๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง โ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ก ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฌ/๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐โ ๐๐๐๐ง?
Mohamad Mostafa Nassar
Twitter:@NassarMohamadMR
The hadith โAllah created Adam in His/his image (`ala suratihi)โ was narrated from Abu Hurayrah by both Bukhari and Muslim. To understand this narration, one must first recall a fundamental aspect of Islamic belief, namely the transcendence of Allah Most High and His complete dissimilitude from created things.
This is decisively conveyed within the Qurโan itself when it states, โThere is nothing whatsoever like Him,โ (42: 11) and by the foremost theological texts of our tradition. Therefore, the scholars looked at the Qurโanic verses and prophetic traditions that outwardly indicated similitude between Allah and created things in the backdrop of this principle.
๐๐ง ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฌ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฌ:
1. Confining the meaning to Allah Most High, 2. Interpreting the outwardly problematic part of the text in a suitable and methodologically sound manner.
Among the interpretations that the scholars gave for this narrative were:
1. That the word โimageโ here refers to โattributesโ, such as hearing, seeing, knowledge, and so forth. Thus, Adam (Allah bless him) was created possessing attributes that Allah has also described Himself with, although the attributes of the former, as is evident, are contingent and relative while the attributes of Allah are eternal and absolute.
2. That the word โimageโ is understood based on another variant of this narration, narrated by Imam Muslim, whereby the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, โWhen one of you attacks [or โstrikesโ as per another narration] his brother then avoids his face for Allah created Adam in his image.โ
The attached particle โhisโ is interpreted as referring back to โbrotherโ and not to โAllahโ.
3. That what is meant by Adam (Allah bless him) being created in โhis imageโ is a direct creation that did not take place through the passage of embryological stages. Further, it indicates that Adam (Allah bless him) was characterized by the same โimageโ or form on earth as he was in paradise, without any change until his death. [Bajuri, Tuhfat al-Murid; Bayhaqi, Kitab al-Asmaโ waโl Sifat]
And Allah alone knows best.