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The last objection of the Christians is that the Holy Quran cites the case of Adam as a parallel to that of Jesus; therefore, Jesus, like Adam, was without a father. They urge that Jesus was created, like Adam, by a Divine Command: kun fa yakoon:

In this connection Christian critics of Islam refer to the following Quranic verse:

"Surely the likeness of Jesus is with Allah as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, Be, and he was. (This is) the truth from your Lord, so be not of the disputers" (The Holy Quran, 3: 59-60).

All Commentators of the Holy Quran, ancient and modern, agree that these verses, along with some others, were revealed when the Holy Prophet was having a discussion with the Christians of Najran in the tenth year of the Hijrah (Most of the Commentators say that verses 1 to 63 of Chapter 3 were revealed at that time: some say that verses 1 to 84 were revealed at that occasion.) This deputation consisted of sixty men and was headed by Abdul Masih, the chief of the Christians of Najran.

The discussion took place in the Mosque of the Holy Prophet where the visitors had been lodged and permitted to hold their own prayers. In Sirat-ul-Halabi (Allama Burhan-ud-Din Halabi, Sirat-ul-Halabi, Vol. 3 : 4. See also Asrar-ul-Muhammadia of Ahmad Zeeni, Vol. 2 : 211), the visit of this deputation is described in full detail. The point at issue was the divinity of Jesus. Abdul Masih, the leader of the Christians, opened the discussion and enquired from the Holy Prophet:

"They (the plural pronoun was used throughout to indicate that Abdul Masih was speaking on behalf of himself and his companions) said: 'What do you think of our Lord (Sahib)?'

The Messenger of God enquired: 'Who is your Lord?'

They replied: 'Isa. Do you take him to be a servant of God?'

The Messenger of God said: 'Yes.'

They then asked: 'Have you seen any one like him, or have you been informed of a man like him? He is God because he had no father, he raised the dead, he gave information of the unseen, he cured lepers and made birds from clay. Consider this superiority. Do you still call him a servant of God?'"

The Holy Prophet did not answer at once for at that very moment came the Divine revelation and one of the verses revealed was:

"Surely the likeness of Jesus is with Allah as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said, Be, and he was" (The Holy Quran, 3 : 59).

It may be noticed that the verse does not say that the creation of Jesus was like that of Adam. I now quote the discussion from Tafsir Ibn Jarir at-Tabari where it is recorded in full detail under this very verse (Tafsir Ibn-i-Jarir at-Tabari, Vol. 3: 100-101):

"They questioned: 'Who was his father?'

(The Christians, and the like of them, even today put the same question to the Muslims.)

The Messenger of God replied: 'Don't you know that no child is born but has a likeness to its father in form and appearance?'

They said: 'Yes, we know.'

The Messenger of God said: 'Don't you know that our God is alive and will never die and Jesus had to die?'

They said: 'Yes, we know.'

The Messenger of God replied: 'Don't you know that our God is One to Whom everything submits? He is the Custodian and Guardian of all and He gives sustenance to everyone?'

They replied: 'Yes, we know.'

The Messenger of God questioned: 'Was Jesus possessed of any of these powers?'

They replied: 'No.'

The Messenger of God then asked: 'Did Jesus know of any of these things except those of which God gave him knowledge?'

They answered: 'No.'

The Messenger of God said: 'Don't you know that Our God neither eats, nor drinks, nor does He answer the calls of nature?'

They said, 'Yes, we know.'

Then said the Messenger of God: 'Don't you know that Jesus was conceived by a woman just as any other woman conceives a child, then she gave birth to him like every other woman gives birth to a child, he was then reared up like other children, then he used to eat and drink and answer the calls of nature like other human beings?'

They said: 'Yes, we know.'

The Messenger of God then enquired: 'How can Messiah be the One you take him to be (i.e., God)?'"

Rabi narrates that the Christians could not reply to this question, but would not agree either and insisted on their false belief. As a last resort the Holy Prophet invited them in the terms of the revelation:

"But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say: Come! let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your women, and our people and your people, then let us be earnest in prayer and pray for the curse of Allah on the liars" (The Holy Quran, 3:61).

The Christians wanted time to consider the challenge and on the next day Abdul Masih and two of his companions informed the Holy Prophet that they had decided not to accept it, and that they would not pray against him nor invite him to pray against them. Thereupon an agreement was entered into whereby they were made free to practise their religion.

