Islam:

A Scientific View of God's Message to Humanity

5

Humans, As God's Caliphs on Earth

By Hassan Ali El-Najjar

Updated on the 15th Day of Shawwal 1441 - June 7th, 2020

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ألْإنْسَانُ: 

خَلِيفَةُ اللهِ عَلَى ألأرْضِ

تأليف حسن علي النجار

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أعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

 

I seek refuge with God from the stoned Shaytan (Satan)

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

 

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Introduction

A necessary background for this Chapter can be found in Chapter 4, "Creation and Evolution in the Holy Quran," which tells the Quran story of how Allah (God), praise to Him, created life on Earth, let it evolve, and intervened to improve His creation. 

This Chapter is a continuation of the topic of creation and evolution but with focus on human beings, as they represent the climax of the five stages of creation: starting life, fashioning in the right proportions, walking upright on two, imaging them in the best of images, and blowing of God’s Spirit in them. When Allah, praise to Him, felt that He taught humans enough, He decided to make them His deputies (caliphs) on Earth. When the angels expressed their surprise, Allah chose Adam to represent humanity in a contest with them, to show them that human beings are worthy of His decision of trusting them to rule the Earth. That story is the subject of Chapter 6, "Adam's Contest with the Angels, and Getting Out of Paradise." 

The verses related to the topics of Chapters 3, 4, and 5, like the rest of the verses of the Holy Quran, are very concise and each word contained in them has a specific meaning within a certain context but it may have other meanings in other contexts. That is why the translation from Arabic is not enough. It has to be explained further with facts from the sciences, particularly from Anthropology and Biology in this case, as well as with interpretations of the early prominent Islamic scholars, such as Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Katheer.  [1]

 

Meaning of Human Caliphate on Earth

The starting point in this Chapter is the word “khalifa” (خَلِيفَةً۬‌ۖ), or caliph, which is mentioned in Verse 30 of Surat Al-Baqara (Chapter 2) of the Holy Quran. The root of the word is the Arabic verb “khalafa,” which means ”came after or succeeded.”

وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةِ إِنِّى جَاعِلٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ خَلِيفَةً۬‌ۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَتَجۡعَلُ فِيہَا مَن يُفۡسِدُ فِيہَا وَيَسۡفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحۡنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ‌ۖ قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ (البَقَرَة ، 2: 30).

And when your Lord said to the angels: I am making a caliph on the Earth. They said: Are You making therein one who corrupts in it and sheds blood, while we hymn Your praise and sanctify You? He said: Surely I know that which you do not know  (Al-Baqara, 2: 30).

The caliph (Al-Khalifa) is the ruler who comes after, or succeeds a former ruler. The main meaning is that Allah, praise to Him, has chosen humans to be His successors, or caliphs, on Earth, ruling it according to His Law (Shari’a), and on His behalf.

Muslims used the word to describe the second head of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, referring to him as the Caliph of the Prophet, or his successor, as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was the first head of the Islamic State. Then, Muslims continued describing their rulers as such until the end of World War I, at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the Ottoman Caliphate was defeated by Western empires and was replaced by the Turkish and Arab secular states.

Another related meaning to the word “Khalifa” or “caliph” is that Allah, praise to Him, has willed that humans shall succeed each other in ruling the Earth, century after century, until He inherits this planet and all that is on it

In explaining the meaning of this verse, Al-Siyouti mentioned that Allah decided to make Adam as His caliph, successor, on Earth, to succeed Him in implementing His rules.

Al-Tabari used the same explanation, mentioning a narration by the Companions Ibn Mass’aud and Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them (mAbpwt). However, he added, as Ibn Katheer did, saying that the meaning of caliphate is the succession of a century of people by another.

Al-Qurtubi was clear in that the caliphate, or succession, is that of Adam succeeding God, praise to Him, on Earth. He cited Ibn Mass’aud and Ibn Abbas in saying that Adam, peace be to him, was God’s Caliph in implementing His rules and commands, because he was a Messenger of God, as the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, told the Companion Abu Dher, mAbpwh.

