Our Human Identity: Khalifah of Allah
Mohammad Siraj Uddin
Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), the Creator of the heavens and the earth, called mankind His khalifah, placing him on earth to administer His rules and to inherit it. He sent guidance as well as teachers to teach and preach His guidance. He entrusted mankind with His trust, the Amanah of Tawhîd. He gifted everyone with countless blessings, raising one above another in order to test them in their belief and obedience:
"It is He Who hath made you (His) agents [Arabic, plural: khalââ'ifa], inheritors of the earth: He hath raised you in ranks, some above others: that He may try you in the gifts He hath given you: for thy Lord is quick in punishment: yet He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful." [Surah Al-An'âm, 6: 165]
The spiritual history of mankind is intimately related to the creation of the heavens and the earth. In the scientific world, the age of the universe is reckoned at about 15 billion years, while that of our solar system is about 8.5 billion, and that of our earth is about 4.5 billion. The Holy Qur'an, however, gives a different kind of account: it does not refer to the age of various stages of creation, but it refers to the state of existence at different stages of development of the universe.
What was Created and Molded and Formed in Preparation for Man?
The Quranic account refers to the primordial existence of the universe, when the heavens and the earth were joined together and then split asunder (21: 30); then, the heavens existed in the form of 'smoke' (41:11). This smoke was made into seven firmaments. The earth was prepared and enriched for sustaining life. This spanned a total of six Eons.
"Say: Is it that ye deny Him Who created the earth in two Days? And do ye join equals with Him? He is the Lord of (all) the Worlds. He set on the (earth), mountains standing firm, high above it, and bestowed blessings on the earth, and measure therein all things to give them nourishment in due proportion, in four Days, in accordance with (the needs of) those who seek (Sustenance)" [Surah Fussilat, 41: 9-10]
From the following verse, also, it appears that the creation of the earth and its preparation was designed primarily to support its future human life:
"It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; more over His design comprehended the heavens, for He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments; and of all things He hath perfect knowledge." [Surah Al-Baqara, 2:29]
Definitive human knowledge regarding the overall framework of creation is limited to that which has been prophetically revealed by Allah. The Holy Qur'an refers to this knowledge as largely within the realm of "knowledge unknown." It is only the Creator, Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), who holds the keys to that knowledge:
"And with Him are the keys of the ghaib (all that is hidden); none knows them except Him. And he knows whatever there is in the land and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a clear Record." [Surah Al-An'âm, 6: 59]
In addition to the important relationship between the creation of mankind and the creation of the universe, likewise, human spiritual history is related to the creation of unseen entities, like angels and jinns, which have significant impacts on the spiritual development of human beings:
The angels are the protectors of human beings in this life as well as in the Hereafter; they maintain the records of human actions and accompany us before the Court of Justice:
"Verily, those who say: "our Lord is Allah (Alone)," and then stand firm, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): "Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised! We have been your friends in the life of this world, and are (so) in the Hereafter…". (Surah Fussilat, 41:30-31)
"And every person will come forth along with an (angel) to drive (him) and an (angel) to bear witness…and his companion angel will say: "Here is (this record) ready with me!" (Surah Qaf, 50:21-23)
The jinn are of two kinds; the believing jinn and the non-believing jinn. The non-believing jinn like Iblis and his group are enemies of human beings and a source of misguidance. Angels and jinn were created before the creation of human beings: the angels from light (Hadith), and the jinn from smokeless fire:
"We created man from sounding clay, from mud molded into shape;
And the Jinn race, We had created beforehand, from the fire of a scorching wind." [Surah Al-Hijr, 15:26-27]
In the visible world, matter came into existence with the divine command "Be!" (2:117). Everything else in the biological world, both moving and non-moving, was then created from the dust of the earth. The moving creatures are called dââbbah:
"And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the living creatures (dââbbah) that He has scattered through them and He has Power to gather them together when He wills." [Surah Al-Shura, 42:29]
"And Allah has created every animal (dââbbah) from water: of them there are some that creep on their bellies; some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills…" [Surah An-Nur, 24: 45]
The common spiritual purpose that threads through all of His creations is their worship of the Creator, and that message is ingrained in the nature of all His creations. Every creation instinctively follows that rule except for the jinns and men: The pebbles make 'tasbih,' the trees make 'prostrations' (through their inclining shadows, 13:15), and the angels devoutly obey and glorify Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala, 39:75).
The jinns and men, on the other hand, have been allowed a will, called the "Prescriptive Will," which allows them to choose between belief and disbelief, obedience and rebellion. They are fully informed about the consequence of any choice they make. They have an inborn instinct to worship, but they are not forced to believe or to disbelieve, to obey or to disobey (2: 256). This freedom to choose, measured against the backdrop of divine guidance, forms the basis of the trial of life (67:2).
