiwfJi-l-jatiiwf,ed. Mul}ammad Mul}yial-Din "Abd al-Hamld, Cairo 1378/1959, 1,572; Ibn' Adi, al-Kiimilji t/u'ajQ' al-rigiil, MS Ahmet III, 2943-1, 349b, inf.; al-M uhibb al-Tabarl,
I.
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'Umar's precepts proved to be congruent with the will of God and some Quranic verses confirmed his suggestion." The few traditions quoted give us some insight into the ongoing and uninterrupted competition between the sr a and their opponents as to the position of 'All and his descendants, the imams, and the rights of SrI aspirants to the Caliphate. srI missionaries tried to explicate to their adherents the deliberate forgeries of the Umayyad officials who circulated them." They themselves circulated stories and reports about the Caliphs which contained defamations not less abusive than those which their opponents told of the SrIleaders.93 Having made these remarks on the use of the word l:Ja/rfa, it should be remarked that there is a variant reading of this word: l:Jalrqa.94 This reading, not widely current, could have changed the content of the discussion or even made it entirely superfluous.
II The stories about the creation of Adam are abundant and often divergent or contradictory: only a few aspects of these stories can be treated here. Well-known are the stories about Iblis who heard that God was about to send an angel to bring a handful of dust for the creation of Adam; he went down in order to persuade the Earth to refuse to hand over the handful of dust.9S The Earth indeed tried to refuse, and asked for God's protection when the angels came to take the dust. Two of the angels could not stand against the beseeching of the Earth and returned to God without the required dust; the third angel disregarded the beseeching ofthe Earth and preferred to carry out God's command to return carrying the dust; this
al-Riyarj al-nadirafi manaqib al-'ailIra, ed. Mul}ammad Badr ai-Din aI-Na'sinI, Cairo n.d. I, 199 (see the two versions of this /;Iadi]);Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, Futii/;l misr, ed. Charles Torrey, Leiden 1920, p. 288 inf. 91 See e.g., Anonymous, Manaqib al-~a/;laba,MS fol. 3a; al-'Ayni, 'Umdat al-qarf, II, 284-285 sup.; IV, 143-144; Mal}miid Hasan Rabi', Risdlat sahl al-samar bi-muwiij'aqat 'umar, Cairo 1373/1954, pp. 122-128; and see additional bibliography in EP "Ma!fam IbrahIm': 92 See e.g., Sulaym b. Qays al-Kilfi, Kitab al-SDq1/a,Naja{ n.d. pp. 138-139 . â¢3 See e.g., aI-KatakinI, op. cit., 1,498-500 (Abil Bakr and 'Umar depicted as eating, drinking wine in Rama4in and denouncing their allegiance to the Prophet and to Islam). 94 See Abu ijayyin, op. eit., I, 140; aI-Qut1ubi, op. ctt., I, 263; aI-Tari1J imasq (rahljib), Beirut 1399/1979, II, 341. D 112 Nur al-Dtn al-Haytaml, Magma' al-zawiPid, II. 167; Ya~ya b. Ma'in, al- Ta'riIJ wa-I'ilal, MS ~iriyya, Magmii' 112, fol. 8b, 9b; Anonymous, Siyar al-anbiyii', MS Br. Mus. Or. 4510, fols. l la, 12a, l5b; 'Abd ai-Malik b. Hablb. Ta'rih, MS p. 16; 'Abd al-Razzaq, Tafsir, MS fol. 2a; Anonymous, Q4a~al-anbiyd', MS Leiden. Or. 14,027. fol. 14b; al-Buhart, al-Ta>riIJal-kabtr, IV, 44, 220, 1911. III Anonymous, Q4Dl al-anbiyd', MS Leiden Or. 14,027, fol. 7a. !14 See Ibn t1uzayma's censure ofthe Gahmiyya and Rafi4iviews: Kitiib al-taw/;lfdp. 41; and see A.J. Wensinck, The Muslim Creed, London 1965, pp. 66-70,73-74.
108 109
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fourth object: the Pen. I IS AI-As'ari records the tree of Tuba as the fourth thing. I 16 It is evident that the anthropomorphists (al-mugassima) interpreted the "hands" literally; others rendered this expression as "power", "ability" (qudra, quwwa) or "favour", "grace" (al-m'Cma);some argued that the expression "hands" serves for emphasis with the aim of stressing that Adam was God's own creation.U" Abu ~ayyan records two readings: bi-yadayya (with My two hands) and bi-yadr(with My hand) and explains the word as ability and strength (al-qudra wa-l-quwwa).118 AI-SawUni records the various meanings attributed to the word yad and the two readings mentioned above. The meaning "ability", "strength" (qudra) is rejected because the dual cannot denote strength and ability; it denotes two attributes of God (bal li-l-daldlati annahumii sifatiini min ~ifiiti 4iitihi subl}iinahu).119 Further Sawkanf records another opinion, that the two hands are used metaphorically emphasizing God's deed; the expression "with My two hands" thus denotes: I myself created him. In another formulation quoted by SawUni the aim of the expression is, as in the former explication, to stress that God created Adam without mediation (wasi!a) and attributed the creation to Himself, in this way bestowing special honour on Adam, although He is the Creator of all things (wa-a4iifa halqahu us nafsihi takrfman lahu wa-tasrifan).120 More explicit about the mediators is al-Gawi: "before him whom I created with My own hands" means "whom I created by My power and will" (bi-qudrati wa-irtidatty without the mediation of a father and mother .121 Explanations of the kind mentioned above are given in other commentaries as well.122 AI-As'ari criticizes severely the widely current interpretations. Basing himself on the sound usage of the Arabic language al-As(ari states that "God's two hands" mentioned in the verse cannot denote "favour or grace." God's two hands cannot denote, as some commentators maintain, strength; their
m 'Abd al-Razzaq, Tafsir, MS fol. 91a, ult.-9Ib; al-Tabarl, Tafsir, (Bulaq) XVIII, 2 (from 'Abd al-Razzaq), XXIII, 119; aI-Suyii\i, Gam' al-gawiiml" I, 168,510; idem, al-Durr, III, 121, V, 321; al-Bayhaqi, al-Asmii' wa-I-§ifot, Cairo \358, p. 318; aI-Muttaqi ai-Hindi, Kanz, VI, 65, nos. 556-559. 116 AI-M'an, al-lbiina 'an !qui al-diyiina, Cairo n.d., p. 36 sup. 111 See e.g., al-Nayslbiiri, Garifib, XXIII, 107. III Abu J:layyan, op. cit., VII, 410; and see Ibn Biibuya (al-Say~ al-Saduq), al- Tawl,rid,ed. Mul}ammad Mahdi aI-Sayyid J:lasan aI-lJarsIn, Naja! 1386/1966, p. 104. 119 aI-Sawklini, Fatl,ral-qadir, IV, 445 (al-yad hiihunii bi-ma'nii I-ta'kid wa-l-sila mogiizan ka-qawlihi: wa-yabqii waghu lliih...). 120 Idem, op. cit., IV, 445. 121 Al-{1iwi, Mariil,rlabid, Cairo 1305, II, 233. 122 AI-WIl}idi, 01-Wlljfzfttaftiral-qur>iiII al-'aziz (on margin of aI-Gawi's Moral). 1I,233; al-Nasafl, Tafsir, IV, 47; aI-Quf\ubi. TO/Sir,XV, 228; aI-Katakani, op. cit., IV, 64.
