The World Before the Creation of Adam (A.S.)
What Was Before the Creation of the Heavens and the Earth?
Before the heavens and the earth were
created, nothing existed except Allah Almighty. His Throne (Arsh) was
over water. As the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
“There was Allah and nothing was with
Him. His Throne was upon the water.”
(Musnad Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood)
This means that before any creation,
there was no sky, no earth, no air, no light, and no darkness — only Allah,
the Eternal Creator.
How Long Did Allah Create the Heavens and the Earth?
Allah says in the Qur’an:
Surah Al-Hadid (57:4):
“He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He
established Himself above the Throne. He knows what enters into the earth and
what comes out of it, what descends from the sky and what ascends into it. And
He is with you wherever you are, and Allah is All-Seer of what you do.”
Surah Hud (11:7):
“And He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His
Throne was upon the water.”
This shows that the Throne of
Allah existed before creation, placed over water, and then the heavens
and the earth were created in six days.
What Was the First Creation of Allah?
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, the first thing Allah created
was the Pen (Qalam). He commanded it to write, and it wrote everything
that will happen until the Day of Judgment.”
(Musnad Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi)
According to another narration: Allah
wrote the destiny (Qadr) of all creation 50,000 years
before the creation of the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was
upon water. (Sahih Muslim)
From this, scholars explain:
First, water and the Throne were created.
Then the Pen was created.
The Pen wrote everything on the Preserved
Tablet (Al-Lawh al-Mahfuz).
After that, the heavens, the earth, and
other creations came into existence.
Sequence of Creation of the World
According to a narration in Sahih
Muslim (Abu Huraira R.A.):
On Saturday, Allah created
the earth (dust/soil).
On Sunday, He created the
mountains.
On Monday, He created the
trees.
On Tuesday, He created things
of hardship (diseases, calamities).
On Wednesday, He created
light.
On Thursday, He spread out
animals.
On Friday, in the last hour
(between Asr and night), Adam (A.S.) was created.
This shows that man was the last
of all creations.
Creation of Angels, Jinn, and Humans
Angels were created from light
(Noor). (Sahih Muslim, Aisha R.A.)
Jinn were created from a smokeless flame
of fire. (Surah Al-Hijr: 27)
Adam (A.S.) and mankind
were created from clay/soil.
The Existence of Jinn Before Adam (A.S.)
Ibn Abbas (R.A.) and Abdullah bin Umar
(R.A.) narrate that Jinn were created 2,000 years before Adam. They lived
on earth but became corrupt, spreading mischief and bloodshed. Allah then sent
an army of angels to fight them, who drove them away to
the islands and seas, where they live until today.
Who Was Iblis?
Iblis (Satan) was not an angel. He was
a jinn, created from fire. Allah mentions clearly:
“Iblis was one of the jinn…” (Surah
Al-Kahf: 50)
When Allah ordered the angels to
prostrate to Adam, Iblis refused out of pride and arrogance, saying:
“You created me from fire and You created
him from clay.” (Surah Al-A’raf: 12)
This refusal marked the beginning of his
curse, and he became the enemy of mankind until the Day of Judgment.
Purpose of the Creation of Jinn and Humans
Allah says in Surah Adh-Dhariyat
(51:56):
“I did not create jinn and mankind except
to worship Me.”
This makes it clear that the purpose of
life is submission, worship, and obedience to Allah.