The First Light: The Story of Creation
Allah's mercy in creation; the purpose of humanity
Before the mountains rose from the earth, before the rivers carved their paths through valleys, before a single leaf unfurled on a single tree, there was Allah. He had always been, and He would always be. And in His infinite wisdom, He decided to create something extraordinary.
"I am going to place a khalifah on the earth," Allah announced to the angels.
The angels, beings of pure light who had worshipped Allah since the beginning, were puzzled. "Will You place on it someone who will cause corruption and shed blood," they asked, "while we glorify You with praises and declare Your perfection?"
Allah smiled at their question, the way a wise teacher smiles when a student asks something that will soon answer itself. "I know what you do not know," He replied.
And so the creation began.
Allah gathered clay from every corner of the earth, red clay and white clay, black soil and golden sand. He mixed it with water and shaped it carefully, the way a master artist shapes his finest work. This was no ordinary creation. This was Adam, peace be upon him, the father of all humanity.
When the form was complete, Allah breathed His spirit into it. Imagine the very first breath, the very first flutter of eyelids, the very first heartbeat in the entire history of humankind. Adam opened his eyes and saw a world of wonder, colors he had no names for, sounds he had never heard, and a sky stretching endlessly above him.
But Allah had not finished His lesson for the angels.
He taught Adam the names of all things, every creature, every plant, every star, every concept that existed or would ever exist. Then Allah turned to the angels and asked, "Tell Me the names of these, if you are truthful."
The angels lowered their heads humbly. "Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."
"O Adam," Allah said, "tell them their names."
And Adam did. He named each thing with confidence, his voice ringing clear through the heavens. The angels understood then. This was why Allah had chosen Adam. Not because he was made of light like them, but because Allah had given him something special: knowledge, the ability to learn and to teach, and the freedom to choose.
Then came the command that would change everything.
"Bow down to Adam," Allah ordered the angels.
Every angel prostrated immediately, their forms bending in perfect obedience to their Creator. Every angel, except one.
Iblis, who had been among the worshippers for thousands of years, refused. His chest swelled with pride, and his eyes burned with anger.
"I am better than him," Iblis declared. "You created me from fire, and You created him from clay."
This was the first sin; not a sin of the body, but a sin of the heart. Arrogance. The belief that you are better than someone else because of what you are made of, rather than what you choose to do. Allah cast Iblis away, but Iblis made a terrible promise: he would spend the rest of time trying to lead Adam's children astray.
"I will come at them from the front and from behind," Iblis vowed, "from their right and from their left. You will find most of them ungrateful."
Allah placed Adam in a beautiful garden, Jannah, where everything he could ever want was within reach. Fruits of every color hung from branches that swayed gently in a warm breeze. Rivers of pure water, milk, and honey flowed between the trees. And there, Allah created Hawwa, Adam's companion, so that he would not be alone.
"O Adam," Allah said, "live with your wife in the Garden and eat freely from wherever you wish. But do not approach this tree, or you will be among the wrongdoers."
Adam and Hawwa lived in perfect happiness. They walked through meadows of flowers that glowed like jewels. They drank from streams that tasted sweeter than anything you can imagine. They had everything.
But Iblis had not forgotten his promise.
He came to them whispering, his voice smooth as silk. "Shall I show you the Tree of Eternity and a kingdom that never decays?" he asked. "Allah only forbade you from this tree because if you eat from it, you would become angels, or you would live forever."
He swore to them, "I am truly your sincere advisor."
Adam and Hawwa, who had never heard a lie before, who did not know that someone could look them in the eye and speak falsehood, believed him. They reached for the fruit and ate.
In that instant, everything changed. They felt exposed and ashamed. They scrambled to cover themselves with leaves from the Garden, their hearts heavy with the realization of what they had done.
"Did I not forbid you from that tree?" Allah's voice came, gentle but firm. "Did I not tell you that Shaytan is your clear enemy?"
Adam did not make excuses. He did not blame Hawwa. He did not say, "Iblis tricked me." Instead, with tears flowing down his face, he spoke the most beautiful words of repentance ever uttered:
"Rabbana zalamna anfusana wa in lam taghfir lana wa tarhamna lanakoonanna minal khasireen."
"Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers."
And here, dear listener, is where the story becomes most beautiful. Because Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, forgave them. He had always planned to forgive them. The Quran tells us, "Then Adam received words from his Lord, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, He is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful."
Adam and Hawwa were sent to live on Earth, but not as a punishment. They were sent with a purpose. Allah told them, "Go down from here, all of you. And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance, there will be no fear upon them, nor will they grieve."
This was Allah's promise, and it would echo through all of history. He would never leave humanity without guidance. He would send prophets, one after another, each one carrying the light of truth to their people. From Adam to Nuh, from Ibrahim to Musa, from Isa to Muhammad, peace be upon them all, the chain of guidance would never break.
And in the Shia tradition, we learn that this chain of divine guidance, this pattern of Allah appointing a khalifah to lead and teach, did not end with the last Prophet. Just as Allah told the angels, "I am placing a khalifah on earth," He continued this trust through the Ahlul Bayt, the family of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family. Imam Ali, in his famous collection of wisdom called Nahj al-Balagha, taught: "Allah did not create you without purpose, nor did He leave you without guidance."
When you look up at the stars tonight, remember that the same Allah who created Adam from clay, who taught him the names of all things, who forgave him when he made a mistake, that same Allah created you too. He gave you a mind to think, a heart to feel, and the freedom to choose.
And just like Adam, when you make a mistake, the door of repentance is always open. All you have to do is turn back to Him.
Key Verse
Rabbana zalamna anfusana wa in lam taghfir lana wa tarhamna lanakoonanna minal khasireen "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers." -- Al-A'raf (7:23)
Reflection Questions
- Why do you think Allah chose to create humans with the ability to make mistakes, instead of making us perfect like the angels?
- What was the real sin of Iblis: was it just refusing to bow, or was it something deeper in his heart?
- When you make a mistake, what is the first thing you should do? How does Adam's example teach us about asking for forgiveness?