IN THE DIVINE COURT

The Quran (2: 30-33), relating the story of the creation of the first man, Adam, says:

“When your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am putting a successor on earth,’ they said, “Will You place someone there who will cause corruption on it and shed blood, while we glorify You with Your praise and extol Your holiness?” [God] answered, ‘Surely, I know that which you do not know.’ He taught Adam all the names, then He set them before the angels and said, ‘Tell Me the names of these, if what you say be true.’ They said, ‘Glory be to You; we have no knowledge except whatever You have taught us. You are the All Knowing, the All Wise.’ Then He said, ‘O Adam, tell them their names.’ When Adam had told them the names, God said to the angels, ‘Did I not say to you: I know the secrets of the heavens and of the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal?’”  

These words of the angels were apparently meant as an objection to God. However, God did not rebuke or reprimand them for it. Instead, He explained the details of the actual plan. As a result, their objection naturally resolved itself, and doubt was replaced with certainty.

In this way, at the beginning of human history, God established a model from His own perfect being, man: that if someone raises an objection or expresses doubt about a matter, they should not be blamed merely for raising it. Rather, the matter should be clarified so that the complete picture becomes clear. It is as if the event that was going to occur in human history later was enacted between God and the angels to practically demonstrate the attitude that human beings should adopt in such situations.

This incident also sets an example that once the matter is clarified, the objector should accept it sincerely and wholeheartedly. In this event, if on the one side, there is a model of objection, on the other side there is also a high example of acceptance.