I have quoted this discussion verbatim to show how the Holy Prophet understood and explained "the likeness of Jesus is with Allah as the likeness of Adam," and how he illustrated his interpretation of the verse by referring to two very singular facts in the life of any man: Likeness of a child with his father in form and appearance and similarity in the conception and birth of every human child. These illustrations and the likeness with "Adam" would be inapplicable if "Adam" is taken to mean the Adam of the Bible who had neither a father nor a mother. According to the Bible he was not conceived by a mother.

Besides, the verse in question is universally relied upon by Muslims to refute the divinity of Jesus. But it cannot serve this purpose if Jesus was in fact compared with the Biblical Adam, that is, if his birth was without a father, No, the word `Adam' in this verse means nothing more than a man. Hazrat Ibn-i-Abbas interpreted the word Adam in the verse as man for he said that man and not Adam (as a distinct entity) was created from dust. This verse, he said, could only be an argument against the Christians if by Adam is meant man (Tafsir Ibn-i-Hisham, Vo1.3 : 203).

It also may be mentioned that the Holy Quran does not accept the Biblical theory of the creation of Adam. Indeed, the Book does not state at all when and how Adam was born.

Imam Baqir, the great Muslim divine, is reported to have said: "Millions of Adams had passed away before our father Adam. Ibn Arabi, the great Sufi, writes in his wonderful work, The Fatuhat, that forty thousand years before our Adam, there was another Adam.

Again, the creation of Adam is nowhere stated in the Holy Quran. The Book does not say how he was made. Nowhere in the Holy Quran is it stated that God created Adam from turab (dust) except in the verse under discussion, and there Adam stands for man. In fact, the word turab (dust) is used exclusively in connection with the creation of man (The Holy Quran, 22:5; 23:35, 82; 27:67; 30:20; 35:11; 40: 67; 50:3; 56:47; 78:40). Again, the creation of man alone, and not that of Adam, from clay (teen) is mentioned in the Holy Quran (Ibid., 6:2; 7 ; 12; 17: 61; 23:12; 32:7; 37:11). Further, the term salsal kalfakhkhar (sounding clay, brittle like pottery) is also exclusively mentioned in connection with the creation of man and not that of Adam (Ibid., 15:26-33).

It is obvious, therefore, that these stages of matter through which man is to pass in its evolution of creation refer to man alone.

The Holy Quran speaks of Adam as being made a vicegerent of God on earth to whom Iblis refused to make obeisance (Ibid., 2 : 30-36; 18: 50; 20 : 116). In chapter 2 the word Adam is used throughout (Ibid., 2 : 31-37), yet all commentators take it as referring to man (See translation by Yusuf Ali, p. 24: n. 47; Muhammad Ali, p. 23, n. 449 / 3 : 73a), for man has been addressed as God's vicegerent on earth:

"And He it is who has made you successors in the land" (Ibid., 6 : 165).

"And God made all things on earth subservient to man" (Ibid., 13 : 2; 14 : 32-34; 16 : 10-19; 22 : 65; 31 : 20; 45 : 12-13).

The following verses make it perfectly clear that in the terminology of the Holy Quran Adam means man:

"And certainly We created you; then We fashioned you, then We said to the angels: make obeisance to Adam" (Ibid., 7 : 11).

"And certainly We created man (insan) of clay (salsal) that gives forth sound, of black mud fashioned in shape.... And when your Lord said to the angels: Surely I am going to create a mortal (bashar) of the essence of black mud fashioned in shape. So when I have made him complete and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down making obeisance to him" (Ibid., 15 : 26-29).

"When your Lord said to the angels: Surely I am going to create a mortal (bashar) from dust (teen). So when I have made him complete and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down making obeisance to him" (The Holy Quran, 38 : 71-72).

I may mention here that man being the vicegerent of God on earth, it is but natural that God's creation should bow before him. But according to the Holy Quran Iblis (Satan), who represents our evil inclinations, did not. Iblis really is the root idea of desperateness, rebellion, perversity or enmity, or, in other words, our baser passions, which lead us to do wrong and commit sin. It is also noteworthy that according to these verses the spirit of God is breathed into every man (Ibid.,), and it is this spirit which enables man to distinguish between right and wrong, and which really stands for knowledge and reasoning and which makes us superior to all other creations of God.