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recourse to the meanings of ayd iwa-l-samii' banayniihii bi-aydin, Sarat al-diiriyiil, 47) has nothing to do with "the two hands" because the plural of yad as favour or grace is ayiidin, ayiidf. If the meaning of the hand in the verse were power (qudra) Adam would not have got any distinction over Iblis because IblIs was also created by God's power as He did everything else. "God's hands" are however not the same as the hands of a human being.123 Ibn Huzayma too uses the same arguments in rejecting the meanings "favour" and "strength". He who explains the two hands of God as meaning "strength" (quwwa) adducing aydtin) as proof, should be sent to the kuttdb to be taught proper Arabic.t> AI-BayhaqI reiterates the arguments which refute the interpretation of God's hands as either God's body extremities (giirilJa), as favour or as power; the word must be understood as denoting two attributes of God connected with the creation of Adam.12SAl-Fahr al-Razf scrutinizes the various explanations of the word yad in the verse; having rejected them all he chooses to explain it as a metaphor which denotes the keenness and care with which the work was carried OUt.126
*
Another tradition concerning the creation of Adam became the subject of keen debate: that was the utterance of the Prophet according to which God created Adam in his image iinna lliiha 'azza wa-galla halaqa iidama
AI-M wa-I-fifiil. pp. 289-291; al-Suyuti. Oam< al-gawiimi'. I, 510. 129 Comp. Ibn TiWOs, Sar~ MS, p. 19. And sec Rene Dagom, La Gesle d'/smal/, Paris 1981, pp. 289 penult. - 290. â¢â¢ 5 AI-Maglisi, BiJ,lQr a/-onwir, Xl, 117 inf.
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"Then He presented them unto the angels"is consequently explained that God presented unto the angels the spectres of the prophets and the imams as lights within shadows. 146 The angels committed themselves to faith and obedience, and undertook to recognize the excellence of cAli and of the ·Srlimams. The SrI idea of the superiority of 'An and the imams provides the reason why God ordered that the angels prostrate themselves in front of Adam. As the angels became convinced that the SrI imams surpass them in rank and position they prostrated when they were ordered to do so. A clear exposition of the Sri idea is given in a story in which the Prophet is made to reply to the hypocrites who asked him whether cAlI was superior to the angels. He explained that the angels gained honour only through their love of the Prophet and 'AlI and through the acceptance of their wiliiya. Adherents of cAlI who cleansed their hearts from deceit, hatred, and the impurity of sins are purer and better than the angels. As the angels believed that they surpass the creatures on earth, God created Adam, taught him all the names, ordered him to test their knowledge through questions and to show them that they were inferior. Then He ordered them to prostrate themselves to Adam. The Prophet stresses that the Sra are constant in ther struggle against oppressive rulers, that they suffer and grieve as a result of the persecution of their enemies, and that they subdue their lust and desire; the angels do not need to cope with such difficulties and do not suffer pain as do the SrI adherents. The angels perceived that Adam possessed the light of these noble creatures and they therefore prostrated themselves to Adam.147 The Prophet repeated the same idea in another tradition in which he emphasized the superiority of the Sr a over the angels: God put us into the loins of Adam and ordered the angels to prostrate themselves to him as a mark of honour and glorification for us; their prostration was thus an act of worship for God and one of
Iâ¢â¢ AI-MaglisI,Op. cit., XI,I17 ult. 118,1. I; and seeib.,11. 5-7: .. ftl-qiilallahuta'iila:Yii iidamu anb;' hQ>u1if'r/-malii'iklltabi-asmii';h;m, asmiPi I-anbiyii'i wa-l-a'immati (~)"/tl-Iammo anba'tlhum" 'arajiihQ, alJafjtl "alayhim al-'ahda wa-l-m'iJ.aqa bi-I-imiini bihim wa-I-ta/ifi/i lahum ... 147 AI-MaglisI,op. cit., XI, 137-138: ..fa-Iommii "arrafa Iliihu malii'ikatahlO/at!1o lJiyiiri ummati mul}ammadin (f) wa-sl'tlti 'aliyyin wa-lJulaflPihi ('alayhimu I-saliimu) 'aloyhim. wtl-/Jtimolohum Ii tanbi ma/Jabbat; rabbihim mQ Iii ya/Jtamiluhu I-malii'ikatu abiina bani iidtlma 1-lJiyoral-muuaqtna bi-I-/at!l; 'alayh;m, [umma qiila:/a-li-t!olika/a-sjudii /i-odama lima /caM mwtam;ltur 'alii anwiir h4tjihi 1-~aliPiqiI-a/t!alin ... The tradition is recorded from A.Ipnad b. 'AlIal-Tabarsrsal-~liilfl,ed. M~ammad Blqiral-tJarsin, Naja! 1386/1966,1, 62-63; cr. the story of the conversation of the angels with God, in which they boasted of their fast. God replied: You fast because you do not desire food, but these (i.e., the human beings - K.) are better than you, because they need food, nevertheless they fast. Thus the human beings are superiorto the angels. (Al-Zandawaysitr, Rawt!at al-'ulamii' wtl-nuzhat al-fu4aliP, MS Br. Mus. Add. 7258, fol. 267b (-ISOb).
