The Wisdom Behind The Descent Of Adam, peace be upon him
Selections from the Book The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (88)
Indeed, Allah's decree, destiny, and management are all filled with wisdom. Glory be to Him; it is unbefitting for Him to act in vain or to be unjust, for He is The Just, The Wise, The All-Aware. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) discussed the wisdom behind Adam's descent to Earth in his book "The Healing of the Sick Regarding Issues of Decree and Destiny, Wisdom, and Justification". He said: "How much wisdom does Allah have in this, and how many blessings and benefits are contained within it that the minds cannot fully comprehend, even if they exhausted all their powers in understanding it! The descent of Adam and his expulsion from Paradise was, in itself, a completion for him to return to it in the best of his states. Allah created him to inhabit the Earth and for his offspring to do the same, making them successors to one another. He created them to command and forbid, and to test them. Paradise is not a place of trial and obligation. So He brought the parents out to the realm from which they were created, so they could prepare themselves for the realm for which they were created. If they experienced the toil of the realm of obligation and its hardships and pains, they would then understand the value, honor, and virtue of that realm."
Among the wisdom in this is that He (Glory be to Him) intended to take from the descendants of Adam (peace be upon him) messengers, prophets, and martyrs whom He loves and who love Him. He sends down His Books upon them, entrusts them with His covenant, and makes them subservient to Him in times of ease and hardship, causing them to prefer His love and pleasure over their desires.
Additionally, one of the wisdoms involves the necessity of Allah's beautiful names corresponding to their meanings and implications, such as The All-Forgiving, The Merciful, The Accepting of Repentance, The Pardoner, The Avenger, The Reducer, The Exalter, The Honourer-Bestower, The Abaser, The Maintainer of life, The Inflictor of Death, and The Eternal Inheritor. It is essential for the effects of these names to manifest and for there to be something associated with them. Thus, His wisdom necessitated that the parents be brought down from Paradise to reveal the implications of His names and attributes in them and in their descendants.
Furthermore, they were brought down to a realm where their faith could be complete, for faith consists of words, actions, and perseverance in jihad, all of which occur in the realm of testing, not in the Garden of Delight. Additionally, His judgment and wisdom preceded the creation of a vicegerent on Earth, and He informed His angels of this. Thus, He had decreed that this vicegerent and his descendants would be on Earth even before their creation, for He has wisdom and noble purposes in this.
Moreover, He (Glory be to Him) wanted to reveal to the angels what was hidden from them regarding the nature of those whom they revered and honored, as they did not know what was within them of arrogance, envy, and evil. This goodness and this evil were concealed within souls that they were unaware of. Therefore, it was necessary for these qualities to be brought forth and manifested so that the wisdom of the Best of Judges could be understood in dealing with each according to what was appropriate for them
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him, pp. 660-662.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
