Ghosts and unseen realms fascinate many people. Islam explains the Jinn, Satan and the creation of humanity in clear detail.
Many people are fascinated by unseen realms, ghosts, and spirits. When I hear those conversations, I smile, because Islam speaks about them in detail. In Chapter 3 of Mastering Tawhid, I tell the story that comes before us: who was created first, why the first human was honored, and how people first lost their way.
Three kinds of creation
Muslims believe God created angels, jinn, and humans as beings accountable for their choices. Angels were created from light and always choose obedience. Jinn were created from smokeless fire. They live among us, unseen by us, and like humans they have free choice: some are believers and many are devils. Humans were created last, from the soil of the earth.
Lesson 1: Believing God exists is not enough
The Qur’an tells us about Satan, whose name before his fall was Azazeel. He lived among the angels in worship. He was not an angel, and he never denied God’s existence.
His sin was objecting to a command. When God ordered the angels and Azazeel to honor Adam with a greeting prostration, Azazeel refused, saying, “You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.” Arrogance made him weigh himself against God’s order. That is why this chapter makes an uncomfortable point: knowing God exists is not the same as being a true believer. Obedience and humility matter.
Lesson 2: One origin, many colors
Have you ever wondered why humanity has so many colors, temperaments, and nationalities? The Islamic account says God had soil gathered from all over the earth, in many colors and textures, and mixed it with water from Paradise to form Adam. The offspring carry that variety: skin tones reflect the colors of the soil, and temperaments, from gentle to rigid, reflect its textures.
Whatever your view on the details, the message is plain: humanity has one origin and one Creator. No race is a separate creation.
Lesson 3: Mistakes, repentance, and personal accountability
Adam and Eve were told to avoid one tree, and they erred. The Qur’an says Adam repented right away and God accepted his repentance. Muslim scholars say they descended to Earth, and they do not describe a banishment. Adam was then given Prophethood on Earth.
It matters what follows from this. Islam teaches that each person is accountable for his own choices. Ask yourself: if someone else’s child did something wrong, would it be fair to punish your child for it? Most of us say no. The book argues that no soul carries another’s sin, and that a sinner’s way back to God is repentance, not inherited guilt.
That is a hopeful message. Adam’s story teaches that failing does not close the door. Staying away from repentance does.
Lesson 4: How worship first went wrong
The book describes humanity living as one community of believers for many generations. After the death of three Prophets, Adam, Seth, and Enoch (Idrees), people began visiting the graves of five much-loved righteous people. According to the account, Satan suggested making pictures and statues to honor them. A generation later, he persuaded their grandchildren that their ancestors used to worship the statues. That, Islamic tradition says, is how idol worship began.
The lesson is subtle. Love and respect for righteous people can slowly turn into over-glorification. The antidote is to know exactly whom you may worship, and why.
Then God sent Noah, the first Prophet sent to people who had already gone astray. He called his people for 950 years, and only a small number believed.
The takeaway
The story before humanity answers questions we still ask today: why evil exists, why we differ, and why the message of the Prophets never changes. In the next article, I turn from story to reasoning: the logical proofs that there is a Creator.
Question for you: Which of these four lessons stays with you? Which one have you never heard framed this way?
Mastering Tawhid: The Key to Paradise is a free download here:
https://bookhip.com/JTWQQCQ. If you enjoy it, I’d welcome your honest review.