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rendering homage and obedience for Adam, because we were in his loins. How can we not be considered superior to the angels while they (i.e., the angels) prostrated themselves to Adam?148In a third tradition the Prophet mentions again the prostration of the angels as an argument for the superiority of Muhammad, 'Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn over the angels. "I, cAli, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn were in the pavilion of the Throne: we glorified God and the angels glorified Him by our glorification; this was two thousand years before the creation of Adam. When God created Adam he ordered the angels to prostrate themselves to him, but He did not order us to do so, says the Prophet." The expression 'aluna (contained in the rebuke addressed at Iblis: istakbarta am kunta min al-'alfn) refers to the five who were in the pavilion of the Throne. 149 A tradition which fits in with the SrI story states that the place where the angels prostrated themselves to Adam was al-Kufa (which was a SrI stronghold). ISO The Sunni explanations of the command given to the angels to prostrate themselves to Adam are concise and touch upon the problem whether one is permitted to prostrate oneself in front of a human being. Some scholars argue that the prostration was only done in the direction of Adam; others claim that the prostration was no more than an act of bowing (inl)ina) toward Adam; that li-iidam means "with Adam" (Adam serving as imam - K.); or that the prpstration was in front of God and the bowing was to Adam as a mark of respect for him. Finally, some commentators claimed that it was a real prostration to Adam, but that this was not yet forbidden at that time. lSI
â¢
â¢â¢â¢ AI-MaglisT, op. cit., XI, 140, ISO inf. - lSI. AI-MaglisT, op. cit., XI, 142. According to a SIT tradition the cherubs behind the throne are people of the Si'a, of the First Creation (aI-MaglisT, op. cit., XIII, 224). 150 Al-'AyyiSi, Talsir, ed. Htiim aI-Rasiili aI-MaJ:!alllti. Qumm 1371, I, 34, no. 18; aI-KatakAnT, op. cit., I, 79; aI-Maglisi, op. cit., Xl, 149; aI-Burlqi, Ta>rf1Jai-Kula, ed, Mu~ammad ~idiq AI BaJ:!raI-cUmm, Najaf 1379/1960, p. 59 (more precisely, the outskirts of al~Kiifa,1ahr ai-kula, by which probably Najaf is meant). UI See e.g., aI-Taban, Tofsir, I, 512; aI-G~~~, A/;Iktlm al-quriin, Qus!antiniyya 1338 (reprint - Beirut) I, 32; (and see ib., the assumption about whether it is permissible to prostrate oneself according to the sarrat iidIlm: ...wa-qad ka1lll1-sufiidu gii'izanfi Sarrati iIdJurul calayhi I-SIlliIm 1i-l-maIJluqin wa-yulbihu an yakiiruz qad ka1lll biiqiyan ilii zamiini yWufa calayhi l-salDm. This kind of prostration was abolished in Islam); al-TaclabI. Tafslr, MS Sprcnaer, p. 84: ...amorahumu I/Qhu an ya'tammu bi-adama Ia-sagada l-maliPikatu wa-6tlamu Ii-I/Qhi rabbi l-ciIlamin ... gu'iIa iidtzmu qiblatan lahum, wa-l-sugudu li-lliihi, kama /;Iuwwilati I-lco'lHltu qiblatan li-I-mu'miniil. wa-I-filliitu Ii-lliihi Cazza wa-galla; see Is~lq b. Bilr,op. eit., fol43a, l 1: ...kiinD sufiiduhum !il'atan, li-annahu /Q yanbag; li-alJadin an yasgudo il/Q li-/Jiihicazza wa-galla; and see Anonymous, Siyar al-anbiyii', MS Br. Mus. Or. IS 10, fo1. 13b: ... wa-lJtalafiifisugudi adtzma; qiila btrfjuhum: sugudu ttr1imin wa-ta/:JiY)1Qtin,
â¢â¢ 9
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The creation of ijawwa' and the time when this took place formed the subject of another discussion. The verse in the Quran: wa-qulnii yii iidamu skun anta wa-zawguka l-gannata does not indicate when and how l;Iawwa' was created. The best known traditions transmit the story that l;Iawwa' was created from the rib of Adam during his sleep.1S2A widely current tradition of the Prophet states that "the woman was created from a crooked rib; if you are eager to set her aright you will break her; so treat her with gentleness and you will live with her. "153 AI-Mawardf records that story of her creation from a rib and adds several anecdotes concerning the meeting of the couple and their marriage; as in other sources, al- Mawardl quotes two alternative opinions, that ijawwa' was created either before Adam entered Paradise, or after that event. A short passage in his report, an individual view expressed by one scholar, deserves particular attention: Abu Bahr says that God created her from the material from which He created Adam.ls4 S~Icompilations recorded this version tracing it back to the utterances of the Sri imams. The imam al-Baqir said: "God created Hawwa' from the remainder of the clay from which He created Adam. "155
