The biblical figure Adam often gets a bad rap. This is understandable. In the creation story in the Book of Genesis, the first man and his wife, Eve, disobey God by eating the fruit of the one tree that God had forbidden. “Eat the fruit and you will be like gods,” the devil tempts them, and so they do. They are banished from the garden.
For centuries, Christians have seen Adam’s action as tainting our human nature and causing a rift between us and God. This is where we, in the Western churches, get our doctrine of original sin—the notion that we humans inherit the guilt of the sin that our first parents committed. Catholics also often hear that Adam was prideful, and that his desire to be like God is the reason for our own human condition of suffering and wickedness.
Given Adam’s poor reputation, it is hardly surprising that I’ve come across so few Christian individuals with his name. Virtually all the Adams I know of are Muslim or Jewish. Yet my husband and I, who are both Catholic and grew up with the prevailing negative image of the first man, were still inspired to give the name to our son when he was born earlier this year.
That is because the story we had so often heard about the biblical Adam is not the only version. As a doctoral student in theology studying Islam and Christianity, I have come across portrayals of Adam that are quite different from the one many Catholics know. In the Quran and other Islamic texts, as well as in some lesser-known Christian writings, a more positive image of the first man emerges. These portrayals not only offer new ways of thinking about Adam and humanity, but also new ways of thinking about God—lessons that I hope my infant son will one day take to heart.
As in the Bible, the Adam of the Quran is the first man created by God. He is the first person to have a relationship with God, and he is the father of the diverse human family. In Islam, Adam is considered a prophet, a designation that means something a bit different than it does for Christians. For Muslims, prophets are individuals specially appointed by God to give voice to the divine message throughout history. Adam was the first in a line of prophets that include Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, Jesus and, finally, Muhammad. After Adam’s creation, God teaches him the names of all the creatures or all the names of God (or both), depending on how one interprets the passage.
In the Quran, the human race is often referred to as “the children of Adam.” As in the Jewish and Christian traditions, Adam is not just the first human but also the archetypal human. Stories about Adam are not only about a single individual but speak to the basic human condition shared by all.