The Creation of Adam

Alláh collected from hard, soft, sweet and sour earth, clay which He dripped in water till it got pure, and kneaded it with moisture till it became gluey. From it He carved an image with curves, joints, limbs and segments. He solidified it till it dried up for a fixed time and a known duration. Then He blew into it out of His Spirit whereupon it took the pattern of a human being with mind that governs him, intelligence which he makes use of, limbs that serve him, organs that change his position, sagacity that differentiates between truth and untruth, tastes and smells, colours and species. He is a mixture of clays of different colours, cohesive materials, divergent contradictories and differing properties like heat, cold, softness and hardness.

Then Alláh asked the angels to fulfil His promise with them and to accomplish the pledge of His injunction to them by acknowledging Him through prostration to Him and submission to His honoured position. So Alláh said:

“Be prostrate towards Adam and they prostrated except Iblís (Satan).” (Qur’án, 2:34; 7:11; 17:61; 18:50; 20:116)

Self-importance withheld him and vice overcame him. So that he took pride in his own creation with fire and treated contemptuously the creation of clay. So Alláh allowed him time in order to let him fully deserve His wrath, and to complete (man’s) test and to fulfil the promise (He had made to Satan). Thus, He said:

“Verily you have been allowed time till the known Day. “ (Qur’án, 15:38; 38:81)

Thereafter, Alláh inhabited Adam (p.b.u.h.) in a house where He made his life pleasant and his stay safe, and He cautioned him of Iblís and his enmity. Then his enemy (Iblís) envied his abiding in Paradise and his contacts with the virtuous. So he changed his conviction into wavering and determination into weakness. He thus converted his happiness into fear and his prestige into shame. Then Alláh offered to Adam (p.b.u.h.) the chance to repent, taught him words of His Mercy, promised him return to His Paradise and sent him down to the place of trial and procreation of progeny.

Adam is mentioned in the Qur'an as the first man created by Allah. A verse in Sura al-Imran states:
The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was. (3:59)

Eve is not mentioned by name in the Qur'an, but is referred to as Adam's spouse. Islamic tradition refers to her as Hawwa, an etymologically similar name.

When it came time to create Adam, Allah sent Gabriel (Arabic: Jibril), then Michael (Arabic: Mika'il),and the lay from the earth; but the earth complained, saying I take refuge in Allah from you, if you have come to diminish or deform me, so the angels returned empty-handed.Allah responded by sending the Angel of Death, who took clay from all regions, hence providing an explanation for the variety of appearances of the different races of mankind.

After receiving the breath of Allah, Adam remained a dry body for 40 days, then gradually came to life from the head downwards, sneezing when he had finished coming to life, saying "Praised be Allah (al-hamd li-allah)". Having been created, Adam, the first man, is described as having been given dominion over all the lower creatures, which he proceeds to name. As one of the people to whom Allah is said to have spoken to directly.

Adam is seen as a prophet in Islam.