Hazrate Adam (AS) and prayer

Interpretation of Holy Quran written by Ali son of Ibrhim Qomi which was written in about third century of Islamic calendar and it was close to Imam Hassan Askari’s(AS) period of imamat. Big and great scholars like Allama Tabatabaei who has written interpretation of Holy Quran named ‘Tafsir Al-Meezan’,  relies on Quran’s interpretation of Ibrahim Qomi and has quoted many quotation from his tafsir in his books.

Ali son of Ibrahim Qomi in his interpretation of Holy Quran regarding verse of “فتلقی ءادم من ربه کلمات” Then Adam received some words (like the words of penitence and recourse to Ahle Beit [A.S] that were useful for his repentance and return) from his God and God accepted his penitence.Quotes a tradition from his father, his father quotes from son of Umair,  Umair quotes from Aban son of Usman and Aban quotes from Imam Sadiq (AS), and this quotation is proved according to all Rijal books of shia.

 This quotation of Imam Sadiq (AS) is regarding prayer that Imam states: when Hazrate Adam was expelled from the heaven and descended to the earth, forty days he was on mountain named Safa for prayers. Hazrate Adam stayed there forty days for doing worship and offer pray, while he was prostrating he was crying a lot because of being away from God and blessings which Allah had given him. Hazrate Gabriel descended to him and asked Hazrate Adam (AS) for his crying reason. Hazrate Adam (AS) replied: why I shouldn’t cry! Allah has expelled me; it means Allah has taken his look away from me; Allah has taken away hi all blessing from me.

Hazrate Gabriel said to Azrate Adam: O Adam come back to God and his blessings and do prostration. Hazrate Adam asked his how do I come back and do prostration. When God saw that Azrate Adam is firm in his repentance and will not make any other mistake, God send a light which made the place of Kaaba (the direction of all Muslims in Mecca) lighted and bright, and then God asked Gabriel to sign the place of Kaaba. Hazrate Gabriel was ordered to give message and ask Hazrate Adam (AS) to get ready for performing the pilgrimage and acts of worship (Hajj) in that place and ask Allah to forgive him and send on him blessings again and have close look on him.

Father of all human being Hazrate Adam (AS) by order of Allah did ablution (Ghusl) and put on Hajj uniform (Ahram), then for performing acts of 8^th Zil Hajj (the 8^th month of Islamic calendar) went to the Mena (land area of Mecca) and got order to stay a night there. In the morning of 9^th Zil Hajj, Azrate Adam (AS) moved to the Arfat (a mountain near Mecca), afternoon of 9^th Zil Hajj, Gabriel asked Hazrate Adam (AS) to do Ablution (Ghusl). Hazrate Gabriel Before the prayer of noon (Zuhr prayer), asked Hazrate Adam (AS) to stand up and start to teach him the names which are descend from Allah to him in order to teach the way of penitence to Hazrate Adam.

This tradition along being in interpretation of Holy Quran written by Ali son of Ibrahim Qomi has come in many other books. This tradition shows that Hazrate Adam (AS) who was the first human, Father of all human was ordered by God to perform prayer. But how was his prayer and how many units of prayer (Rakaet) were in his prayer or what time he was supposed to pray, or how many times he was supposed to offer or perform his prayer, all these question’s answers are unknown, and knowing that is not important and will not give us any benefit, what is important is to know that father of all human being Hazrate Adam (AS) was ordered to pray, and he had prayer in his religious law.

There is tradition which is quoted in Beharul Al-Anwar that says, Imam Jafer Sadiq (AS) stated: when Hazrate Adam passed away and time of prayer on dead body came, Hazrate Hibatullah son of Hazrate Adam (AS) said to the Gabriel: lead our prayer on our father(be our Imam Jamaet), let us to be behind you for performing prayer. Gabriel said, once God had ordered us to do prostration on your father and we did, and now I can’t come and stand in front of Hazrate Adam’s son, because you are more respected and more pious than us, so please you come in front and lead the pray with five Takbir (saying Allah Akbar) like it will be obligatory for followers of the last prophet (PBUH).

So from the time of Hazrate Adam prayer become obligatory and performing that has got high and deep rewards.[1]  Unfortunately some nations and many people get away from Islamic and religious culture, some of them became idolater, some of them don’t perform prayer on their dead bodies, they bury dead bodies without performed prayer and some of them they burn their dead bodies. Worst than all, many of them have become away from the prayer, being away from prayer mean being away from God.