Iii sugudu saldtin wa-iibiidatin, wa-lam yakun wa¢a l-waghi 'alii l-ardi, wa-innamii kiina inl)inii'an wa-wad'a I-yadi 'alii l-sadri: hiiqii qawlu bni "abbiisin ... ; and see ib., fol. 8a: the first one to have prostrated himself was Isrlifi1; God rewarded him by causing the Quran to be written on his forehead. See further, al-Hazin, Tafsir, 1,41; al-Nasafi, Tafsir, 1,40, III, 67; al-~awklini, Fatl) al-qadir, I, 66, III, 130; Ibn AbI al-Hadid, SarI) nahg, I, 100; 'Abd al-Gabbar, Tanzih al-qur'dn 'an aJ-ma!ii'in, p. 22; Ibn N~ir al-Dtn, op. cit., MS, fol. 137b; Abu Hayyan, op. cit.. I, 152-153; al-Naysaburl, op. cit., 1,260 penult. - 261. 1S2 See e.g., al-Suyntt, al-Durr, I, 52; Ibn 'Asakir, op. cit., 11,349; al-SamarqandT, Tafsir, MS, I, 14a; al.'Ayni, 'Umdat al-qiiri, XV, 212; al-Saffurt. Nuzhat al-matiilis, p. 288; al-Saqsini.op. cit., p. 10; al-Sawkant, Fatl) al-qadlr, I, 70; al-Tabarsi, Magma' al-baydn, I, 187; Ibn N~ir al-Dtn, op. cit., MS, fol. 141a. IS) Ibn Qutayba,' Uyiin al-ahbiir, Cairo 1349/1930, IV, 77: innamii l-mar'atu lJuliqat min t!il'in awgii'; fa-in tahris 'alii iqiimatihii taksirhii fa-diiriha, ta'is bihii: al-Sayh al-Mufid, al-Ibti~ii~, ed. Mul].ammad Mahdi al-Sayyid l:Iasan al-llarslin. Najaf 1390/1971, p. 334; al-Munliwr, Fayt! al-qadtr, 11,388, nos. 2111-2112; al-Sulami, Adiib al-suhba, Jerusalem 1954, p. 82, note 245 (and see the references ofthe editor); 'Abd ai-Malik b. Habfb, Ta'rfl:!, MS p. 8 inf.; al-Qurtubl, Tafslr, 1,301 inf. - 302 sup.; al-Meglist, op. cit., Xl, 222. no. 245; Ibn J(a!ir, al-Bidaya, I, 74; al-Bayhaqi, Su'ab al-tmsn, MS Reisu l-kuttab Mu~!afa Ef. Sulaymaniyya 219, fol. 133b; al-Ta'iabi, Tafsir, MS Sprenger, p, 85. .,. AI-MiwardT, A'liim al-nubuwwa, p. 32: ...annahu lJalaqahii min milli mii I]aJoqa mmhu /idoma, wa-hiit}ii qawlun tafarrada bihi ibn bal)r... ; and sec Ibn N~ir al-Dtn, op. cit., MS, fol. 140b (quoting al-Miwardi) . ." AI-Maglis!, op. cit., XI. 99 (al-Maglisi XI, 101 quotes from "Habar ibn Saliim" the answer of the Prophet about the creation of l:Iawwa': .. .fa-min ayna lJuliqat? qiiJo: min al-!inati Iiali fot!alat min t!il'ihi I-aysar. The passage quoted by Maglisi can easily be identified as copied from the "MasiPiI 'Abd al-Saliim", a well-known popular treatise. I have a photostat of a manuscript of this work from the library of the late S.M. Stem. The phrase on fol. 3b,ll. 12-13 is as follows:fa-alJbirnimin ayyi mawt!i'in lJuliqal minhu? qiIla: ¥Jdaqta yii muJ,rammad; the text in Mailisi, op. cit., LX, 246 has: lJuliqat min t!i/'ihi I-aq~ar).
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A more detailed report is attributed to Wahb (b. Munabbih? - K.): God created l:Iawwa' from the remainder of the clay of Adam, forming her in Adam's shape. God put sleep on Adam and showed it (!) to him; it was the first dream on earth. When Adam awoke, l:Iawwa' was sitting at his head. He asked who she was and God replied that she was the person whom he had seen in his dream.ls6 A Si'Iimam (Abu Ga(far) remarks angrily on the opinion that l:Iawwa' was created from Adam's rib: "They lie! Was God powerless to create her from material other than Adam's rib?" He quoted on the authority of one of his ancestors the following utterance of the Prophet: God took a handful of clay, mixed it with His right hand (both of His hands were right hands) and created Adam from it: from a remainder of the clay He created l:IawWa'.1S7The reason for the anger of the Si'I imams is indicated by a tradition recorded by Ibn Babawayh al-QummI. People say that Hawwa' was created from the left rib of Adam, remarks one of the followers of the imam. The imam (Abu (Abdallah) says in rage: "Did God lack the power to create a wife for Adam from something other than his rib? This is a slander which makes it possible to say that Adam had sexual intercourse with himself as Hawwa' was (created) from his rib. What is the matter with these people? May God judge between us and them. Even some of the beasts are in the habit of killing themselves when they notice that they have had intercourse with one of their sisters," the imam observed. Further the imam gives a short report on the independent creation of Hawwa' (ibtada'a lahu lJalqan).Is8 A harmonizing version is recorded by Ni'matulliih al-Musawi; Hawwa' was created from the clay prepared for Adam; every part of the body of Adam was made separately in order to put the parts together during creation. In this way Hawwa' was created from the clay of Adam's rib.ls9 But it was not only Hawwa' who was created from the remainder of Adam's clay; some other useful creatures originated from this left-over. God created from this remainder the palm tree and the Prophet bade the believers to honour this tree, which is the aunt of the believers.tw Prophets and imams used to put green
AI-MaglisI,op. cit., XI, 116. Ibn Bibuya aI-Qummi, 'ilal ai-sariN, ed. Mu~ammad ~idiq Ba~r al-'Ulum, Najaf 1385/1966, pp. 17-18; and see aI-Maglisi, op. cit., XI, 222 inf.; Ni'matullih aI-Miisawi aI-Gaza'iri,op. cit., 1,240. 1S9 Ni'matullih aI-MiisawI, op. cit., I, 241 inC. - 242. 160 See e.g., aI-Suyil\I, (;am< al-gawiimi', 1,140: akrimii'ammatakumu I-naJ]Iota,fa-innahli lJuliqat minfat!lati {Inoti abi1cum lidama, wa-laysa mina I-Soiari sagaratun akramu 'alii lliihi min sagaratin'waladat tal}tahli maryam bint 'imriin ... ; l-MuniwT, Fayt! al-qadrr, II, 94, no. a 1432; Ibn aI-Gawzr, al-Mawt!iJ'iit, I, 183-184; Ni'matullih aI-MilsawI, op. cit., I, 232; Ibn 'Asikir, op. cit., II, 343; al-Gi~it, al-Qayawiin, ed. 'Abd al-Salam Haran, Cairo 1385/1965, I, 212; al-Suyilti, al-Ltriilf al-mfllniJ'a, I, ISS; N~ir al-Dtn ai-Albini, Silsilat al-al,ladfJ
IS7
I" AI-MaglisI, op. cit., XI, 115, no. 42.
