HISTORY OF TABARI VOLUME 1 PART 19

HISTORY OF TABARI
VOLUME 1


From the Creation to the Flood



   As far as Ibn Ishaq is concerned, it has been mentioned on his authority, as I have mentioned earlier , [902. Text above , I, 140.] that the total number of children born to Adam by Eve was forty ; that is, male and female children born in twenty pregnancies . He added: We have the names of some of them, but not of others. According to Ibn Hunayd-Salamah=Ibn Ishaq : We have the names of fifteen men and four women, among them Cain and his twin sister, Abel, (Abel 's twin sister ) Labudha, [903. Labudha is the form of the name as it appears in Schatzhohle, text, 34, trans ., 8, We have no way of knowing whether Tabari himself thought it was Labudhi or Lay(ldhi. For this name and some of the non-Biblical names mentioned later , reference was made to Schatzhohle and Jubilees by Lidzbarski, De propheticis ... legendis, i i f. See also N . A. Stillman, "The Story of Cain and Abel," in Journal of Semitic Studies 19 (1974): 231-39.
Counting the name of Cain 's sister not mentioned presumably because it was well known ( above, n. 893), we have here indeed four females mentioned by name and fifteen males . The passage was no doubt quoted by Tabari from Ibn Ishaq's Mubtada '. Other authors were apparently suspicious and did not quote it. There were other lists, as, for instance , in Ibn Hishim , Tijan, 15. See also text below, I, 149.
In Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh, 1, 4, Lubadha is the twin sister of Cain, and Iglima that of Abel. See also Mas'udi, Murdi, I, 62; Tha'labi, Qi$a$, 43. All these names whose vocalization is not known to us have been vocalized here simply by supplying the vowel a . This has been done even where the names look suspiciously like Arabic names.] Adam 's daughter Ashuth [904. Said to be Cain's wife in text below, I, 167.] and her twin brother , Seth and his twin sister. [905. See text below, 1, 152 f., where it is said first that Seth was born without a twin, and then that his twin was named 'Azure or Hazura, identical, no doubt, with Hazurah mentioned here. It is also stated that it was Seth who was born when Adam had reached the age of one hundred and thirty ( see also text below, 1, 164). In the apocryphal literature, Seth's sister is repeatedly called 'Azure /Hazuri. See jubilees, IV, 8, and p . 30, note to IV, i, in Charles' translation]

  Hazurah and her twin brother , ( born ) when ( Adam ) was one hundred and thirty years old, Adam 's son Ayad and his twin sister, Adam ' s son Balagh and his twin sister, Adam ' s son Athati and his twin sister, Adam 's son Tawbah and his twin sister, Adam's son Banan and his twin sister, Adam ' s son Shabubah and his twin sister, Adam 's son Hayan and his twin sister , Adam 's son Darabis and his twin sister, Adam 's son Hadaz and his twin sister , Adam' son Yahud and his twin sister, Adam's son Sandal and his twin sister, and Adam 's son Baraq and his twin sister-every male of them born together with a female as twins.

  Most Persian scholars assume that Jayumart is Adam. [906. See text above, 1, 17 f., and below, I, 154 . This and the following paragraphs were translated by Christensen , I, 67 f.] Some assume that Jayumart is the son of Adam's loins by Eve. Others have made many ( diverse ) statements on Jayumart . It would make this book of ours too long to mention them ( all). We have omitted reference to them , since our intention here is to mention the kings and their days and what we have made it a condition to mention in this book of ours .[ 907. See text above, 1, 6 f.]  The discussion of the different views on the pedigree of a given king is not the kind of subject for which we have undertaken the composition of the book . If we do mention something of the sort , it is to identify someone mentioned by us for those unacquainted with him. (I repeat :) The discussion of differing opinions on (a person 's) pedigree is not something intended in this book of ours.

  The statements of the Persian scholars on this subject have been disputed by other, non-Persian scholars who assume that he is (not ?) Adam . They agree with the Persian scholars as to his name but disagree with them [908. Read khalafahum or khalafaha. See Tabari, Introductio etc., DLXXVII.] as to his personal identity ('ayn) and description . They assume that the Jayumart whom the Persians assume to be Adam is Gomer b . Japheth b . Noah. [909. See above, n. 153.] He was a long-lived lord who settled on the mountain of Dunbawand [910. See Ei2 , ii, 106 f., s. v. Damiwand ; Eilers, " Der Name Demawend." The vowel u in the first syllable is that prescribed by Yaqut, Mu'jam , 11, 606, but Tabari might have used Danbiwand.] of the Tabaristan mountains in the East and ruled there and in Fars. His power grew, and he commanded his children to take control of Babil . For various ( brief) periods, they ruled over all the zones (of the earth). Jayumart protected all the places to which he got (?). He built for himself cities and castles and populated them and made them prosperous . He also assembled weapons and established a cavalry. At the end of his life, he became a tyrant. He took the name of Adam and said : If someone calls me by any other name, I shall cut off his hand. He married thirty women who gave him many offspring . His son Mari and daughter Mariyanah [911. These names are explainable as linguistic variants of those given in text below, I, 154 . See Justi, Iranisches Namenbuch, 198 f. (under Maschyo ); Christensen, I,9 f.] were among those born at the end of his life . He liked them and promoted them, so that the ( later) kings were their offspring. His realm expanded greatly.

