The short answer
The Quran tells the story of Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, in several passages: his creation, the command to prostrate, the tree, the descent and his repentance. The passages are Al-Baqarah 2:30 to 38, Al-A'raf 7:11 to 25 and Taha 20:115 to 123. The verses give no burial place, height or age, so this page gives none.
Who was Prophet Adam in the Quran?
The Quran names Adam in the passages below. In them Allah speaks to him directly, teaches him the names, and tells him to dwell in the Garden with his wife. The passages do not say where the Garden is, and this page does not say either.
The order in these passages is not a dated timeline. This is our reading map:
| Account | Where to read it |
|---|---|
| The creation and the angels | Al-Baqarah 2:30 to 34; Al-Hijr 15:28 to 29 |
| The tree and the whisper | Al-A'raf 7:19 to 22; Taha 20:117 to 121 |
| The descent and guidance | Al-Baqarah 2:36 to 38; Al-A'raf 7:24 to 25; Taha 20:123 |
| Repentance | Al-Baqarah 2:37; Al-A'raf 7:23; Taha 20:115 (the forgetting) and 20:122 |
| Iblis's refusal | Al-Baqarah 2:34; Al-A'raf 7:11 to 18; Al-Kahf 18:50 |
How does the Quran describe Adam's creation?
In Al-Baqarah 2:30 Allah tells the angels, "I am about to place a viceroy in the earth". They ask, "Will you place therein one who will do harm therein and will shed blood", and Allah answers, "Surely I know that which you do not know" (2:30). Verse 31 says, "And He taught Adam all the names".
Al-Hijr 15:28 has Allah say, "I am creating a mortal out of potter's clay of black mud altered". The next verse says that after He has made him, He has "breathed into him of My Spirit" (15:29). The verse does not name him. This page reads it with Adam's account because the command to prostrate follows it.
A hadith adds a point about the material. In Sahih Muslim 2996, 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, reports that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said the angels were created from light, and that Adam was created from what has been described to you. The English on sunnah.com adds two bracketed glosses, "in the Quran" and "fashioned out of clay". That gloss is the translator's, so this page does not treat it as the hadith's words.
1AuthenticSahih Muslim 2996
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى جَاعِلٌ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً ۖ قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ وَعَلَّمَ ءَادَمَ ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنۢبِـُٔونِى بِأَسْمَآءِ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَآ إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ قَالَ يَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ أَنۢبِئْهُم بِأَسْمَآئِهِمْ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَنۢبَأَهُم بِأَسْمَآئِهِمْ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
What did the angels say, and what did Adam tell them?
The angels reply that they have no knowledge beyond what Allah taught them: "We have no knowledge saving that which You have taught us" (2:32). Allah tells Adam to inform them of the names. When he has done so, Allah asks whether He did not say that He knows the secret of the heavens and the earth, and "I know that which you disclose and which you hide" (2:33).
A hadith gives the greeting between Adam and the angels.
2AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 6227
Sahih al-Bukhari 6227 has the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, report that Allah told the newly created Adam to greet a group of angels sitting there and listen to their reply. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, transmits it. The angels' reply adds words to the greeting, and the narration says this is the greeting of Adam and his descendants. The Quran's passages above do not describe this greeting.Why did Iblis refuse to prostrate?
Al-Baqarah 2:34 says the angels were told to prostrate before Adam, and that they fell prostrate, "all except Iblis". The verse gives the reason in one phrase: "He demurred through pride".
In Al-A'raf 7:12 Allah asks what stopped him, and Iblis answers in his own words: "I am better than him". He adds, "You created me of fire while him You did create of mud". Allah tells him to go down, and says, "you are of those degraded" (7:13).
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ ثُمَّ صَوَّرْنَـٰكُمْ ثُمَّ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ لَمْ يَكُن مِّنَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدِينَ قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُۥ مِن طِينٍ
Al-Kahf 18:50 says of him, "He was of the jinn". That is one reason readers ask about his origin, and the questions below take it up.
What was the tree, and what does the Quran say about it?
The verses say "come not near this tree" (7:19) and do not name it. Satan whispers to them, to show them "that which was hidden from them of their shame" (7:20). In the same verse Satan says that their Lord forbade them the tree only "lest you should become angels or become of the immortals" (7:20). Those are Satan's words, not a reason Allah gives. Satan swears, "I am a sincere adviser to you" (7:21).
وَيَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ ٱسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَكُلَا مِنْ حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَـٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لِيُبْدِىَ لَهُمَا مَا وُۥرِىَ عَنْهُمَا مِن سَوْءَٰتِهِمَا وَقَالَ مَا نَهَىٰكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا عَنْ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ أَوْ تَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰلِدِينَ وَقَاسَمَهُمَآ إِنِّى لَكُمَا لَمِنَ ٱلنَّـٰصِحِينَ فَدَلَّىٰهُمَا بِغُرُورٍ ۚ فَلَمَّا ذَاقَا ٱلشَّجَرَةَ بَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْءَٰتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَقِ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ۖ وَنَادَىٰهُمَا رَبُّهُمَآ أَلَمْ أَنْهَكُمَا عَن تِلْكُمَا ٱلشَّجَرَةِ وَأَقُل لَّكُمَآ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ لَكُمَا عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
After they tasted the tree, the verse says they began to cover themselves with "some of the leaves of the Garden" (7:22). Taha 20:121 uses the same words. The verses name leaves for their covering and nothing else.
Retellings that name a plant or fruit are not among this page's records. The verses name none, and this page names none.
How did the descent happen?
The verse says "Satan caused them to deflect therefrom", and expelled them from the state they had been in (2:36).
فَأَزَلَّهُمَا ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ عَنْهَا فَأَخْرَجَهُمَا مِمَّا كَانَا فِيهِ ۖ وَقُلْنَا ٱهْبِطُوا۟ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ ۖ وَلَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمَتَـٰعٌ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ فَتَلَقَّىٰٓ ءَادَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ كَلِمَـٰتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ قُلْنَا ٱهْبِطُوا۟ مِنْهَا جَمِيعًا ۖ فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُم مِّنِّى هُدًى فَمَن تَبِعَ هُدَاىَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Allah says, "Fall down, one of you a foe to the other", and that there is "a habitation and provision for a time" (2:36). Al-A'raf 7:24 repeats the command with "Go down", and 7:25 adds, "There shall you live, and there shall you die, and from there shall you be brought forth". The verses name no place. This page names none either.
Al-Baqarah 2:38 turns to guidance: "whoever follows My guidance, there shall no fear come upon them".
A hadith gives the day. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, called Friday the best day on which the sun has risen, and said that Adam was created on it, made to enter Paradise on it, and sent out of it on it.
3AuthenticSahih Muslim 854
The hadith sets no act of worship and no reward for the day, and the passages above give no day at all.How did Adam repent, and what does the Quran say he did?
Taha 20:115 says that Allah made a covenant with Adam of old. Adam forgot it, and the verse says, "We found no constancy in him". Taha 20:121 says, "Adam disobeyed his Lord, so went astray". Taha 20:122 says, "Then his Lord chose him, and relented toward him, and guided him".
Al-Baqarah 2:37 says, "Adam received from his Lord words", and "He relented toward him". The verse does not give the words.
فَأَكَلَا مِنْهَا فَبَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْءَٰتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَقِ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ۚ وَعَصَىٰٓ ءَادَمُ رَبَّهُۥ فَغَوَىٰ ثُمَّ ٱجْتَبَـٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ وَهَدَىٰ قَالَ ٱهْبِطَا مِنْهَا جَمِيعًۢا ۖ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ ۖ فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُم مِّنِّى هُدًى فَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ هُدَاىَ فَلَا يَضِلُّ وَلَا يَشْقَىٰ
Al-A'raf 7:23 has a prayer in the verse: "We have wronged ourselves", and "surely we are of the lost". The verse does not name the speaker. The account before it concerns Adam and his wife, and 7:19 to 22 is quoted above.
Later retellings give words of their own for the repentance. This page does not quote them, because we have not checked those reports against a record.
The verses do not say how to read "disobeyed" and "went astray", or whether they describe the same kind of act as an ordinary sin. This page does not settle that. For your own reading of these words, ask a scholar you trust.
Taha 20:120 has Satan offer "the tree of immortality and power that wastes not away". That is the offer, not a description of what they received. Taha 20:123 gives guidance at the close of the account: whoever follows My guidance "he will not go astray nor come to grief".
Which details come from the Quran, which from hadith, and which from later retellings?
| Detail | Where it comes from | On this page |
|---|---|---|
| Adam taught the names, and the angels' reply | Quran, Al-Baqarah 2:31 to 32 | Quoted from the Quran |
| A mortal made of potter's clay (15:28 does not name him; read here with Adam's account) | Quran, Al-Hijr 15:28 | Quoted from the Quran |
| Adam created from what has been described to you | Hadith: Sahih Muslim 2996 (graded sahih) | Used. The bracketed gloss on sunnah.com is not used |
| The greeting Adam and the angels exchange | Hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 6227 (graded sahih) | Used for the greeting only |
| Created, made to enter Paradise and sent out on a Friday | Hadith: Sahih Muslim 854 (graded sahih) | Used, and labelled as a hadith |
| The name of the tree | Not named in the passages on this page. Retellings naming a plant or fruit are not among this page's records | Not named |
| The words of repentance | Quran, Al-Baqarah 2:37 says there were words, not what they were | Not quoted |
| Height, grave, footprint | Not in the passages on this page | Not given |
This page shows no picture of Adam, and no image of any prophet, companion or angel. It uses the Quran's own wording and the text of the records only.
