Chapter Four: The Marriage of Adam and Eve and the Beginning of Mankind
The Marriage of Adam and Eve
After Adam was created, Allah created Eve and made her his companion.
Adam and Eve lived together in Paradise before their descent to earth. Their story represents the beginning of human family life and the beginning of mankind’s journey through the generations.
Their life together was the foundation from which the human family would eventually spread across the earth.
The Beginning of Human Offspring
After Adam and Eve descended to earth, their descendants began to multiply.
Adam became the father of humanity, and generations followed him. His children and descendants spread throughout the earth, beginning the long history of mankind.
The narrations concerning Adam’s life also preserve several traditions about his children, their lives, and the events that occurred among them.
The Story of Cain and Abel
Among the most important events in the early history of Adam’s descendants is the story of his two sons, Cain and Abel.
The story represents the first great conflict among human beings and demonstrates how jealousy and disobedience can lead a person toward terrible consequences.
Both brothers offered an offering to Allah. The offering of one was accepted, while the offering of the other was not.
Instead of accepting Allah’s judgment, jealousy entered Cain’s heart.
The First Murder
Cain’s jealousy eventually led him to threaten his brother Abel.
Abel responded with words emphasizing that Allah accepts only from those who are mindful of Him. He refused to respond to violence with violence and warned his brother about the consequences of wrongdoing.
But Cain allowed jealousy and anger to overcome him.
He eventually killed his brother, becoming responsible for the first murder among the children of Adam.
This tragic event marked one of the earliest and darkest moments in human history.
The Consequences of Cain’s Action
After killing his brother, Cain was faced with the problem of what to do with Abel’s body.
Allah sent a crow that scratched the ground, showing Cain how he could conceal and bury his brother’s body.
Cain then realized the enormity of what he had done and expressed his regret.
The event became a lasting lesson for humanity concerning jealousy, anger, murder, and the consequences of turning away from divine guidance.
Adam’s Life After the Beginning of Humanity
Adam continued his life on earth after his descent from Paradise.
He was the first human being and the first prophet, and his life became the beginning of humanity’s journey of faith and guidance.
Through Adam and his descendants, the earth became populated, and the chain of prophets continued throughout human history.
Adam’s Final Days
As Adam approached the end of his life, the narrations describe his attachment to something that reminded him of Paradise.
Allah had sent down a palm tree to Adam, and Adam found comfort and companionship in it during his life.
When his death approached, Adam instructed his children concerning the palm tree. He told them that he had found comfort in it during his life and hoped to find comfort through it after his death.
He instructed them that after his death they should take a palm branch, split it into two halves, and place the two pieces with him in his shroud.
His children followed his instruction, and the narration states that later prophets followed this practice as well. The practice eventually disappeared during the period of ignorance and was later revived by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
The Death of Adam
The narrations differ concerning the exact length of Adam’s life.
One narration attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) states that Adam, the father of humanity, lived for 930 years.
Another opinion gives his lifespan as 1,000 years.
These differing reports are preserved in the narrations, and they reflect the variety of transmitted accounts concerning the details of Adam’s life.
Noah and the Coffin of Adam
Another narration from Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) describes an event involving Prophet Noah.
While Noah was aboard the Ark, Allah instructed him to circle the Sacred House. Noah did so, and afterward he descended into the water and recovered a coffin containing the bones of Adam.
Noah carried the coffin inside the Ark.
After the journey, Noah arrived at the area of Kufa, where those who had been with him on the Ark dispersed. The coffin containing Adam’s remains was then taken and buried in al-Ghari.
The narration connects the final resting place of Adam with the sacred land of al-Ghari.
The Death of Eve
According to a narration cited from the writings attributed to Prophet Idris, Adam became ill with fever for ten days and died on a Friday, eleven days into Muharram.
The narration states that he was buried in a cave on Mount Abu Qubays, facing the Kaaba, and that his life from the time the spirit was breathed into him until his death lasted 1,030 years.
Eve survived Adam by only one year.
She then became ill for fifteen days, after which she died and was buried beside Adam.
The Legacy of Adam and Eve
The story of Adam and Eve is the beginning of the story of humanity.
From them came the generations of mankind, while their experiences became lessons concerning obedience, repentance, family, jealousy, responsibility, and the consequences of human choices.
Their story also marks the beginning of the prophetic journey that would continue through generations until the coming of the prophets and messengers who guided humanity toward Allah.
This concludes the account of Adam and Eve, peace and blessings be upon them.