  I mention this information about Jayumart in this place only because none of the scholars of the ( various ) nations disputes that Jayumart is the father of the non-Arab Persians. They differ with respect to him only as to whether he is Adam, the father of mankind, as stated by those mentioned by us , or somebody else. In addition , ( I refer to Jayumart ) because his rule and that of his children continued in the East and the mountains there uninterrupted in an orderly fashion, until Yazdjard b. Shahriyar, one of his descendants-May God curse him!-was killed in Marw in the days of 'Uthman b. 'Affan ra. [912. On the death of the last Sassanian emperor Yazdjard in 31/651(2), see text below, I, 87 ff.] The history (or chronology) of the world ' s bygone years is more easily explained and more clearly seen based upon the lives of the Persian kings than upon those of the kings of any other nation . For no nation but theirs among those leading their pedigree back to Adam is known whose realm lasted and whose rule was continuous . No other nation had kings ruling all ( their subjects ) and chiefs protecting them against their adversaries , helping them to obtain the upper hand over their competitors , defending those wronged among them against those who did them wrong, and creating for them fortunate conditions that were continuous , lasting, and orderly, inherited by later generations from earlier ones . Thus, a history based upon the lives of the Persian kings has the soundest sources and the best and clearest data.

  God willing, and there is no might and strength except in Him, I shall mention the information we have received about the lives of Adam and his descendants after him who succeeded him in prophethood and royal authority, both according to those who oppose the statement of the Persians who assume that he is Jayumart,and according to those who say that he is Jayumart, the father of the Persians. And I shall discuss the history of the (Persian kings), from differences expressed to unanimity achieved that someone who they agree ruled at a specific time was indeed the ruler at that time. I shall then continue in this manner down to this time of ours.

  Let us now return (to our narrative) and provide further clarification concerning the error of those who said that the first to die on earth was Adam, and who denied that the two whose story is told by God in His word: "And recite to them the story of the two sons of Adam truthfully! They offered a sacrifice, [913. Qur. 5:27.] came, as shown by this verse, from Adam's loin.

  According to Muhammad b. Bashshar-'Abd al-Samad b. 'Abd al-Warith-'Umar b. Ibrahim [914. See Tahdhib, VII, 425 f.] -Qatadah-al-Hasan-Samurah b. Jundub [915. For Samurah b. Jundub, who died in 58 or 59 /677-79, see Tahdhib, IV, 236 f.; Ibn `Abd al -Barr, Isti' db, II, 653-55.] -the Prophet: None of Eve's children survived. Therefore, she vowed that if one of her children were to survive, she would call him 'Abd al-Harith.916 When a child of hers survived, she called him 'Abd al-Harith [916. Al- Harith, as explained in these traditions, was the original name of Iblis. By naming the child " Servant of al-Harith ( Iblis )," instead of "Servant of God," Adam and Eve associated Satan with God; they were thus exposed to the accusation of having introduced polytheism. Satan 's opportunity came because during her first pregnancy, Eve was totally ignorant of the process of human reproduction and feared that she might produce a nonhuman animal . It was God' s doing that the child was born without any defects, even if Satan tried to claim credit for it.]. That was due to Satan's inspiration. [917. See Tafsir, IX, 99 (ad Qur. 7:190).]

  According to Ibn Humayd-Salamah-Ibn Ishaq-Dawud b. al-Husayn [918. Died in 135/75213!. See Tahdhib, III, 181 f.] -'Ikrimah-Ibn 'Abbas: Eve would give birth to Adam's children and make them worship God, calling them 'Abdallah, Ubaydallah ("Servant, or little Servant of God"), and the like. But then they would die. Now, Iblis came to her and to Adam and said: Were you to give them other names, they would survive. So, when she gave birth to a male child for Adam, they called him Abd al-Harith. In this connection, God revealed His word: "It is He Who created you from a single soul " to "the two set up for Him associates in connection with what He had given them" to the end of the verse. [919. Qur. 7:189 f. See Tafsir, IX, 99 (ad Qur. 7:190).]