What do the passages point to?
These are reading prompts drawn from the verses. They are not rulings.
| Theme to notice | What supports it |
|---|---|
| Knowledge comes from Allah | The angels say they know only what they were taught (2:32), and Allah refers to what is hidden (2:33). |
| Pride as the reason for the refusal | "He demurred through pride" (2:34), and his stated reason in 7:12, "I am better than him". |
| Admitting wrong | "We have wronged ourselves" (7:23), and "Adam disobeyed his Lord, so went astray" (20:121). |
| Guidance after the descent | "whoever follows My guidance, there shall no fear come upon them" (2:38), and "he will not go astray nor come to grief" (20:123). |
In a mosque class I asked the teacher why Adam ate from the tree when he had been told not to. He did not give me a neat answer. He opened the Quran, showed me the verses where Adam and his wife ask for forgiveness, and told me to start there.
Try it: three quick questions
Pick an answer; each one explains itself.
1Which verse gives Iblis's reason in his own words?
Answer: Al-A'raf 7:12. Al-A'raf 7:12 has him say he is better than Adam. Al-Baqarah 2:34 says only that he refused out of pride.
2Do the verses on this page name the tree that Adam and his wife were told not to approach?
Answer: No, the verses say "this tree". Al-Baqarah 2:35 and Al-A'raf 7:19 say "this tree". Taha 20:120 has Satan call it "the tree of immortality", which is his wording, and names no fruit or plant.
3Which hadith on this page says Adam was created on a Friday?
Answer: Sahih Muslim 854. Sahih Muslim 854 says it, and it is a hadith, not a verse. Sahih al-Bukhari 6227 is the greeting, and Sahih Muslim 2996 is about the material of creation.
Questions people ask
Was Iblis an angel?
Al-Kahf 18:50 says of him, "He was of the jinn." Al-Baqarah 2:34 says that the angels fell prostrate, "all except Iblis". In Al-A'raf 7:12 he says, "You created me of fire while him You did create of mud". That is his own claim, and the passages say nothing more about his origin.
Where is Prophet Adam buried?
The verses on this page give no burial place. Reports that name one are not among the records this page uses, and we have not checked them, so this page names none.
How tall was Prophet Adam?
The verses on this page give no height, and this page does not describe his appearance. Sahih al-Bukhari 6227 mentions a height, but this page uses that narration only for the greeting, so it gives none.
Did Prophet Adam leave a footprint?
No passage on this page mentions a footprint, and none of the records it uses does. This page does not treat any such claim as sourced.
Where did Prophet Adam land on earth?
Al-Baqarah 2:36 says there will be a habitation on earth for a time, and Al-A'raf 7:25 says, to those it addresses, that they will live and die there. No place is named, so this page names none.
Is Adam's wife named in the Quran?
The passages on this page call her "your wife" (Al-Baqarah 2:35, Al-A'raf 7:19 and Taha 20:117). None of them gives her a name.
When was Prophet Adam born?
The passages give no date or age. Sahih Muslim 854 says he was created on a Friday, and gives no year.
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
'A'isha reported that the Prophet said: the angels were created from light, the jann from marij of fire (min marijin min nar, the phrase of Ar-Rahman 55:15), and Adam from what was described to you.
Sahih Muslim 2996 Book 55, Hadith 78
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 2
Allah told the newly created Adam to greet a group of angels sitting there and listen to their reply, as his and his descendants' greeting; Adam said as-salamu alaykum and they replied as-salamu alayka wa rahmatullah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6227 Book 79, Hadith 1
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 3
Abu Hurayrah reported the Prophet saying that the best day on which the sun has risen is Friday: on it Adam was created, on it he was made to enter Paradise, and on it he was sent out of it.
Sahih Muslim 854 Book 7, Hadith 26
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim (Muslim); Sahih (Muslim); sahih (Al-Albani); sahih (Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut); its chain is sahih (Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut); to the standard of Muslim (Ibn Kathir)
- Q
Quran Arabic and English for Al-Baqarah 2:30 to 38, Al-Hijr 15:28 to 29, Al-A'raf 7:11 to 25, Al-Kahf 18:50 and Taha 20:115 to 123, as quoted on this page. Every quoted English fragment is cut from the translation on this site.
Tanzil Project Uthmani text, CC BY 3.0. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.
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