Laduni.ID, Jakarta - Some argue that the story of Adam and Eve is a myth. In fact, according to Lorens Bagus in his book Dictionary of Philosophy, the word mythos, which comes from the Greek language, is a story related to gods and heroes of ancient times, which contains an interpretation of the origin of the universe, humans and even a nation that has a deep meaning and is expressed in an irrational way or explained in an animistic form and these stories often have forgotten their origins.

The story of Adam and Eve is impossible for people to forget, because their story is not only told by God in the Qur'ān, but also described in the heavenly books before the Qur'ān, for example in the Bible chapter of Genesis.  In other words, not only Muslims, but also non-Muslims have at least heard the story of Adam and Eve.

Moreover, people generally believe that Adam was the first human of the male gender, while Eve was the first human of the female gender. In other words, they were the first grandparents of the human race. How can people forget this when they are the origin of humanity? Their story cannot be separated from sunnatullah, the law of causality, so it can be studied rationally.

The controversy over the story of Adam and Eve is due to the interpreters' different methods of interpreting the verses that explain their story as well as their different assessments of the traditions related to the story.

Islam as the only religion recognised by God does not recognise the existence of gods or animistic things. The existence of the figures of Adam, Eve and their children is due to His qudrat and iradat, without any other cause. Therefore, everything that is willed by Him must happen, without anyone being able to prevent Him.

Therefore, according to Moch. Thohir 'aruf in his dissertation "Ibn Katsir's Perspective on Adam's Existence", it is not true that the story of Adam and Eve is a myth. The following is the story of Adam and Eve with the position of the verse or hadith that explains it:

A. Allah's information to the angels about the creation of Adam and his descendants, as stated in His word Surah Al-Baqarah verse 30:

وَاِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلٰۤىِٕكَةِ اِنِّيْ جَاعِلٌ فِى الْاَرْضِ خَلِيْفَةً ۗ قَالُوْٓا اَتَجْعَلُ فِيْهَا مَنْ يُّفْسِدُ فِيْهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاۤءَۚ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ ۗ قَالَ اِنِّيْٓ اَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُوْنَ ٣٠

"(Remember) when your Lord said to the angels, "I want to make a caliph on earth." They said, "Do you intend to make therein one who will destroy and shed blood, while we praise you and sanctify your name?" He said, "I know what you do not know."

In the Qur'an, the word khalifah means 'successor', 'leader', 'ruler', or 'manager of the universe'. Also, the verse is God's information to the angels to make a person capable of organising life in this world called 'khalifah'. What is meant by 'khalifah' is Adam and his children and grandchildren. However, in other verses, it is stated that all of Adam's children and grandchildren (humans) also get the title of 'khalifah' because the potential that determines the existence of the title is the existence of reason possessed by everyone. The perfection of the khalifah duty is of course after someone has a dynamic mind.

B. The creation of Adam from the ground in accordance with His word Surah Al-Hajj verse 5:

يٰٓاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِيْ رَيْبٍ مِّنَ الْبَعْثِ فَاِنَّا خَلَقْنٰكُمْ مِّنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ مُّضْغَةٍ مُّخَلَّقَةٍ وَّغَيْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ لِّنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْۗ وَنُقِرُّ فِى الْاَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَاۤءُ اِلٰٓى اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوْٓا اَشُدَّكُمْۚ وَمِنْكُمْ مَّنْ يُّتَوَفّٰى وَمِنْكُمْ مَّنْ يُّرَدُّ اِلٰٓى اَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَيْلَا يَعْلَمَ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَيْـًٔاۗ وَتَرَى الْاَرْضَ هَامِدَةً فَاِذَآ اَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَاۤءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ وَاَنْۢبَتَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ زَوْجٍۢ بَهِيْجٍ ٥

"O mankind, if you doubt the Day of Resurrection, We have created your parents (Prophet Adam) from the ground, then from a drop of semen, then a clot of blood, then a clot of flesh, whether perfect or imperfect, so that We may make clear to you (the signs of Our power in creation). We fix in the womb what We will until the appointed time. Then, We bring you out as a baby, then (We care for you) until you reach adulthood. Then, We bring you forth as infants, then (We nurture you) until you reach the age of maturity; and some of you die, and some of you are brought back to a very old age, so that they no longer know anything that they once knew (senility). You see that the earth is dry. When We send water (rain) upon it, it revives and becomes fertile and grows beautiful plants."

The above verse states that Allah created the first man, Adam. From the lifeless (dead) earth, but then they (humans) can live and rise. Isn't this a strong proof that on the Day of Judgement, humans will be resurrected from their graves after having experienced death while in this world, even though their physical body has turned into soil again as Adam was originally created also in the form of soil, thus the meaning of the verse. 

D. Allah Himself created Adam, as stated in Surah Sad verse 75:

قَالَ يٰٓاِبْلِيْسُ مَا مَنَعَكَ اَنْ تَسْجُدَ لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ ۗ اَسْتَكْبَرْتَ اَمْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الْعَالِيْنَ ٧٥

"(Allah) said, "O Iblis, what prevents you from prostrating yourself to that which I have created with My two hands (My power)? Are you arrogant or do you belong to the higher class?"

The verse informs us that God took matters into His own hands in creating Adam. Then the meaning of the verse text questions the causes that make Iblis unwilling to bow down to Adam, as a creature created by Him.

D. Iblis' view of Adam before he was breathed in by God, according to the Muslim hadith, 2:440:

حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة حدثنا يونس بن محمد عن حماد بن سلمة عن ثابت عن أنس أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال لما صور الله آدم في الجنة تركه ما شاء الله أن يتركه فجعل إبليس يطيف به ينظر ما هو فلما رآه أجوف عرف أنه خلق خلقا لا يتمالك

"Abu Bakr ibn Shaibah and Yunus ibn Muhammad from Hamad ibn Sulmah from Tsabit from Anas told us that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "When Allah created Adam in Paradise, then He left him as He wished. This made Iblis circumambulate him, observing what he really was. So when he saw him hollow, he knew that he was a creature of great lust, unable to restrain his desires." 

The Muslim Hadith states that Adam's creation was in Paradise and Iblis' perception that man is a creature of great lust. What is meant by paradise is in the sky, according to Ibn Kathir, because in paradise there is no heat from the sun. Humans have great lust according to Iblis' perception, which is factually not wrong, even among humans there are those who make their lust as their God.

Not only the above three verses and hadiths inform us about Adam's existence, there are many other verses that serve as chronological and logical evidence. So Adam's existence cannot be denied and categorised as mythological history. []

Author: Kholaf Al Muntadar
Editor: Lisano