Most of Muslims believe that God creates Adam as the
first created man in the whole world. God creates him from clay, places him in
heaven, creates Eve to be his wife, but then moves both of them into earth to
pay for their mistakes in disobeying God’s command in the case of the heaven
tree (we, Indonesian people name it: Khuldi tree). After coming to the Earth,
then Adam and Eve have many children and become the first generation of human
life in this earth.
The creation story of Adam has clearly been portrayed
in Quran in Al Baqarah: 30-39, Ali Imraan: 59, An-Nisaa: 1, Al Hujuraat: 13,
Al-A’raaf 11-25 and 189, Al Hijr: 26-44, Al Israa: 61-65, Al Kahfi: 50, Thaaha:
55 and 115-126, Shaad: 67-68.[1]
The creation Process of Adam
In the Qur'an Adam
was created by God from the dry soil that is then formed by God with the best
possible shape. Once complete it is by God's spirit blown into him that he then
came alive. This is confirmed by God in the Quran:
"What makes something that He has created his
best, and started the creation of man from clay." (As Sajdah: 7)
"And indeed we created man (Adam) from sounding
clay (derived) from a given form of black mud". (Al-Hijr: 26)
Besides, God also explains in detail about the creation of man in
the Al Hijr : 28 and 29.
"And
(remember) when thy Lord said unto the angels: Surely I will create a man from
dried clay (derived) from a given form of black mud. So, when I have perfected
it happened, and have breathed into it the spirit (creation), then you submit
to him by prostrating "(Al-Hijr: 28-29)
In a Hadith, the Messenger of
Allah said:
"It is precisely the man is from Adam and Adam's (created) from the
ground". (Narrated by Bukhari).
Human roles in the world
Islam recognizes two different
roles of humans in the world. The first is that the human becomes a caliph in
the earth, and the second is that human becomes a God’s servant. Both positions
are very different in meaning and practice. The first has proclaimed humans as
the leader, the ruler of this world, but on the other side,
humans must be a servant of God.
The first position, the human
as a caliph, comes from the verse in Al Baqarah: 30.
"Remember when your Lord said to the angels,
'Verily I am about to make a caliph in the earth.' They (angels) said, 'Why do
you want to make (the caliph) on earth was the person who will make mischief
and shed blood to her when we are constantly praises You and sanctify You?
"God said, 'Behold, I know what ye know not.'" (al-Baqarah: 30)
A caliph means that
humans are the vicegerents of God in the earth. This implies the meaning that
humans have their own right to manage and rule the world and all of the beings
there. Therefore, humans have
their own freedom to make up this world as they want.
In other words, they can build this world or even damage it depending on their
acts. Of course, this position is very terrible when we consider what the
angels say before the creation of Adam that humans will only shed the blood of one
another and destroy the world or nature. And, God admits it in Qur’an. God
says:
"It has
been apparent the damage on land and at sea
are caused by the deeds of arms (immoral) man, that God may
feel
some
of
them
(due to) their actions, so they come back(to the right path)" (Ar Rum: 41).
In this case,
the second role of humans has been given to limit damaging the world (nature).
Besides making humans as caliphs, God also makes humans as servant. God says:
“And
I do not create
Jinn
and
Man
except to worship for
Me.”(Adz Dzariyat: 56).
In my
opinion, this position is the basic answer for all of our doubts that man can
damage the world. This human position as the servant of God will equalize the
power which human gets from God as a caliph. Humans must equalize their power
to control with the mandatory to serve God. This is the main idea that humans
not only can damage the world, but also keep the world from damage.
Those
positions as caliph and as servant also are the way God asks
human
to take responsibility
in the world. God has provided humans two places there, the heaven and the
hell. Humans will be placed in one or the other based on their result of their
position as caliph and servant. If their actions are bad, humans will enter
hell, and vice versa if their actions are good, humans deserve to enter heaven.
In order
to gain heaven, humans cannot treat nature as they want without considering
things exist in nature. It is because two roles of human must be understood together.
Humans cannot act as a caliph only but also humans must equalize it with its
role as a servant. This equal role is the basis of the action of every Muslim
in the world.
The rationality of nature
In
accordance to the relationship between humans and nature, I think the most
interesting thing which can be found in Qur’an in the case of nature is that
nature is also a being. Nature is alive, has its own life, and all of it prays
and praises to glorify God, together with humans. This projection is clearly stated in Qur’an as follow:
“All in the heaven and the earth is to glorify God
(expressing the greatness of Allah) and he who isThe Almighty and Wise.” (Al
Hadiid: 1)
“The seven heavens and the earth and everything on it
glorify God and there is nothing but praises him, but you all do not understand
their prayer beads. Indeed he is the most forbearing and forgiving.” (Al Israa:
77)
Those
verses above explain that nature is alive. They can glorify God, although in
human’s perspective, they do nothing in the reality. This is what is stated
clearly by God that we, human beings cannot understand their actions. However,
this teaching must be a turning point to get mutual relationships between humans
and nature.
Conclusion
Humans and nature are in equal position.
Both of them are the same creation of God. In some verses in the Qur’an, Adam
has been created from clay, or some element which grounds nature. It means that
humans are not different from nature. Humans have come from nature. In this
sense, it is very obvious that nature and humans are one unity,so that they
have tight relationships in the beginning until today.
According to some verses also, humans have
two roles in the world. The first role is a caliph, and the second is a
servant. Both roles apparently contradict each other, as a leader and as a
servant. To avoid this contradiction, it must be understood in a comprehensive
way. This comprehensive way includes God, humans, and nature as the reality
outside of human beings.
Many religious interpretation advocates
the role of human beings in the world as
the center life. It is something that we have to admit. However, the verses
from Qur’an actually give another understanding about nature, which is often
being forgotten by people. Qur’an verses point clearly to the idea that nature
is alive, every time and every place they glorify God. It concludes that
actually nature also is a being, has
feeling and actions, although humans cannot recognize it.
Nature
has its own rationality. It can be concluded that nature is as equal as human in front of God. This
is very important because after this, humans should not exploit nature as a
dead thing, as a non-being. Nature is a being, so that human must be aware and
be careful to explore all the richness which exists in nature.
[1]See
IbnuKatsir, The story of the prophets,
no year. The complete Letters and verses
also can be retrieved from: http//kawansejati.org/penjelasan-penciptaan-nabi-adam.
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