Lesson video

Hi there, young scholars of religion.

My name is Ms. Marx and I'm going to be your religious education teacher today.

And today we're going to be learning about the role and importance of the Prophet Adam within Islam.

And he was the first human and the first prophet of Islam.

And so he has some significant things to show us about the purpose of humanity as a whole.

So when you're ready, let's go.

So by the end of this lesson today, you'll be able to explain the role and importance of the Prophet Adam in Islam.

So let's start with our keywords.

Adam, the first human and first prophet of Islam.

khalifah, someone who looks after or manages something for another.

Nubuwwah, the concept of prophethood in Islam in Shi'a Islam.

Revelation, showing or telling something about God and risalah, the concept of prophethood in Islam, in Sunni Islam.

So look out for those in today's lesson.

So today's lesson, we'll have two sections.

Firstly, Prophethood: a key belief in Islam, and secondly, the role and importance of the Prophet Adam.

So let's start with our first section then.

Prophethood, a key belief in Islam.

If you had a really important message to give to someone, how could you get it to them? Think about the way that you would get a really important message to somebody else.

Pause the video and have a think.

You could talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Fantastic ideas.

I wonder how many of these you got.

You could write to them in a letter, speak to them directly, speak to someone to pass it on, message them on a phone, send an email.

You could announce it in a newspaper.

There's so many different ways that you could get a really important message from one person to another.

Within Islam, Muslims belief that Allah had a very important message to give to humanity.

And this was done through messages coming to prophets and from those prophets to humanity.

So Allah gave the message to a prophet who then passes it on to humanity.

So we've already met in our key terms, the terms risalah and nubuwwah, and these come from Arabic and they both refer to a belief in Prophethood.

Now, the reason why we have two different words for it is because in the Qur'an, the term 'rasul' and 'nabi' are both used in relation to prophets.

So we have therefore the terms risalah and nubuwwah as developments of this.

So 'rasul' leading to the term risalah and then 'nabi' leading to the term nubuwwah.

In the six articles of faith, prophethood is sometimes known as risalah.

And then the five roots of Usul ad-Din, prophethood is sometimes known as nubuwwah.

And so you may know those words that have been used when you've looked at the six articles of faith and the five roots of Usul ad-Din as well, but they both refer to this concept of prophethood.

So what are some of the beliefs that are connected to prophethood and Islam then? So I've got prophethood here remembering that sometimes the words risalah and nubuwwah are also used.

So a key idea to do with prophethood is that some prophets have had holy texts revealed to them.

So some prophets have had holy text or holy books revealed to them.

Not all of them have though, but some have.

The prophets were all human, they weren't divine beings.

And this is a really important belief within Islam that the prophets are no way God, because of course with the idea of Tawhid or the oneness of God and there's nothing comparable to God, no human is like God or is God on earth.

The prophets are humans like everybody else.

They're not divine.

Even though they may have this divine message revealed to them.

The prophets in Islam are not believed to have committed major sins.

So we will obviously look to do with the idea of Adam and thinking about an idea of a wrongdoing that happens to do with Adam, but it's quite an important belief in Islam that the prophets, while they weren't divine or God in any way, they did not commit any major sins so that therefore their messages can be trusted.

There are 25 that are mentioned by name in the Qur'an, and the first one we're going to look at is Adam who we're going to think about today.

But some are sins believed that there were more than that.

It's just these are the 25 that mentioned the Qur'ans.

There's some traditions that hold.

There were many, many more that aren't known by name.

So that comes from the Hadith, which is the collection of sayings to do with the prophet Muhammad.

And there are some Hadith that suggest there may have been more prophets.

We do know there are 25 mentioned by name in the Qur'an.

All of those named prophets in the Qur'an are male.

So let's do a quick check to see what we've done so far.

Which two statements are correct about a belief in prophecy, risalah and nubuwwah.

Which two of these are correct? A, the prophets in Islam were all given a holy text for humans? B, the prophets in Islam were all divine beings made of light? C, there are 25 prophets mentioned by name in the Qur'an? And D, the prophets in Islam did not commit major sins? Two of those are correct, two are incorrect.

Pause the video and work it out and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

The last two were correct, weren't there? There is 25 mentioned by name in the Qur'an and it's belief they didn't commit any major sins.

However, they weren't all given a holy text for humans.

And the divine beings made of light is a belief Muslims have about angels, not prophets.

Well done.

So Prophethood and Islam can be understood in this way.

Allah created the universe and all human life, everything comes from that source of God and humans were created in order to worship Allah and lead good lives.

That was the purpose of why humans were created.