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branches of palm trees in the graves during the burial; there is indeed an utterance of the Prophet recommending it (ljatjtjiriL.); but this custom was later branded by the opponents of the Sr'aas a Sr'I bid'a.161 From this remainder God also created, according to a traditon recorded by Ibn cAsakir, the pomegranate and the vine.'62 Some Muslim scholars report that pigeons'63 and locusts were also created from this remainder. 1M The same criteria used for criticizing the traditions about Hawwa' were applied to the traditions about the children of Adam and Hawwa' as well. According to the current tradition Hawwa' gave birth to a great number of sets of twins. The sons of Adam were permitted to marry their sisters on condition that they would not marry their own twins. There was indeed an eminent descendant of cAlI, 'Allb. al-Husayn, who justified these marriages and adopted the story of the creation of Hawwa' from Adam's rib. When he was asked about that, his attention being drawn to the fact that this was a Maguslpractice, he replied that the deeds of Adam and his children had been carried out before the prohibition of these deeds was issued. Their actions were in harmony with their law (sarra).'6S The tradition that the sons of Adam married their sisters, says a Sr'I imam, only strengthens the arguments of the Magus. The Sr'I story about the progeny of Adam is as follows: Hawwa' gave birth to seventy sets of twins. After Qabn murdered his brother Habll, Adam was overcome by grief and abstained from intercourse with Hawwa' for five hundred years. Then he had intercourse with her and she bore two children: SI1and Yafi], who did not have twin siblings. When they became mature for marriage God sent down two ~urfgirls: Baraka for SIt, Munzala for Yafi]. The progeny of SIt and Yafi] are the prophets and messengers of mankind. 166 This account contains no information about the marriages of the other sons of Adam.
al-r!(H/a, pp. 282-283, nos. 261, 263; Anonymous, Siyar al-anbiyii', MS Br. Mus. Or. 1510, fol. 12b. A peculiar story records a convincing proof that the palm tree was created from the remainder of Adam's clay and is different from any other tree. Like a human being, the palm tree dies when its top is cut off: ai-Samarqandi, Magma' al-hikam, MS Bratislava, fol. 87b. 161 Ni'matulllh aI-Miisawi, op. cit., I, 232. 162 Ibn 'Asikir, op. cit., II, 343; al-Suytltl, al·La'iill al-masnii'a, I, 156; Na~ir aI-Din aI-Albini, SilsiJat al-a/:lad/Jal-r!a'ifa, no. 262; aI-Munawi, Fayd al-qadir, 111,450, no. 3937; aI-SuyQ\i. aam' al-gawami', I, 5 II. 163 See Ni'matulllh aI-Miisawi, op. cit., I, 232. 1M AI-DamIri,lJayat al-I,Iayawan, Cairo 1383/1963, I, 188; al-Kisi'i - W.M. Thackston, Jr., op. cit., p. 58; aI-Suyiiti, al-Durr, III, 110. 16$ AI-MagIisi, op. cit., Xl, 226. 166 AI-Maglisi, op. cit., XI, 224; Ibn Blibiiya, op. cit., pp. 19 inf, 20 sup. (with the variants: Nazla and MunzaIa): aI-'I~limi, Sims al-nugiim al-'awall, Cairo 1380, I, 67 inf.68.
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In another version it is again the imam Abu (Abdallah who is asked about the marriage of the sons of Adam with their sisters and who flatly denies the account, arguing that Adam's belief was identical with that of the Prophet; had Adam done it, the Prophet would have followed his example. Further the imam gives a short resume of the marriages of Adam's children. Adam's monstrous daughter 'Anaq was killed by ravaging beasts. The son Qabn (born after 'Anaq) grew up and married a ginnfgirl Gihana sent for him by God. Later Habn was born and when he grew up God sent down a ~urfgirl called Turk (sic!): Habn married her. After a time God bade Adam transmit to Habll the greatest name of God, the legacy of prophethood and the lists of names which God taught him. Adam carried out God's order. However Qabn envied Habll; a test of a sacrifice proved that Habll had the right to the prophetic legacy. Qabn disregarded the test of fire (which consumed the sacrificial ram of Habfl) and killed his brother, guided in his plan by Iblls. Qabn was advised by Iblls to build a temple for the worship of Fire on the spot where the fire consumed the sacrifice of Habll; he was the first worshipper of Fire. Adam came to the place where Qabn killed Habll and wept for forty days, cursing the earth which accepted the blood of his son; this place is the qibla of the congregational mosque of al-Basra. On the day when Habll was