 

Honor, But Responsibility 

God’s will, or mandate, to make humans His successors (caliphs) on Earth, is a great honor to them. This honor was mentioned in several verses of the Holy Quran, such as in 2:30 (above) , 17: 70, and  17: 62.

وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا  (الإسراء ، 17: 70).

And We have certainly honored the children of Adam, carried them on the land and sea, provided for them of the good things, and preferred them over much of what We have created, with (definite) preference (Al-Issra, 17: 70).

قَالَ أَرَءَيۡتَكَ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِى ڪَرَّمۡتَ عَلَىَّ لَٮِٕنۡ أَخَّرۡتَنِ إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ لَأَحۡتَنِكَنَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ ۥۤ إِلَّا قَلِيلاً۬ (الإسرَاء ، 17: 62).

He said: Do You see this whom You have honored above me, if You reprieve me until the Day of Rising (Resurrection), I will seize his offspring, except a few (Al-'Issra, 17: 62).

Despite that the mandate has been a great honor to humans, it has been associated with a grave responsibility at the same time. It is true that they lived up to God’s expectations in many centuries and stages of their history. However, they failed in many other occasions and times. They did injustice to themselves and to the planet they have been entrusted to rule over and care about.

The very characteristics of success that humans possess could be used in bad ways, as a result of following Satan and his wicked ways, which took many humans away from the right path of God. 

Verse 72 of Surat Al-A'hzab (Chapter 33) of the Holy Quran tells us that the Heavens, the Earth, and the Mountains (as solid and strong as they are) could not carry God’s mandate and the responsibility associated with it. However, humans were happy to carry it, or accept it, out of ignorance about the burdens of the responsibility associated with God’s mandate for them to become His successors on Earth.

We offered the trust (of succession, caliphate) to the heavens and the Earth and the mountains, but they refused to undertake it, and were afraid of it. But the human (being) undertook it (because) he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of the consequences of his undertaking)  (Al-A'hzab, 33: 72).  

Thus, God’s trust in His human creation to be His caliphs on Earth was based on His knowledge of them as capable of receiving His mandate of ruling Earth, and living up to the responsibilities associated with that mandate. In particular, Allah, praise to Him, tells us about some of the characteristics that made humans trustworthy of His mandate. These are represented by their ability to learn, to build, and to choose.

 

Human Ability to Learn

Allah, praise to Him, made humans His caliphs on Earth, after they proved to Him their ability to learn, to accumulate knowledge, to process that knowledge, to make rules and laws on the basis of their knowledge, and to make use of what they have learned.

Allah, praise to Him, facilitated for humans to learn by making Earth abundant in food and resources and protected it from harmful cosmic effects. He surrounded it with several layers of atmospheres as protection and made its distance from the Sun ideal for life to flourish and progress. Thus, humans have enjoyed  peaceful and comfortable conditions in most regions of Earth, which freed them to learn.

Allah, the Compassionate, praise to Him, never left His creation completely alone or lonely to despair. He would intervene to improve His creation with fashioning in the right proportions and best imaging. He also instructed them to learn, use their knowledge for their benefit, and guided them to how they can achieve that.

God’s first word and command to humans, delivered through the Senior Angel, Jibril (Gabriel), peace be to him, to the Messenger of Allah, Muhammed, peace and blessings be upon him (pbbuh) was "Read" (اقْرَأْ).  He actually repeated it three times to confirm its importance to humanity, as stated in the first five verses of Surat Al-‘Alaq (Chapter 96) of the Holy Quran.

اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ﴿١﴾ خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ ﴿٢﴾ اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ ﴿٣﴾ الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ ﴿٤﴾ عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ ﴿٥﴾  (العلق ، 96: 1-5).  

Read! In the name of your Lord, Who created, (1)

Created the human (being), out of an 'alaq (leech-like embryos), (2)

Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, (3)

He Who taught with the pen, (4)

(He) taught the human (being) that which he did not know (Al-‘Alaq, 96: 1-5).