And in order for humans to know how to do this, Allah has sent clear instructions for 'em through these messages revealed to prophets.

So they haven't been left just to work it out for themselves.

There's been instructions and guidance that's been given by God through these messages revealed to the prophets.

And each tribe or group of humans has had that message.

So that's why some Muslims say there may be more than those 25 we have in the Qur'an because each tribe and each nation has had that guidance.

25 are in the Qur'an, but many Muslims believe there have been more that aren't mentioned in the Qur'an, but they are in the Hadith said that there's more than those 25.

So that humans know what the right thing is to do in order to worship God and to lead good lives.

So what's a source of authority we could go to to understand this more? Well the first thing we're going to look at of course is the Qur'an as a really important source of authority in Islam.

And it says this, "We believe in God; and what was revealed to us and in what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses and Jesus; and what was given to the prophets- from their Lord.

We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we surrender." And this is in Surah 2 of the Qur'an.

So here we've got quite a lot of prophets of those 25 that are listed as being given revelations from God to give to people.

And it has this phrase, we make no distinction between any of them.

So this either them being different or separate or perhaps one being better or more important than the other.

So what could this quote show the reader about prophecy? Read through it again.

Pause the video and have a think.

You could talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

So I've highlighted here that we've got this word revealed.

So it's something to do with the revelation, something to do with the knowing more about God and then also the idea that there are lots of prophets and there's no distinction made between them.

So there've been many prophets in Islam, messages were revealed to them and they're equal and there's no distinction between them.

Another source of authority we can use when we're thinking about Muslim beliefs is the Shahadah.

And this is the statement of faith in Islam and it's actually one of the five pillars of Sunni Islam.

And so you may have looked at this to do with Muslim practises and when it's said in a Muslim's life.

And it goes like this, "There's no good but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God," the Shahadah.

So how could this link to an idea of prophecy then? How could the Shahadah support a belief in prophecy? Pause the video and have a think and you could talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, here we've got the idea of there being no God but God.

So the prophets are not God.

There is God and this is the oneness and unity and the Tawhid to do with God, but also that God has sent messengers bringing that message of revelation to humans.

So the prophets are not God, but the prophets have messages from God for humans.

So Aisha and Jacob are now discussing how these sources of authority can support a belief in prophecy, risalah and nubuwwah.

And Aisha says, "A Muslim might believe in prophecy, risalah, nubuwwah, because in the Qur'an it says there are many prophets who received revelations and we make no distinction between them." So Aisha here has chosen the section from Surah 2 that we looked at that said there's no distinction between them.

Remember that list of all the different prophets and said there's no distinction between them.

Well done Aisha.

Jacob says, "The Shahadah might support a Muslim's belief in prophecy, risalah, nubuwwah, because it says that Allah is one God, but the God has revealed to the prophet Muhammad an important message." And so Muhammad was a messenger of Allah." So this idea of being a messenger, bringing a message to humanity from God, and again Jacob here has said the source of it being the Shahadah that has influenced this.

Well done Jacob.

So time for another check then, what are two beliefs about prophecy? Risalah and nubuwwah were shown in that Surah we looked at Surah 2:136 where it listed the different prophets and said the phrase we make no distinction between them.

What's two beliefs about prophecy that that passage could show us? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

There was lots that you could have used from that passage, isn't there? But I've chosen here that Allah has sent different prophets and that there's no distinction made between those prophets.

Well done.

So let's do a practise task to see what we've learned then.

Explain two Muslim beliefs about prophecy, risalah and nubuwwah and refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief in teaching in your answer.

So you're going to choose two different beliefs that we've talked about to do with prophecy, risalah and nubuwwah, and for each of them develop it.

But for one of those you're going to say a source and how it relates to what you have written about, what does it teach about it and explain it.

And that could be a quotation or a general belief or a teaching that you've taken from that source.

So I pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done some really good work there.

So I asked you to explain two Muslim beliefs about prophecy, risalah and nubuwwah.

And your answer may look something like this.

One belief about prophecy, risalah and nubuwwah, is that Allah has sent many prophets, including 25 named in the Qur'an.

Muslims believe they were given messages from Allah because it says in the Qur'an what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Jesus showing there'd been many prophets that had revelations.

So I chose to put my source into this section of my answer.

And in here I've said it says in the Qur'an, and I've used that bit from Surah 2 that says it was revealed to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Jesus.

And then I've linked it to my point about it showing that different prophets have had revelations.

Another belief about prophecy, risalah and nubuwwah, the Muslims have is that prophets are not God, but are humans chosen by God to receive a message or revelation.