killed, his wife the QurfTurk bore a child; Adam named it Habll; the child was thus Habtl b. Habil. AfJerward God granted Adam a child; Adam named him SIt or Hibatullah. SI! grew up and married a ~urf girl named Na'ima, sent for him by God; she bore him a girl and Adam named her Huriyya; when she grew up she married Habll b. Habll, All the creatures are in fact the erogeny of SIt. Before his death Adam conveyed the prophetic legacy to SIt, bidding him hide it from Qabn and enjoin his descendants to transmit it to NUQ.167 What was the tree which Adam and J:lawwa' were ordered to stay away from (wa-lt'i taqrabii hiidihi l-sagarata) and refrain eating the fruit of! The answer to this provides a great variety of possibilities; a fig tree; a camphor tree; a grape vine; a wheat; a palm date; or a citron tree. 168
161 Al-MatlisT,op. cit., Xl, 226-229; about the worship offire ofQlbn, see al-'I~i, op. cit., 1,86. 161 See e.g., al-Suyilti, al-Durr, I, S3 sup.; al-Nayslbilri, op. cit., I, 276 ult. 277 sup.; al-Qurtubi,op. cit.⢠I, lOS; al-Taban, To/sfr.I, SI6-S21: Is!:tiq b. BiSr. op. cit .⢠fol. 44a; Ibn Gungul,op. cit .⢠fol. 24b; Abu ~aYYln, op. cu., I, IS8; al-Samarqandi, TO/Sir. MS, fol. 14b; 'Abel al-Gabbir. Tonzlh o/-quriin 'lUI ol-17JQ!iI'in.p. 23 sup.; Anonymous, Siyar o/-onbiylP. MS Br. Mus. Or. ISIO. fol. 14b; al-Sawklni. Fotl} o/-qodfr,l, 68, 70; Ibn N"ir al-DIn, op. cii., MS, fol. 141b. And see the Christian tradition saying that the tree was a fig tree; it was the tree cursed by Jesus; on the trunk of this tree Jesus was crucified: Ibn ~azm, o/-Fila/II,
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According to a report transmitted by SuCayb al-Gabii~169the wheat-like tree was called da'a.l7o Some transmitters said that it was a tree which, when its fruit is eaten, causes bowel movement. This was the reason why ijawwa) and Adam were forbidden to eat it.I'1 The tree is sometimes called sagarat al-'i1m or sagarat al-huld, pointing clearly to the hopes of Adam and the deceitful ways of Iblis. There are also discussions whether the ganna (the "Garden ") was in heaven or on earth. 112 Theologians and scholars of religious law analyse in great detail the character of the sin committed by Adam and Hawwa", whether it is congruent with the prophetic mission, and what is the form of the punishment given to them and the repentance they practised. 173 III There is a clear tendency among Muslim scholars to belittle Adam's sin. Adam and Hawwa' ate from the fruit of a tree which was of the same kind as that which God forbade them to eat; they were not aware of the meaning of God's prohibition, assuming that God forbade them to eat the fruits of a specific tree tal-sagara bi-'aynihii). The disobedience (ma'a~i) of the prophets is no more than small transgressions (li-anna ma'iisi l-anbiyii'i Iii takiinu ilIii~agii'ira). Had Adam and Hawwa' known that the prohibition of God referred to the whole species of that tree they would not have committed the sin. Consequently the removal of Adam and Hawwa' from' Paradise was not by way of punishment (we-lam yul:Jrighuma 'uqiibatan). Further, God forgave Adam's sin and the effect of that transgression was removed (wa-ziila ta'lfru tilka l-ma'~i.va).\74The
See on him: al-Sam'anl, al-Ansiib, Hyderabad 1383/1963. III, 186, no. 816. Ahmad b.Hanbal, al-' 1101, ed. Talat Kocyigit and Ismail Cerrahoglu, Ankara 1963, p. 12, no. 419, (reminding da'at in Hebrew - K.), and see idem. al-Zuhd, Beirut 1398/1978, p. 48. 171 See e.g., Abu Hayyan, op. cit., 1,158; Ibn Gungul, op. cit .⢠fol. 24b; Ibn 'Asakir, op. cit., II, 352; al-Suyii~i, al-Durr, I, 53; al-Tabari, Tafsir, I. 528, no. 745. 172 See e.g., Ibn Qayyim al-Gawziyya, Hadi al-arwalJ ilo btlad al-afral;. Cairo n.d. (maktabat al-mutanabbh, pp. 19-34: Ibn Gungul, op. cit., fol. 24b; Abii l;Iayyan, op. cit., I, 156 inf. - 157; al-Tabarst, Magmo' al-bayan, 1, 187; al-~lzin, Tafsir, I, 41; Ibn Hi!am, al- Titon, pp. 11-12. 173 See e.g., 'Abd al-Gabblir, MutaJabih al-quriIn, ed. 'Adnln Mul}ammad Zarziir, Cairo 1360/1966,1,277-279 (no. 251); and see ib., II, 495 (nos. 469-470); idem, Tanzih al-qur'iIn 'an al-matii'in, Beirut, n.d., p. 145; wa-rubbamii qflaJi qawlihi to'olo: qiila rabbanii zalamnii an/wano ... ; and see Abi1l;1ayylin, op. cit., I, 160-162. 114 'Abd al-Gabbalr. Tanzih al-quran 'an al-moli1'in, p. 23; and see ib., p. 145: the comment on ~alamniI anfwanii: they brought harm upon themselves by losing their reward and by being scared by the minor sin committed.
