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The news of this in many ways superior creation
did not go down too well with the angels, for man's
abilities can also be used to do great harm to his fellow
creatures and the world in which he lives. Nonetheless,
the angels, readily submitted and bowed down to Adam
(AS), but Iblis (the devil), a jinn put in charge of the
angels, refused. His objection, however, was not one of
principle, but governed by pride, scoffing at the humble
origins of man who was created from base material, the
soil of the earth, when he, Iblis was of a purer, better
substance, fire. This original racism, judging others by
their make up and origins rather than their potential, is
the prime cause of strife and competition between people
today. The devil was reprimanded for his attitude and
stripped of his position of honour. He bargained for time
to prove that man, on whose account he became rejected,
was not worthy of the privilege. He was given until the
Day of Judgment to try and seduce people from the path
designed for them by God, and those whom he would manage
to lead astray would go down with him. Thus, the devil
becomes the enemy of man, rather than the rival of God as
in other religious traditions.
Adam (AS) was given paradise to live in, a place free
of want, and for companionship was given a partner from
his own make up, Eve. The complete bliss of paradise was
tainted by only one small
prohibition: a tree, the fruit of which Adam (AS) and Eve
must not eat. Given the abundance of fruit available,
this minor restriction should not have mattered much, but
the devil succeeded in arousing the couple's ambition,
telling them that God only forbade them from eating this
fruit to prevent them from becoming angel like and
eternal. The fruit had the opposite effect, however, and
made them aware of their nakedness and vulnerability, and
as punishment they were sent as mere mortals to live on
earth, toiling in hardship to
survive.
It is said that above God's throne it is written
that His mercy overcomes His anger, and in true keeping
with that Adam and Eve (peace be upon them) were forgiven
and provided with guidance which, if followed, should
help them find their way back into paradise. Life on
earth then becomes the temporary examination room where
the intentions of each and every human being are being
tested, whether they follow the guidance which helps them
fulfil their true potential of living up to the spirit of
God in them as His representatives on earth, or whether
they follow the devil into obeying their base desires
which betray their humble material makeup. Through
religious observance and prayer man can thus rise from an
animal like existence to a level of worthiness above that
of the angels. Rather than having evolved from an animal,
the animal existence is the fallen state of man when he
gives up on searching for and fulfilling his potential as
a spiritual being.
KNOWLEDGE OF GOD - The key to
success...
Islamic tradition states
that the fear of God is the crown of all knowledge. Just
as a chair knows nothing about the carpenter, we are
unable to understand or perceive God through our
senses. Before the physical creation of each and every
one of us, however, He gathered all the souls of the
descendants of Adam (AS) and reminded them of their duty
to remember Him as their Lord. To help us remember, He
sent His guidance through His
messengers.
We know God as He describes Himself. The name He
takes is Allah, which is more than just "God" in Arabic.
"God" - just as the Arabic word "llah" can be put in the
plural or change gender; there can be gods and goddesses.
Allah, on the other hand, is unique; He has no equal and
He shares His name with none else. He was called Allah in
the old scriptures, too, in the cousin languages of
Arabic, like Hebrew and Aramaic. Readers of Bible
translations still find the words Eli (Allah) and Elohim
(Allahumm, meaning "O Allah"). Besides His name, He Is
known through His attributes, which in the Qur'an are
also called the most beautiful names of Allah. These
attributes tell us more about our Creator, and whilst
some are exclusive to Him alone, others are qualities we
can aspire to: He is the Just, and we can be just, He is
the Merciful, and we can be merciful.
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