  According to Ibn Waki ' -Ibn Fudayl-Salim b . Abi Hafsah [920. Died about 140/757 [8]. See Tahdhib, III, 433 f.] -Sa'id b . Jubayr, commenting on (the same verse ): " When she became heavy ( with child), they called on God, their Lord" to "And God is above your associating ( others with Him )," as follows: When Eve became heavy with her first pregnancy, Satan came to her before she gave birth , and said : Eve, what is that in your womb ? She said : I do not know. He asked: Where will it come out, from your nose , your eye, or your ear? She again replied: I do not know. He said : Don't you think, if it comes out healthy, you should obey me in whatever I command you ? When she said: Yes, he said : Call him 'Abd al- Harith ! Iblis-May God curse him!-was called al - Harith. She agreed . Afterwards, she said to Adam: Someone came to me in my sleep and told me such- and such. Adam said : That is Satan . Beware of him, for he is our enemy who drove us out of Paradise . Then Iblis-May God curse him!-came to her again and repeated what he had said before , and she agreed. When she gave birth to the child, God brought him out healthy. Yet, she called him 'Abd al-Harith . This is (meant by ) God's word: "They set up for Him associates in connection with what he had given them " to "And God is above your associating ( others with Him). [921. See Tafsir, IX, 100 (ad Qur.7:190).]

  According to Ibn Waki '-Jarir and Ibn Fudayl-'Abd al – Malik [922.'Abd al- Malik b. Abi Sulayman died in 145 / 763. See Tahdhib , VI, 396-98] -Sa'id b . Jubayr : When ( Said) was asked whether Adam associated ( others with God), he replied: God forbid that I should assume Adam did that ! However, when Eve was heavy with child, Iblis came and said to her : Where will this one come out, from your nose, your eye, or your mouth? He thereby caused her to despair because she did not know and was afraid of what was going to happen ). Then he said : Don't you think that , when it comes out perfectly formed-Ibn Waki ' said that In Fudayl added : without harming or killing you -you should obey me ? When she agreed, he said : Call him ' Abd al - Harith, and she did . Jarir added : So Adam's associating ( others with God) was only in the name. [923. See Tafsir, IX,1oo (ad Qur. 7:190).]

  According to Musa b . Harun-'Amr b. Hammad-Asbat-alSuddi : So she-meaning Eve-gave birth to a boy . Iblis came to her and said : Call (pl.) him my servant ('abdi)! If you don 't, I shall kill him . Adam said to him : I obeyed you ( once before), and you caused me to be driven out of Paradise. So he refused to obey him and called the child Abd al- Rahman " Servant of the Merciful One ." Satan-May God curse him!-gained power over the boy and killed him. Eve bore another child , and when she gave birth to it , Satan said : Call him my servant ! If you don't, I shall kill him . Adam said to him ( again ): I obeyed you ( once before), and you caused me to be driven out of Paradise . So he refused and called the boy Salih , [924. The choice of the name results from the use of the adjective snlihan in Qur. 7:190.] and Satan killed him . The third time around, Iblis said to Adam and Eve : If you (pl., want to ) overcome me, call him 'Abd al- Harith ! Iblis' name was al - Harith. He was called Iblis when he was bedeviled (ublisa)-became confused. [925. See above, n. 617.]  This ( is meant by God's word ) where He says : "They set up for him associates in connection with what He had given them"-meaning in connection with the names. [926. See Tafsir, IX, loo (ad Qur. 7:190). Tafsir reads "giving a name."]

  Those who, as I have mentioned, have transmitted ( reports) that some children of Adam and Eve died before them , and the even more numerous transmitters and statements not mentioned by us, contradict the statement of al-Hasan transmitted on his authority that the first person to die was Adam. [927. See above, n. 889.] In addition to giving Adam royal authority and rulership on earth, God made him a prophet and a messenger to his children. He revealed to Adam twenty-one scrolls . Adam was taught them by Jibril and wrote them down with his own hand.

