Lessons from the Story of Prophet Adam That We Can Learn

This article draws several life lessons from the story of Prophet Adam, especially about the limits of human intellect, negligence, and attitudes towards sin and arrogance.

• The supplication of Prophet Adam and Eve asking for forgiveness from Allah after being sent down to earth is exemplified as a model of repentance.
• The wisdom behind Allah's commands and creations sometimes cannot be grasped by human intellect, as was experienced by the angels.
• Humans, although given intellect and strength, still have weaknesses such as negligence and forgetfulness, as Prophet Adam experienced when he violated the prohibition of eating the forbidden fruit.
• A person who has committed sin should not despair of Allah's mercy as long as he is aware, regrets, and repents.
• The arrogance shown by Iblis brings loss and ruin, because he refused to prostrate to Adam and was ultimately driven out and cursed by Allah.

Lessons from the Story of Prophet Adam That We Can Learn

Lessons from the Story of Prophet Adam That We Can Learn

The Supplication of Prophet Adam Seeking Forgiveness

According to the Qur'an itself, this is the supplication that Prophet Adam and Eve recited after they were driven out of Paradise and expelled by Allah to the world, asking forgiveness for their sin with the following supplication.

قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ

"O our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers." (al-A'raf: 23)

Teaching Found in the Story of Prophet Adam.

Indeed, the wisdom contained in Allah's commands and prohibitions and in what He has created sometimes cannot or has not yet been reached by human intellect, even by His creatures nearest to Him, as was experienced by the angels when they were informed that Allah would create humans - the offspring of Adam - to be His khalifah on earth, so that they seemed somewhat reluctant and wondered why and for what purpose Allah created another kind of creature besides them who were already obedient, diligent in worship, glorifying and magnifying His name.

Indeed, humans, although he has been blessed with quick thinking and physical and mental strength, still has some weaknesses in himself such as the trait of negligence, forgetfulness and error. This happened to Prophet Adam who, although he was a perfect human and blessed with a special position in Paradise, still could not escape from such weak human traits. He forgot and neglected Allah's warning to him about the forbidden tree and about Iblis who became his enemy and the enemy of all his offspring, so that he was trapped in the deception and the first transgression was committed by humans against Allah's prohibition.

Indeed, a person who has inadvertently committed sin and transgressed should not despair of Allah's mercy and forgiveness as long as he is aware of his mistake and repents and will not do it again. Allah's mercy and forgiveness can encompass all sins committed by His servants except shirk, however great the sin, as long as it is accompanied by awareness, repentance and admission of wrongdoing.

Lessons from the Story of Prophet Adam That We Can Learn

Arrogance and pride always bring loss and ruin. Look at Iblis, who was brought down from his throne, stripped of his position as an angel and expelled by Allah from Paradise accompanied by curse and curse that will cling to him until the Day of Judgment because of his arrogance and pride in his origin, so that he considered and looked down upon Prophet Adam and refused to prostrate in honor to him, even though commanded by Allah.

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