For example, the prophet Muhammad and I haven't used a source here because I did that in my first section, well done.

So onto our second section then the role and importance of the Prophet Adam.

So Adam is believed to be the first man and prophet in Islam.

After Allah who created the angels and the world, Allah created humans.

The angels questioned Allah's decision to make a being that could choose to disobey him.

So generally in Islam, angels are believed to not have free will or if they do have free will, they don't choose to do wrong.

And the angels are kind of questioning God here to say, well, why are you making a creature that's gonna maybe disobey you? And Allah reassures them, it's part of a plan.

And then he creates Adam and spouse for him.

Muslims belief that then from Adam and his spouse came all other humans.

So how might a belief that all humans descended from Adam influence a Muslim? Pause the video and have a think you could talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, we'll come back to that idea later in this lesson.

So Muslims know about the story of Prophet Adam from the Qur'an as a very important source of authority in Islam.

And one of the sections that talks about Adam is found in Surah 2, and it goes like this, "When your Lord said to the angels, 'I'm placing a successor on earth,' They said, 'will you place in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood while we desire your praises and sanctify You?' He said, 'I know what you do not know.

' And he taught Adam the names; all of them." So this word successor is used which also relates to the idea of someone taking care of things and relates to the idea of a khalifah in Islam.

And this is our section here that has the angels questioning God about this decision he has to make humans that may have the capacity to do wrong.

So what does this text tell us about Adam? Pause the video and have another read through and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

What I've highlighted here, the idea of angels being there before humans are being created and the role that Adam's going to have as a successor on earth.

And then the idea of Adam being taught all the names of different things.

So Adam was created after the angels and Adam has a special role and he was also taught the names of things.

So he has an understanding of the world around him.

So in Arabic the word used for successor is khalifah.

And in Arabic you can look at the root letters of a word normally three, to kind of understand what they mean because they're used in other contexts as well.

And khalifah has k, l and F as its root letters.

So it means normally something to do with being a successor or a substitute.

So you're not the one in charge, but you might have a special role in being in charge of certain things.

Think of who the vice president might be or a deputy prime minister or the deputy head of a school.

So Adam has given the role of khalifah as a trustee of creation.

So Allah has created creation and is obviously the creator and the master of creation.

But Adam is sort of entrusted with this and given this special role to look after and care for it.

Adam is not a God, but he is given a special role to care for creation and a special understanding of it.

Remember the phrase teaching Adam the names of all things so that Adam has an understanding of this creation as well.

Sometimes the word is also translated as 'steward' in English.

So someone who stewards at a football match or at a music concert.

So someone who's stewarding is like caring for and looking after other people.

So let's have a look at this in action then.

Here's an image of the Cambridge central 'eco' mosque, which is said to be one of the first eco mosques built in the world with lots of different ways that it is trying to care for the environment and being built in a very sustainable way.

And Ahmed goes to this mosque and he says, "Our mosque helps us to be better khalifahs because it's built in an environmentally friendly way.

The wood was sustainably grown, it recycles water and uses renewable energy.

We're also encouraged to cycle there and use green transport to get there.

And in the prayer hall we have natural light and the roof itself generates solar energy from the sun." So the Cambridge central 'eco' mosque is trying to do so many different things to encourage people to care more for the planet.

And for Ahmed, he links this to the idea of being khalifahs and that special role that Adam was given and humans after to care for the planet we've been entrusted with.

So how does Prophet Adam then link to the Cambridge 'eco' mosque? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

While Adam was given the role of khalifah, the successor, the one who is entrusted with the creation to look after it.

And so we could say that Cambridge 'eco' mosque is helping people to be better khalifahs as Ahmed says.

So time for a check.

What Arabic term means a successor, substitute or steward? What was the Arabic term that we learned? Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

It's khalifah.

That's the word that's used to mean successor or substitute.

Well done.

So now let's go back to the story of Adam.

Adam, the angels, Satan and his spouse.

So Allah created Adam in Paradise and instructed the angels and Satan to bow down to worship him.

So we have already seen that the angels question God about creating a being that might disobey God and not do the right thing and God says that he knows what the angels dunno and to basically trust him.

And after this, once Adam is created, God instructs those angels to worship Adam.

Even though Adam isn't God, he instructs them to worship Adam showing that perhaps he has a highest status than they do, but Satan refuses to bow down to worship him.

So the angels ab obey this and worshipped Adam.

But Satan who's exercising his free will did not, he chooses not to worship Adam then.

Adam and his spouse are placed in a Garden and told not to approach a certain tree.

So they're given an instruction not to go near a certain tree that's in this Garden that they're placed in.