169 170
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story of Adam's sin is formulated in a similar way by Ibn al-(ArabI: IbITs lured Adam and incited him to eat the fruit from a tree of a species forbidden by God, arguing that God's prohibition referred only to one specific tree of this species (garrahu bi-l·alJqi bi-l-ziihiri, lit. "he tempted him to follow the outward sense" [of God's command]). Further Ibn al-'Arabt records other explanations of the circumstances of Adam's sin: Some stories tell that he committed the sin while he was drunk. Ibn al-'Arabi denies this tradition vigorously since drunkenness does not free one from punishment for a sin. Prophets are impeccable after they have been granted prophethood and kept alooffrom every deed (munazzahiin) which may impair the proper fulfilment of their religious obligations ('ammii yulJiIlu bi-l-farii'icf) or cause involvement in sins.!" In some reports the burden of the sin is imposed on Hawwa'. She is said to have handed Adam the intoxicating drink, 176 or to have led him to the forbidden tree, 177 or to have persuaded Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. 178 l:Iawwa"s evil role is reflected in Adam's answer when asked by God whether he ate of the forbidden fruit: "The woman whom Thou hast placed with me has led me astray" (yii rabbi, hiiqihi llati ga'a/ta ma't agwatni).179When Adam once met Hawwa' weeping he reproached her by saying: "This happened by your deed". 180 Adam settled down on earth and worked hard with an ox; while he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand, 181 he rebuked l:Iawwa' saying: "You did it with me"(anti 'amilti bt hiiqQj. Everyone who works with an ox says even today "~uww" (which is reminiscent of l:Iawwa"s evil deed - K.),182 According to a tradition traced back to Ibn 'Abbas it was l:Iawwa' who hastened to the tree and overtook Adam, because Satan promised them that whoever came first would gain the upper hand over the other. Hawwa' came first, ate the fruit of the forbidden tree and gave it to Adam. But God thwarted the plan and granted the upper hand to Adam.183 l:Iawwa' was severely punisbed.P'
Ibn aI·cArabi. Tajsfr, I, 18-19. See e.g., al-Tabari, Tajsfr, 1,530. no. 749; al-Ta'Iabl, Tafstr, MS Sprenger, p. 86 inf. 177 See e.g., Ya1)yi b. Salim, Tafsfr, MS, p. 7. 111 See e.g., al-Tabari, Tajsfr, 1,525-529; aI-Sawkini, Fatl} al-qadfr, I, 70. 179 Al-Bapwi. M~1lim aJ-Ianzf1, I, 42iDf.; al-lJ:izin, Tajsfr, I, 42 iDf. -43 sup.; a1-SuyIl\i. al-Durr, III, 74; see Genesis 3, 12. 110 AI-Mascildi, A1]bDr aJ-ZDmDn, p.50. III ~ e.g., aI-BapwJ. Tajsfr, IV, 228; a1-lJ:1zin, Tajsfr, IV, 228; al-Nasafr. Tajsfr, III, 68 sup.; al-GiwI, MaraJ}, II, 30; a1-Tabarsi. TII/sfr, XVI, 150. III Ibn 'Aslkir, TII>rl1] (lIul/jib) II, 353; and a1-Suyilti. a/-Durr IV. 310 (and see ib .⢠another version: God rebuked l;Iawwl> stating that she had deceived Adam); Ibn Nl4ir aI-Din,op. cu., MS, fol. l46b; and see Anonymous, CM41 a/-anbiyiP, MS Leiden Or. 14,027, fol. 13a. 113 Isl)iq b. Biir,op. cit., MS, fols. 44b, 71b. 1M See e.g., Anonymous, SiytIT al-tmbiyiP, MS Br. Mus. Or. ISI0, foL ISb; Anonymous,
ITS
176
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But it was Adam who was warned by God to beware of Iblis and was threatened that he would be removed from Paradise and would be miserable, fa-tasqii. The change of number from the dual fa-Iii yuljrigannakumii to the singular fa-tasqii is explained by the fact that Adam was held responsible for the sustenance and maintenance of Hawwa'. Since then men are obliged by law to provide adequate support for their wives, the "daughters of J:lawwa'."'8S It is evident that Hawwa' deserved the punishment she got; but she could not bear her hardship, her bad plight and ignominy, and complained to God of her misery. God promised her as well as the women of her progeny that those women who are decent, honourable, and righteous in their marital life will be duly rewarded on the Day of Resurrection. 186 J:lawwa"s transgressions, however, had no bearing on how the causes and effects of Adam's sin are evaluated. The Quran refers to his sin as forgetfulness, as mentioned in Siirat Tii-Hii 115: "And we made covenant with Adam before, but he forgot and We found in him no constancy," wa-Iaqad 'ahidnii i/ii iidama min qablu fa-nasiya wa-lam nagid lahu 'azman. Some commentators render the verb fa-nasiya, "he forgot" by fa-taraka, "he left, forsook, relinquished, abandoned. "187 is obvious that It taraka has graver connotations than nasiya. This is seen in an interpretation quoted on the authority of al-Hasan al-Basrl: were it mere forgetfulness no punishment would have been imposed on Adam, because God acquitted the believers from a sin of error or forgetfulness. But Adam relinquished (taraka) that which he had been enjoined to do, namely to avoid eating from the fruit. 188 Al-Razl (= Muhammad b. Abi-Bakr b. (Abd al-Qadir) argues that one cannot render nasiya by "he forgot", because the severity of Adam's punishment, his being expelled from Paradise, and the harsh terms 'a§ii and gawii applied to Adam are incompatible with the idea of forgetfulness. Besides, he could not have forgotten the injunction because he often argued with Iblis. Consequently the conclusion to be drawn is thatfa-nasiya has to be rendered byfa-taraka: Adam repudiated the covenant and the injunction given to him. 189 spite of this deed Adam In
Q4il! al-anbiyii"; MS Leiden Or. 14,027, fol lOb, 14b; and see al-Mas'iidi, AlJbiir al-zaman, p. 51 (the ten kinds of suffering of women) . â¢., See al-QuJ1ubi, Tafsir, Xl, 253; al-RiZi, MasiPiJ, p. 223. â¢16 Anonymous, Qi!il! aJ-anbiyiP. MS Leiden Or. 14,027. fol. 14b. â¢87 See e.g., Ibn Qurayba, Tafsir garib al-qur'im, ed. A~mad Saqr, Cairo 1378/1958. p. 283. no. 115tfa-nasiya, ay taraka I-" The Prophet is said to have carried a sliver of the Black Stone on his body. The story, as told by al-Samarqandl, runs as follows: When Ibrahim built the Ka'ba he lifted the Black Stone in order to put it in the proper place; the Stone, however, fell down and a piece of it broke away. God then ordered GibrTI to put the broken piece in the cave of the mountain in which the Prophet would seek refuge during the higra. When the Prophet and Abu Bakr entered the cave while on their way to Medina during the higra, GibrTI arrived, handed over the broken piece of the Black Stone to the Prophet and bade him fasten it on his body: the Prophet carried out the order and obtained the miraculous power to see forwards and backwards. The traditions saying that the Prophet fastened a stone on his belly because of his hunger are therefore erroneous.tv