Allah Created and Shaped Mankind according to His Design and Purpose
After the creation of the Universe, preparation of the earth, and creation of all visible (dââbbah) and non-visible (angels and jinn) creatures, Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) decided to send His khalifah to the earth. It was a long period of time before mankind appeared in the realm of creation. It is a relatively a recent phenomenon:
"Has it ever occurred to man that there was a long period of time when he was nothing even to be mentioned?" [Surah Al-Insân, 76:1]
The creation of the khalifah and his advent on earth was heralded by a proclamation to the angels in the following verse:
"Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." They said: "Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? - whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" He said: "I know what ye know not." [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:30]
As the angels were created before the creation of human beings, they had knowledge that previous creations (including jinn) had caused mischief and bloodshed on earth. As a result, they were wondering whether the new creation (the khalifah) would do the same thing on earth, and whether their own worship and glorification of Allah had not been sufficient! So, Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) admonished them saying that He knows about the future of the new creation (the khalifah) which they do not. (See the comment by Al-Qurtubi below).
Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) created the first human being (bashar) from clay (38:71) and addressed him as 'Adam' (2: 31). He fashioned Adam's physical mold with His own Two Hands and gave him a spiritual mold comprising of Rûh (spirit), Nafs (soul), a spiritual heart (Qalb), Nasiyyah (forebrain), knowledge and A'qal:
"We have indeed created man in the best of molds" [Surah Al-Tin, 95: 4]
Adam was a prophet and according to most commentators, he was also a messenger, as he received revelation (2: 37-38), and he was chosen by Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) like other messengers (3:33) for his mission:
His responsibility as Allah's khalifah was to be the trustee of amanah (moral responsibility), to believe in Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) and in His intrinsic Unity, to practice and preach the principles of Tawhîd, to restore law and order on earth per Divine Guidance, to be the judge in disputes between people, to forbid injustice, and to be the father of mankind (Al-Qurtubi).
"We did indeed offer the Trust (amânah) to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it; He was indeed unjust and foolish." [Surah Al-Ahzâb, 33:72]
"O mankind! Revere your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created of like nature His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women…" [Surah Al-Nisâ', 4:1]
Our parents, Adam and Hawwa, lived a long life. They had multitudes of children. According to some narrations (Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kathir) Adam was able to see forty thousand of his descendants before his death. After Adam's death, his children inherited responsibility for the earth and continued the preaching of Tawhîd:
"It is He Who hath made you (His) agents [khalââ'ifa], inheritors of the earth: He hath raised you in ranks, some above others: that He may try you in the gifts He hath given you: for thy Lord is quick in punishment: yet He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful." [Surah Al-An'âm, 6:165]
Preparation of the human being to be the rightful inheritors of the earth, and to carry the responsibility inherent in the Creator's Trust, took place in several stages.
Three Stages of the New Human Creation
The first stage in preparation for each new human being is the testimony to the 'Primordial Covenant,' regarding his recognition of the Lordship of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). The covenant was confirmed between Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) and the souls of all future human beings, entered upon possibly some thousands of years before the physical creation of mankind:
When thy Lord drew forth from the Children of Adam - from their loins - their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves (saying): "Am I not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)?" They said: "Yea! We do testify!" (This,) lest ye should say on the Day of Judgment: "Of this we were never mindful…" [Surah Al-A'râf, 7:172]
Thus, man knows in his/her inner self that Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) is the Creator and Sustainer of the creations; ignoring, denying or preaching otherwise is sheer arrogance and rebellion.
The second stage is the creation of the spiritual human being in conjunction with the development of the physical mold:
"…He makes you in the womb of your mothers in stages, one after another, in three veils of darkness…" [Surah Al-Zamar, 39: 6]
The creation of the basic units of life, needed for pregnancy to continue, must take place in a very short period of time after conception. This process is similar in all gestational species. In the case of the human being, this vital phase, called the embryonic period, lasts for the first eight weeks.
From the scientific point of view, at the beginning of the ninth week, the embryo enters the fetal stage. At this stage, the differential development per the human genomic constitution takes place, and the fetus becomes recognizable as a human fetus. This human fetus is a unique creation, biologically different from all other creations. The following verse shows the convergence of scientific and Qur'anic concepts of human creation:
"Then, We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature, [Arabic: khalqan âkhar]. So blessed be Allah, the best to create!" [Surah Al-Mu'minûn, 23:14]
From the spiritual point of view, as the fetus continues to grow in size and weight, and reaches the end of the fourth month of gestation, Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) sends an angel to blow His Rûh [His breath of life] into it. With the entry of the Rûh, the fetus acquires its spiritual potential. Now it is fundamentally different from all other creations, in terms of both physical and spiritual attributes. In Qur'anic language the human creation is termed the khalqan âkhar, "an entirely different [kind of] creation":
RasulAllah (ﷺ) said: "A human being is put together in the womb of the mother during forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel who is ordered to write four things. He is ordered to write down his (i. e. the new creature's) deeds, his livelihood, his (date of) death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched (in religion). Then the Rûh is breathed into him and Allah's Qaḍa about him is written…" (Bukhari, Vol. 4, #549)
This Qaḍa includes his or her gender, longevity, sustenance, personality (happy or miserable), time and place of death.