There are many verses in the Holy Quran, which deal with learning, knowledge, and science. [2]  When we look at some of them, we find that Allah, praise to Him, states that He and His senior angel, Jibril, peace to him, are involved in teaching humans, as mentioned in verses 55: 1-5, 2: 239, and 53: 45. The teaching happens directly, as in the case of Jibril teaching the Messengers of Allah, and indirectly by facilitating learning to the average person, as in the case of the scribe mentioned in Verse 2: 282.

الرَّحْمَـٰنُ ﴿١﴾ عَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ ﴿٢﴾ خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ ﴿٣﴾ عَلَّمَهُ الْبَيَانَ ﴿٤﴾ (الرَّحْمَـٰن ، 55: 1-4). 

فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّـهَ كَمَا عَلَّمَكُم مَّا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَ (البقرة ، 2: 239).

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ ﴿٤﴾ عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَىٰ ﴿٥﴾ (النجم ، 53: 4-5). 

وَلَا يَأْبَ كَاتِبٌ أَن يَكْتُبَ كَمَا عَلَّمَهُ اللَّـهُ  (البقرة ، 2: 282).

The Beneficent, (1) has taught the Quran, (2) created the human (being), (3) taught him speech  (Al-Rahman, 55: 1-4).

Remember Allah, as He has taught you that which you did not know  (Al-Baqara, 2: 239).

It is an inspiration, being inspired (to him) (4), taught by the one mighty in power (5) (Jibril)  (Al-Najm, 53: 4-5).

A scribe should not refuse to write as Allah has taught him  (Al-Baqara, 2: 282).

 

Human Tendency and Capability of Construction

God’s trust in His creation of human beings to be His caliphs on Earth was further based on His knowledge of their tendency and capability of construction. He expected humans to be creative, in continuously improving their conditions on Earth, reaching the stage of civilization, as Ibn Khaldoun described it, using the Quran term of ‘Amarah, which means construction or civilization. [3]

Verse 30: 9 is an invitation for humans to excavate the previous civilizations, to learn lessons from them. While this is a command for humans to study historical and pre-historical sites to learn about previous human civilizations, it's also a direct reference to the human tendency and capability of construction.

أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَأَثَارُوا الْأَرْضَ وَعَمَرُوهَا أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوهَا (الروم ، 30: 9).

Have they not travelled on the Earth to see, what was the end of those, who were before them? They were much stronger than them, and they plowed the land and constructed upon it more than these have constructed (Al-Room, 30: 9).

There is no doubt that construction benefited from the other two human characteristics of learning and choice. The three qualities interacted with each other producing this wonderful human phenomenon, which has pleased Allah, Who did bet on them to do so, and to be thus, in front of His angels.

Verses 11: 61 and 9: 18 include references to the human construction, as follows:

وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَالِحًا ۚ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّـهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ وَاسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا (هود ، 11: 61). 

إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّـهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّـهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّا اللَّـهَ (التوبة ، 9: 18).

And to the (people of) Thamud, (We sent) their brother Sali'h. He said: O (my) people! Worship Allah, you have no other god than Him. He made you from the earth and (enabled) you to construct therein (Hood, 11: 61).

The mosques of Allah are constructed, visited, and maintained by whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, and by whoever observes the prayer and pays charity (zakat), and fears none except Allah (Al-Tawba, 9: 18 ).

 

Human Freedom of Choice

No doubt, the human ability and love for constructions came as a result of the human ability to learn and to choose. These three human qualities interacted to produce the human wonderful phenomenon, which pleased the Creator, ptH. So, He has willed to honor humans by making them His caliphs to rule Earth, despite the angels' surprise, as He knows that which they do not know.

He has created humans with the ability to choose, to see who among them is going to thank Him for it, and who is going to be ungrateful for such a blessing. As verses 76: 3, 89: 8-10, and 91: 7-10 reveal, humans are capable to choose between right and wrong as well as between obedience and disobedience to their Creator. 

إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا (الإنسان ، 76: 3). 

أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ عَيْنَيْنِ ﴿٨﴾ وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ ﴿٩﴾ وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ ﴿١٠﴾ (البلد ، 89: 8-10). 

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا ﴿٧﴾ فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا ﴿٨﴾ قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا ﴿٩﴾ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا ﴿١٠﴾ (الشمس ، 91: 7-10).

We guided him (the human being) to the path (of choice, to see if he chooses to be) grateful or disbelieving  (Al-Insan, 76: 3).

Have We not made for him two eyes? (8) And a tongue and two lips (to speak with)? (9) And guided him to the two paths (to choose from)?  (Al-Balad, 89: 8-10).

By the (human) self, and how He fashioned it, (7) by inspiring it to (to know the paths of) disobedience and piety. (8) Truly, whoever keeps it pure will succeed, (9) And whoever corrupts it will fail (10)  (Al-Shams, 91: 7-10). [4]

Allah, praise to Him, wanted to enjoy seeing his human creation obey Him and observe His commands by choice. Thus, when He told His angels that He would make humans His caliphs on Earth, they were surprised because of their knowledge of human corruption and violence (blood-shedding). But Allah, praise to Him, answered them saying that He knew that which they did not know, as stated in verse 2:30, mentioned above. He knew that as some humans may choose to corrupt and shed blood, others will choose to obey His commands and do good deeds to themselves, to others, and to their Planet..  

Thus, the above verses tell us that humans are born with the ability to identify what’s right and what’s wrong as well as the ability to choose which of the two paths they are going to follow. These innate capabilities were blown into humans from God’s Spirit, part of fifth stage of creation, as discussed in Chapter 4, and as mentioned in verse 15: 29.  

فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي فَقَعُوا لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ (الحجر ، 15: 29). 

And when I have proportioned him and blew into him of My Spirit, then fall down to him in prostration (Al-‘Hijr, 15: 29). 

 

Responsibilities of God's Caliphs on Earth

As mentioned in many verses in the Holy Quran, the human caliphate of God on Earth is associated with heavy responsibilities, which humans are capable of doing. If they live up to the undertakings of these responsibilities, they will receive great rewards in this life and in the hereafter. Otherwise, they may be replaced by others in this life, and punished in the hereafter.

First, Allah, praise to Him, mentions in the Holy Quran that the caliphate or succession of humans on Earth is a test for them, as He wants to see whether they are thankful or ungrateful for the blessings He bestowed on them, as mentioned in Verses 6: 165, 10: 14, and 7: 129. 

Second, in return for successorship on Earth, humans need to believe in Allah and in His Messenger, to spend for His sake, and do good deeds, as stated in verses 57: 7, 24: 55, 57: 7,

Third, humans need to acknowledge God’s favors to them, which should prompt them to thank Him for the good body He fashioned for them and for making them His Caliphs on Earth, as stated in Verse 7: 96.

Fourth, Allah, praise to Him, also mentions that disbelievers, merciless, and miserly people may be replaced by others, who are better than them, as we read in Verses 6: 133 and 11: 57.

Fifth, in addition to  believing in Allah, mentioning His blessings, doing good deeds, the human caliphate of God on Earth is conditioned on many responsibilities, such as not corrupting the Earth, ruling people with justice and according to God’s commands, patience, and piety, as mentioned in verses 10: 73, 7: 74, 38: 26, 35: 39, 27: 62, and 7: 128. [5]

 

Conclusion 

By reaching the fifth stage of creation, humans demonstrated their ability to learn, construct, and choose freely. As a result, their Creator willed that they were trustworthy of ruling the Earth, as His successors (caliphs). That honor came with heavy responsibilities, which are mentioned in many verses of the Holy Quran. Allah, praise to Him, promised humans to allow them the continuation of their caliphate of Earth, as long as they follow His commands. Otherwise, they will be replaced by others in this life and punished in the hereafter.

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Notes