IsJ:tiq b. Bisr, op. cit., fol, 67a. Ibn Qutayba, Ta'wil muhtalif al-l)adfJ.. pp. 271-272 (fmiinan bika wa-wafii'an bi"ahdika is explicated by Ibn Qutayba: ay: qad wafaynii bi-tahdika, innaka anta rabbunii); and see Ibn Biibiiya al-Qumrnl, 'Ilal as-sarii'l\ pp. 423 inf. - 424, biib 161, nos. 1-3,5; Ibn Furak, op. cit., pp. 32-33. 23'1 See e.g., Ibn Bibiiya al-Qummi, 'Ilal ai-sariN, p. 426. 2.00 Ai-SuYU!i, al-Durr, I, 57, 1. 16; al-Saqslnl, op. cit., MS, p. 18; al-Ta'Iabt, Tafsir, MS Sprenger, p. 168. W AI-SuYii!i, al-Durr, 1,57,1. 9 from bottom. 242 AI-Samarqandi, Magma< al-hikam, MS, fol. 89a; and see on the two stones fastened on
231 231
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M.J. Kister
The very origin of the Black Stone is connected with Adam and his sin: when God introduced Adam to Paradise and forbade him to eat from the wheat, He placed an angel over him to guard him. This angel was absent when Adam ate the forbidden fruit. When God looked sternly at the angel he became a jewel. Adam wept at the sight of the jewel, but God endowed it with the power of speech and it said: 0 Adam, I am the angel whom God placed over you to keep you; then the jewel was moved to the Ka'ba. That is the Black Stone, which God deposited in Abu Qubays: AbU Qubays was a mountain in Khurasan and was moved to Mecca. When Ibrahim built the Ka'ba he took the Black Stone. Abu Qubays asked Ibrahim to intercede with God, that it would not be returned to Khurasan, and so it remained in Mecca.2â¢3 A tradition of the Prophet says that one should ask the Black Stone to be a witness on the Day of Resurrection; the Stone will appear on that Day as intercessor and its intercession will be accepted. It will have a tongue and lips and it will give favourable evidence for people who stroked it.2« Several traditions state that the Black Stone was from Paradise.r" The tradition about the Day of the Covenant and the role of the Black Stone is echoed in the utterance of the Prophet stating that the Black Stone is God's right hand and that he who strokes the Black Stone gives the oath of allegiance to God.2â¢6 A vivid description of the role of the Black Stone during the ceremony of the Covenant is reported on the authority of the imam al-Baqir. When God took the oath of allegiance from mankind Ire let flow a river sweeter than honey and softer than foam. Then He ordered the Pen to draw (ink - K.; istamadda) from this
the belly of the Prophet because of hunger: al-Qurtubi, al-I'liim bimii fi din al-nasiirii min al-jasiid wa-l-awham, ed. Al}mad l:ligizI al-Saqqa, Cairo 1398/1978, p. 305; about the hunger of the Prophet and his Companions see: al-Zurqanl, SarI]. al-mawiihib al-laduniyya, Y, 332-333; and al-Qalyubt, Nawiidir, p. 33. Another report says that the Prophet was given the choice between the privilege of intercession for his people on the Day of Resurrection and riches like those of Abu Cahl; the Prophet chose the intercession. When the Prophet ascended to heaven on his mf ai-karam, Cairo 1956, I, 170 (and see on the Black Stone ib., pp. 168, 171). lf5 See e.g., aI-Munliwi, op. cit., 111,408-409, nos. 3799, 3804. 246 See e.g., al-Munawr, op. cit., 111,410, no. 3805; and see above ad note 238; and see Ibn Blibilya, 'lilli, p. 424, bab 161, no. 3.
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river, to put down their acknowledgement (of the Covenant - K.) and to write what will happen until the Day of Resurrection. Then He put it (i.e., the written document - K.) in the mouth of the Stone. The stroking ofthe Stone during the circumambulation of the Ka'ba amounts to reiterating the oath of allegiance (bayea) as an acknowledgement ofthe Covenant.s-? Some scholars identify the Black Stone with the stone which used to greet the Prophet before he received the revelation.248 AI-'AdawI, who records the tradition, records also the discussion of the scholars as to whether the greeting of the Black Stone was a real one, i.e., consisting of actual speech, or merely a sound. Consequently the scholars raised the question whether the Black Stone was a living creature or a lifeless being. AI-'Adawl concludes that in any case the Black Stone is a token of prophethood.s'?
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The 5i"1 story of the Covenant discloses divergent aspects of the event; it mentions different causes for the sin perpetrated by Adam and makes much of the prominent role played by 'All and his family in this event. When Adam and Hawwa' were introduced into Paradise and God caused the angels to bow to Adam, he entertained the thought that God had created none more distinguished than he. God knew what he was thinking and He summoned him to lift his head: he saw the Throne and on its side he saw the inscription of the sahiida followed by the statement that 'AlI is the amfr ofthe faithful. Fatima his wife is the Lady of all the women in the world and Hasan and Husayn are the lords (sayyidii) of the youths of Paradise. God explained to Adam that these persons were his progeny and that they were the best creatures in the world; but for them God would have created neither Adam, nor any of Hell, Paradise, Earth and Sky. God warned Adam not to look at them with envy or desire their rank. But Adam did look at them with envy, and thus Satan succeeded in subduing him by tempting him to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree.Hawwa' looked with envy at Fatima; thus Satan put her under his control and she, too, ate the forbidden fruit.250 Another setting for the story is recorded by al-
247 Ibn Sahrtillb. Maniiqib illi abt /illib, Najaf 1375/1956, III, 333; (and cf. the utterance of al-Biqir stroking the Black Stone: alliihumma, iimana/f addaytuhii, wa-mfJiiqf/a'iihadluhu li-yalhada n