[Note: From the Fiqh point of view, the entry of Rûh [Allah's breath of life] and creation of khalqan âkhar is a crucial event that draws the line between the permissibility and prohibition of willful abortion.]
The third stage is giving the khalifah a nature (fitrah) that is consistent with his role and responsibilities. The components of human nature are structured on the blueprint of Tawhîd. Tawhîd (monotheism) is part and parcel of the essence of Allah's Religion. Mankind is designed and ordered to strictly follow the Religion of Allah as a monotheist (hanîfa):
"So, direct your face toward the [true] Religion, inclining to truth (hanîfa): [Adhere to] the Fitrah of Allah, upon which He has created [all] people]. No change is there to be in the creation (khalq) of Allah. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know." [Surah Al-Rûm, 30:30]
Man's divinely-structured nature (Tauhidi Fitrah) is an abstract entity, the code of which is ingrained in the DNA of his creation. Accordingly, man is monotheistic by nature, and he is a believer by birth. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"No child is born except in a state of Fitrah… Just as each animal produces a perfect animal like itself, do you see any among them that are born mutilated?" (Narrated by Abu Hurayrah)
Human nature is further reinforced with the virtues of justice, a sense of good and evil, compassion, rationality, and a free will:
"Verily, Allah enjoins Al-'Adl (justice), Al-Ihsan (excellent deeds), giving to kith and kin, and forbids Al-Fahsha (shameful deeds), Al-Munkar (what is prohibited by Islamic law) and Al-Baghy (oppression)…" [Surah Al-Nahl, 16:90]
Beware of Corrupting Allah's Blueprint -
The human being, the creation (khalq) of Allah, is comprised of both physical and spiritual attributes, and DNA is at the center of these natural propensities. Any purported change in any of these predispositions would have to be based on a manipulation of DNA; further, any such manipulation would change the Blueprint, and therefore his nature (Fitrah). Put another way, any such manipulation would change the default settings established by Allah.
From a scientific point of view, any artificial manipulation of an otherwise normal human gene can lead to physical abnormalities, which could be harmful. Man is thus informed and warned about the consequence of DNA-tampering. The Holy Qur'an equates any such attempt with an act of Shaytan:
"[Satan said to God]: Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse in them false desires; and certainly, I will order them to split the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah. And whoever takes Shaytan as a Wali…" [Surah Al-Nisa, 4:119]
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said in a Hadith al-Qudsi that Allah said:
"I created my servants hunafa' (that is, monotheistic), then the Shaytan misled them from their religion." (Muslim 4:2197)
It is natural for human beings to search for their Creator, and the best way to find Him is to believe in His Signs in creation and to contemplate on them (Surah Ṣââd, 38: 29). Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) is known by His Signs. The attributes of His Beautiful Names are manifested in all spheres of creation; it may be in the microsphere of the atom or the macro-sphere of the sky and whatever is in between. The human being is a special creation, in and of itself a miniature universe! Thus, the realm of creation is an open book for contemplation and for knowing the Creator.
In his contemplation, when man turns his spiritual eye to the environment around him, he finds proof of Allah's handiwork and its significance, and the proof of His Creative Power; he marvels at the beauty, discipline, harmony and unity that prevail in nature.
And, when he turns his eye inward, he finds his lowly origin: that he has been made of dust and that he will return to dust. He realizes that there is someone who has put the dust together and given life to it (which no one else can do), and that there is someone who envelops him with his mercy and provides for him. Thus, he comes on his own terms to belief in Allah and submits himself in reverence to the Omnipotence and Omniscience of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). This is the nature of creation, the Khalq-Allah. This is the true Belief!
Any tampering with creation (khalq-Allah) or with Allah's Religion (Tawhîd), or both, can lead only to corruption of both the physical and spiritual molds in which man is made. Therefore, the warning, "Let there be no change in Allah's creation."
In summary, the article has reviewed the creation of the universe and the creation of the human being, and it has testified to the Creative Power of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). It has addressed the creation of Adam and his progeny and highlighted his role as khalifah and his status as 'khalqan akhar.' It has characterized his status as having been supplied with a distinct nature (fitrah). Man, and his normative belief are Allah's creation, and these are dealt with in the Qur'an as the khalq-Allah. It has emphasized the consequence of wishful manipulation of DNA and warned against the corrupting consequences.
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