moment when your Lord said to the angels…”^[1]

This shows us the grandeur and majesty of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Even though he came into this world after all the other Prophets عَـلَـيْـهِمُ الـصَّلٰوةُ وَالـسَّـلَام, his blessed creation had already taken place even before Sayyidunā Ādam    عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم. When Allah Almighty was announcing the khilāfah of Prophet Ādam عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم, then even before Prophet Ādam عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام was created, the sacred light of Allah’s belovedصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  had already come into existence, and he was witnessing the entire event.

Allah Almighty addressed the angels. What did He say?

اِنِّیْ جَاعِلٌ فِی الْاَرْضِ خَلِیْفَةًؕ-

“I am about to make a vicegerent (khalīfa) upon the earth.”

Here, two important points are to be understood:

(1) Why was the creation of Prophet Ādamعَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم  and his appointment as a Khalīfah on Earth announced beforehand to the angels? What wisdom lay in this? The explanation of this, we will hear shortly اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه.

(2) The second point is that, generally, among us, people assume and even say that Prophet Ādam عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم was expelled from Paradise. This is a grave misunderstanding. Allah Almighty clearly declared to the angels, “I am placing a Khalīfah on the Earth.”

From this, we learn that Prophet Ādamعَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم  was created specifically for Khilāfah on Earth. His stay in Paradise was temporary and based on divine wisdom. Once that wisdom was implemented, Prophet Ādamعَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم  was sent down to his original station of Khilāfah, upon the Earth. To say he was expelled from Paradise or cast out is incorrect.

Always remember that Prophet Ādamعَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم  is a Prophet of Allah Almighty and the respected father of all mankind. Unfortunately, people often say inappropriate things regarding him. For example, they say, “Why did he eat