| Answer:
The most authentic source regarding the question of what Adam (sws)
said in his prayer is the Holy Qur’ān. The incident of the creation of Adam
and Eve has been dealt with in various places in the Holy Book. If we study
the matter wherever it occurs in the Holy Qur’ān it becomes very clear how
Adam expressed his repentance and what he prayed at that time. The incident
first occurs in Sūrah Baqarah where it is briefly mentioned:
So Adam learnt some words from his Lord. (2:37)
The verse does not tell what
words the Almighty taught him to say in his prayer. In Sūrah A‘rāf (7:22-3)
it has been made clear what the Almighty did teach him in this regard:
So by deceit he betrayed
them. When they tasted of the tree, their private parts became manifest to
them and they began to cover their private parts with the leaves of the
Garden. And their Lord called them: ‘Did I not forbid you that tree, and
tell you that Satan was your avowed enemy?’ They said: ‘Our Lord! We have
wronged our own souls: if you forgive us not and bestow not upon us your
mercy, we shall certainly be lost’. (7:22-3)
I think there remains no need
of further exploration on the issue. However, you have inquired about a
certain point of view, according to which it was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad (sws) which Adam (ws) presented as an interceder. None of the
reliable books of Āhadīth contain this report. However, Tabarī has given the
viewpoint without citing the source or mentioning the names of the scholars
who hold this view: 2:37. Therefore, the saying is not authentic in any
degree and does not hold water after the explanation given by the Almighty
Himself in the Holy Qur’an. What follows is the text of the narrative:
Interpreters have differed
on the implication of the word ‘kalimāt’. Ibn Abbās, Hasan, Sa‘īd Ibn Jubayr,
Dahhāk and Mujāhid said that it was as He said: ‘Our Lord! We have wronged
our ownselves: if you forgive us not and bestow not upon us your mercy, we
shall certainly be lost’. And Mujāhid is also reported to have said [that it
refers to]: ‘Oh our Lord! There is no god except you, my Lord; I wronged
myself so forgive me. Indeed you are the most forgiving, the most merciful’.
A group of scholars said: ‘He saw it written on the throne of the Almighty:
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah” and he used his name for interceding and
this is the meaning of the word ‘Kalimāt’. |