Tarikh (al-Tabari) 46
The story of the creation of Adam (peace be upon him)
الْأَسْمَاءُ الَّتِي عَلَّمَهَا اللَّهُ آدَمَ وَاخْتَلَفَتِ الْعُلَمَاءُ فِي الْأَسْمَاءِ، فَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: عَلَّمَهُ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا الَّتِي تَتَعَارَفُ بِهَا النَّاسُ: إِنْسَانٌ، وَدَابَّةٌ، وَأَرْضٌ، وَسَهْلٌ، وَجَبَلٌ، وَفَرَسٌ، وَحِمَارٌ، وَأَشْبَاهُ ذَلِكَ، حَتَّى الْفَسْوَةُ، وَالْفُسَيَّةُ. وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ وَسَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ مِثْلَهُ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ: عُلِّمَ أَسْمَاءَ ذُرِّيَّتِهِ. وَقَالَ الرَّبِيعُ: عُلِّمَ أَسْمَاءَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ خَاصَّةً. فَلَمَّا عُلِّمَهَا عَرَضَ اللَّهُ أَهْلَ الْأَسْمَاءِ عَلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَقَالَ: أَنْبِئُونِي بِأَسْمَاءِ هَؤُلَاءِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ إِنِّي إِنْ جَعَلْتُ الْخَلِيفَةَ مِنْكُمْ أَطَعْتُمُونِي، وَقَدَّسْتُمُونِي، وَلَمْ تَعْصُونِي، وَإِنْ جَعَلْتُهُ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ أَفْسَدَ فِيهَا، وَسَفَكَ الدِّمَاءَ، فَإِنَّكُمْ إِنْ لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَسْمَاءَ هَؤُلَاءِ وَأَنْتُمْ تُشَاهِدُونَهُمْ فَبِأَنْ لَا تَعْلَمُوا مَا يَكُونُ مِنْكُمْ وَمِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ وَهُوَ مُغَيَّبٌ عَنْكُمْ أَوْلَى وَأَحْرَى. وَهَذَا قَوْلُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، وَرِوَايَةُ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ. وَرُوِيَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، وَقَتَادَةَ أَنَّهُمَا قَالَا: لَمَّا عَلَّمَ اللَّهُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ بِخَلْقِ آدَمَ، وَاسْتِخْلَافِهِ وَ قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَنْ يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ وَ قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ قَالُوا فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ: لِيَخْلُقْ رَبُّنَا مَا يَشَاءُ فَلَنْ يَخْلُقَ خَلْقًا إِلَّا كُنَّا أَكْرَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُ، وَأَعْلَمَ مِنْهُ. فَلَمَّا خَلَقَهُ وَأَمَرَهُمْ بِالسُّجُودِ لَهُ عَلِمُوا أَنَّهُ خَيْرٌ مِنْهُمْ، وَأَكْرَمُ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ، فَقَالُوا: إِنْ يَكُ خَيْرًا مِنَّا وَأَكْرَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنَّا فَنَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُ. فَلَمَّا أُعْجِبُوا بِعِلْمِهِمُ ابْتُلُوا بِأَنْ عَلَّمَهُ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا، ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَقَالَ: أَنْبِئُونِي بِأَسْمَاءِ هَؤُلَاءِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ إِنِّي لَا أَخْلُقُ أَكْرَمَ مِنْكُمْ وَلَا أَعْلَمَ مِنْكُمْ فَفَزِعُوا إِلَى التَّوْبَةِ، وَإِلَيْهَا يَفْزَعُ كُلُّ مُؤْمِنٍ قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ. قَالَا: وَعَلَّمَهُ اسْمَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ: الْخَيْلُ، وَالْبِغَالُ، وَالْإِبِلُ، وَالْجِنُّ، وَالْوَحْشُ، وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ.
Translation
✧ The names that Allah taught Adam. The scholars differed concerning the names. Al-Ḍaḥḥāk said, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: He taught him all the names by which people know one another: human being, beast, earth, plain, mountain, horse, donkey, and the like of that, even the breaking of wind and the little breaking of wind. Mujāhid and Saʿīd b. Jubayr said the like of it. Ibn Zayd said: He was taught the names of his offspring. Al-Rabīʿ said: He was taught the names of the angels specifically. When He taught them to him, Allah presented the bearers of those names to the angels and said: “Tell Me the names of these, if you are truthful” – meaning, if I make the vicegerent from among you, you will obey Me, sanctify Me, and not disobey Me; but if I make him from other than you, he will cause corruption therein and shed blood. For if you do not know the names of these while you are observing them, then that you should not know what will come from you and from others, while it is hidden from you, is more fitting and more appropriate. This is the saying of Ibn Masʿūd and the narration of Abū Ṣāliḥ, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās. It is related from al-Ḥasan and Qatādah that they both said: When Allah informed the angels of the creation of Adam and his appointment as vicegerent, they said: “Will You place therein one who will cause corruption therein and shed blood?” and He said: “Indeed, I know what you do not know.” They said among themselves: Let our Lord create whatever He wills, for He will never create a creature but that we are more honored before Allah than it and more knowledgeable than it. When He created him and commanded them to prostrate to him, they knew that he was better than them and more honored before Allah than them, so they said: If he is better than us and more honored before Allah than us, then we are more knowledgeable than him. When they were impressed with their own knowledge, they were tested by His teaching him all the names, then He presented them before the angels and said: “Tell Me the names of these, if you are truthful” – meaning, I do not create anyone more honored than you or more knowledgeable than you. So they hastened to repentance, and to it every believer hastens. They said: “Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, You are the Knowing, the Wise.” The two of them said: And He taught him the name of every thing among these: the horses, the mules, the camels, the jinn, the wild beasts, and every thing.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.