And Satan tempts them to approach the tree going against Allah's command.

So Satan, who's already disobeyed God and refused to do what God has asked is trying to encourage Adam and his spouse to disobey God too.

How could Satan's role in this story influence Muslims today? Pause the video and have a think and we can see what you've done in a moment.

For many Muslims today, they also feel that sometimes Satan might be tempting them to do something or how can they be strong against that temptation and keep making the right choices.

So let's have a look at a source of authority that shows these beliefs then.

Of course we're going to go to the Qur'an as the main source of authority in Islam.

And it tells the story of Prophet Adam to Muslims. And again this is in Surah 2, "And We said to the angels, 'Bow down to Adam.

' And they bowed down except for Satan.

He refused, was arrogant, and was one of the disbelievers.

We said, 'O Adam, inhabit the Garden, you and your spouse, and eat from it as freely as you please, but do not approach this tree, lest you become wrongdoers.

'" So what does this text tell Muslims about the story of Adam then? Pause the video and have a think you could talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, I've highlighted here that the story shows that the angels were instructed to bow down to Adam and then Adam was placed in a Garden and given this instruction not to approach a certain tree.

The angels were commanded to bow down to Adam, and Satan refused.

And Adam is told not to approach a certain tree in the Garden.

So the story continues, the story of the first wrongdoing and forgiveness is also in the Qur'an just after that part we just read.

So we're still in Surah 2, "But Satan caused them to slip from it, and caused them to depart the state they were in.

We said, 'Go down, some of your enemies one another.

And you will have resident on earth, and enjoyment for a while.

' Then Adam received words from his Lord, so He relented towards him.

He's the Relenting, the Merciful." So in this passage here we have the idea that Satan is the one who's caused Adam and his spouse to do the wrongdoing of approaching the tree they were not supposed to.

And then after this, Adam and his spouse are sent down to earth to live where they're going to maybe have some fights of being enemies with one another, but also they're going to have an enjoyment and pleasures of life on earth.

And then Adam receives some words from his Lord.

So here he is becoming a prophet and then God relents towards him too.

So he's being forgiven for what he has done.

So what does this text tell Muslims about the story of Adam then? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well here we've got the idea of Satan being the one that's causing Adam to slip from where he was.

And then secondly, the idea that Adam and his spouse are sent down to live on earth but they are forgiven because overall Allah is merciful and relenting.

Satan causes Adam and his spouse to do wrong and they're sent to live on earth, but Allah is merciful and forgives them.

So what are some beliefs in Islam about the Prophet Adam then? He's the first man and prophet from who all humans descent from.

He has the role of khalifah or successor.

So that idea of being entrusted with the earth and knowing about it and knowing the names of all things.

The angels were expected to serve and bow down to him.

And we know that in Islam the angels have lots of roles connected to and to do with humans.

He does wrong, but he's forgiven by Allah.

And at the beginning of the lesson we said that prophets in Islam are not believed to have done major sins and but with this he has done a kind of minor or non-intentional sin, but he is forgiven by Allah.

He's sent to live on earth to experience and enjoy life for a while.

So it's not necessarily a punishment to go and live on earth or that things have to be hard.

The idea is that he will be enjoying life on earth and perhaps there's things on earth, there's pleasures on earth that he can be enjoying.

And some Muslims believe that he worshipped Allah at the site of the Ka'aba, which is in Mecca, which is in Saudi Arabia and it's a very important site for Muslims today.

So now let's hear from some Muslims about the role and importance of Adam then.

So Jacob asks, "If all humans came from Adam and his spouse, does that mean that we are all born with the sin of what they did, Sarah?" And Sarah says, "Islam doesn't have a belief in sin or guilt being carried from one person to another.

Each person is responsible for their own actions when they stand before Allah.

Most Muslims don't believe that Adam and his spouse were sent to live on earth as a punishment either, they believe it was to enable them to experience life in all its fullness and then they could understand Allah's power even more." So what other important Muslim beliefs could this story of Adam link to then? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

So we could link beliefs to do with Adam to lots of other Muslim beliefs too, particularly to do with angels, creation, the nature of God as well as more broadly the idea of prophecy.

So time for another check.

Is this true or false? In the Qur'an, Adam and his spouse are equally responsible for the wrongdoing of approaching the tree.

Is that true or false in the Qur'an? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

That is true.

But why? Well the Qur'an doesn't place blame on Adam's spouse for the wrongdoing, but they are equally to blame.

Satan is said to be the direct cause of the wrongdoing because he tricked them into approaching the tree.

And if you remember, in Islam the prophets, they're not God, but they're not believed to have committed any major sins.

