The Prophet (s.a.w.) & Adam (a.s.)

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ‘Ali ibn al-‘Arabi (q.s.) wrote, “When God Taught Adam (a.s.) the Names, he was in the station second to the station of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), since Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) had already come to know the all-comprehensive words.”  He continued, “Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was the greatest locus of Divine Self-Disclosure, and thereby came to know ‘the knowledge of the ancients and later folk’.  Among those of old was Adam (a.s.), who had knowledge of the Names.  Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was Given the All-Comprehensive Names and the Words of God are never exhausted. 

The Messenger of God (s.a.w.) said, ‘I will be the master of mankind on the Day of Resurrection.’  The reason for this is his perfection.  He said, ‘Were Moses alive, he would find it impossible not to follow me’, because of the all-inclusiveness of the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) message and the all-embracing quality of his shari’ah.  He was singled out for things never given to any prophet before him, and no prophet was singled out for anything that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) did not possess since he was given the All-Comprehensive Words.  He said, ‘I was a prophet when Adam was between clay and water’, while every other prophet was only a prophet during the time of his prophecy and Messengerhood.”