And so Adam here has kind of indirectly sinned and approached the tree because he was tricked by Satan.

So the story of Adam can influence Muslims in many ways and here are some of them.

Daily prayers, so many Muslims will be praying each day for strength against temptation.

So if Satan is there tempting people to do wrong, just like with Adam tempting Adam and his spouse to approach the tree when they knew they shouldn't, then Muslims too believe now that they might be tempted to do the wrong decision and they want to be strong against that.

And so praying every day might help them with that.

They might be wanting to care for the planet because as Allah's present day khalifah on earth, if Adam was placed as a successor and with a successors to Adam, then we have that role as khalifahs to care for the earth.

So Muslims may want to do things like here we've got an image of people putting solar panels on, a bit like the 'eco' mosque generating energy from the sun in a sustainable way as a way to care for the planet as Allah's present day khalifahs.

Also, Muslims may choose to take a pilgrimage.

So we said earlier that many Muslims believe that this is the site where Adam first worshipped Allah at the Ka'aba in Mecca and so many Muslims may choose to visit that site because it's been so important for worship and we'll see also it's connected to other prophets too.

And finally, Muslims may want to help other people because we are all humans.

So creations of God as one human race all trace back to that line of Adam and his spouse.

So if we're one race, we can perhaps help one another and that could be a way that this influences a Muslim today.

So Fatemeh, Iqbal and Ahmed are Muslims too and they're going to discuss how the beliefs about Prophet Adam that they have can influence their thoughts, beliefs, and actions.

'Cause an influence can be more than just an action.

It can also be something that's influencing the way somebody thinks and something that's influencing what somebody believes.

So Fatemeh says, "My beliefs about Prophet Adam mean that I think that all of humanity is one race descended from him and his spouse." Iqbal says, "My beliefs about Prophet Adam mean that I believe that Satan is tempting us all the time and I should take care." And Ahmed says, "My beliefs about Prophet Adam mean I try to act in a way to protect rather than harm Allah's creation, the Earth." So let's do another check then.

Iqbal, Fatemeh, Ahmed has shown us that there's often more than one way that beliefs can influence believers.

So it's really about the way that these beliefs can impact and change the life or the thoughts of that person who holds those beliefs.

So let's give one way that a belief about Prophet Adam might influence a Muslim together then.

What I've put here, it could mean that they want to care for the environment as those khalifahs on earth today.

The successes here protecting and entrusted with the world.

So over to you then.

Give one way that a belief about Prophet Adam might influence a Muslim.

Remembering it can be a thought, belief or an action.

Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

I've got here praying for strength against the temptations of Satan.

Other possible answers could have been helping others because we're all one race or visiting the place humans worshipped Allah from that very beginning time.

Well done.

So let's do another practise task to see what we've learned then.

You're going to explain two ways that a belief in Prophet Adam influences Muslims today.

And the guidance I have here is you're going to give a point and develop it twice.

Remember, you don't need to mention a source of authority in this.

What matters is you're explaining the influence.

So what you can do is give a point, which is give one way a belief in Prophet Adam influences Muslims and then develop it.

Explain how and why this can impact their life.

And then give a second point another way that a belief in Adam influences Muslims. And finally, explain how and why this could impact their life.

So pause the video and off you go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

I asked you to explain two ways a belief in Prophet Adam influences Muslims today.

And your answers might include: a belief in Prophet Adam influences Muslims because they believe all of humanity has come from Adam and his spouse.

This means they'll want to serve and help other people as we're all part of one human race.

They might do this by helping people who are refugees and have fled warfare.

So here I've got this means that as my explanation of my point.

Secondly, a belief in Prophet Adam may also influence Muslims due to the belief that Adam was given a role as successor or khalifah of Allah.

This means they'll want to care for the earth as well as Allah's creation.

They may be more environmentally friendly and use renewable energy as a way of being a khalifah.

So again here I've got that phrase.

This means that showing that I'm explaining the point that I've made.

So well done for your hard work there.

So let's summarise everything we've learned today about the role and importance of Adam.

Muslims believe Allah communicates with humans through revelations to prophets who are messengers.

A belief in prophethood is known as risalah in the Sunni six articles of Faith and nubuwwah in the Shi'a five roots of Usul ad-Din.

Adam was the first prophet and first man created by Allah and was given the role of khalifah to care for creation.

The angels were commanded to bow down to him, but Satan refused.

The Qur'an states that Adam and his spouse broke Allah's command by approaching the forbidden tree, but Allah was merciful.

The story of Adam may encouraged Muslims to care for the planet as khalifahs and care for other humans as part of the same race that has descended from Adam.