  According to Ahmad b . 'Abd al- Rahman b . Wahb-his paternal uncle [928. See above , nn. 136 and 137.] -al - Midi b. Muhammad [929. Al- Midi died in 183/799. See Tahdhib, X, 2 f.]-Abu Sulayman [930. For 'Alt b. Sulayman (?), see Tahdhib, 328 f. The kunyah Abu Sulayman does not appear in Tahdhib, but the chain of transmitters is identical.] –al Qasim b. Muhammad [931.On the basis of this chain of transmitters , he is given a separate, questionable entry in Tahdhib, VIII, 336 f.]-Abu Idris al-Khawlani [932. Born supposedly in 8/630 , Abe Idris died in 80 /699. See Tahdhib, V, 85-87; EI2, IV, 1135, 8. v. al-Khawlani.] -Abu Dharr al-Ghifari: I entered the mosque and found the Messenger of God sitting there by himself. When I joined him, he said to me: Abu Dharr, there is a greeting for a mosque . It consists of praying two rak'ahs. So, get up and perform them! When I had done so, I sat with him and said: 0 Messenger of God! You have commanded me to pray. But what is prayer? He replied: The best of subjects, whether there is much or little of it. Then (Abu Dharr) mentioned a long story in which he said: I asked the Messenger of God how many prophets there are. He replied: 124,000. He continued: I asked him how many of those were messengers. He replied: Three hundred and thirteen, a large crowd (jamman ghafiran) meaning a good many. He continued. I asked the Messenger of God who the first of them was, and he replied: Adam. He continued. I asked him whether Adam was a prophet sent as a messenger . He replied: Yes, God created him with His own hand and blew some of His spirit into him. Then He immediately fashioned him in perfect shape. [933. Qubulan " in perfect shape" is usually translated " face to face" (above, n. 667, and the next tradition ). See Tabari, Introductio etc., CDXI. For a related tradition of Abu Dharr with a different chain of transmitters, see In Hanbal, V, 178, 179, and 266. On the number of messengers ( 315!, see Muqatil, Tafsir, on Qur. 42:51.]

  According to Ibn Humayd-Salamah-Muhammad b. Ishaq -Ja'far b. al-Zubayr [934. Tahdhib, II, 90-92 , mentions a certain Ja'far b . al-Zubayr as a transmitter of al-Qasim b. 'Abd al- Rahman, but he died in the 1408/757-67 and thus was a contemporary of Ibn Ishaq. Ja'far b . al-Zubayr b. al-'Awwam (Tahdhib, II, 92), the youngest brother of 'Abdallah b. al-Zubayr, would fit chronologically. However, his son Muhammad b. Ja'far b. al-Zubayr b. al-'Awwam, who died in the 110x/728-37 (Tahdhib, IX, 93; Horst, 303, n. 6), usually appears as the authority of Ibn Ishaq. He was a contemporary of al-Qasim who here appears as his authority] -al-Qasim b. 'Abd al-Rahman [935. Al-Qasim b. 'Abd al- Rahman died in the I ros /730-36. See Tahdhib, VIII, 322-24.] –Abu Umamah [936. The identification with the companion of the Prophet, Abu Umamah Sudayy b. Ajlin al-Bahili, seems supported by the addition of the nisbah al-Bahili in text below, I, 2108 , which has, however, a different isnad. It does not seem certain that he is meant here . He died in 81 or 86 /700-5 at the age of ninety-one. See Tahdhib, IV4420 f.; Khalifah , T'abaqat, 46 and 303; Bukhari, Ta'rikh,11,2, 327 f.; Ibn 'Abd al- Barr, Isti'ab, II, 736] -Abu Dharr: I said: 0 Prophet of God! Was Adam a prophet? He replied: Yes, he was, and God spoke to him face to face.

  Among the things God reportedly revealed to Adam was the prohibition against eating dead animals, blood, and pork. He also revealed to him the letters of the alphabet on twenty-one leaves.


Hawa Giving Birth to Seth


  When one hundred and thirty years of Adam's life had passedthat is, five years after Cain had killed Abel-Eve gave birth to Adam's son Seth. The people of the Torah have mentioned that Seth was born without a twin. They explain Seth as "Gift of God," meaning that he was a replacement [937. The similarity of the word khalaf in the meaning of "replacement" to Aramaic hlnp translating Hebrew tahat (Genesis 4:25) is hardly coincidental. For data on Seth in Arabic literature. cf. the unpublished Yale dissertation (1968) of Theodore Gluck, The Arabic legend of Seth, the Father of Mankind.] for Abel.

  According to al-Harith b. Muhammad-Ibn Sa'd-Hisham-his father-Abu Salih-Ibn 'Abbas: Hawa bore Adam Seth and his sister'Azurah. [938. See above, n. 905] He was called "Gift of God," (a name) derived from Abe [939. Hebrew Hebel "Abel" is etymologized as composed of the Aramaic root (y)-h-b "to give " and el "God."] When Eve gave birth to him, Gabriel said to her: This is God's gift in place of Abel. (Seth' s name ) is Shith [940. With a short vowel. The short vowel may represent the Hebrew e. Long n in Shith may indicate long 6. Long i in the "Hebrew" form (which, in fact, is the accepted Arabic form of the name) could represent ay to 9 (l).] in Arabic, Shath in Syriac, and Shith in Hebrew. He was Adam's legatee. On the day Seth was born to him, Adam was one hundred and thirty years old.

  According to Ibn Humayd-Salamah-Muhammad b. Ishaq: Reportedly-God knows best!-when Adam was about to die, he called his son Seth and appointed him his heir. He taught him the hours of night and day and indicated to him how the creatures should worship in each hour. He informed him that each hour had its special kind of creatures to worship in it. Then he said to him: Son, the Flood will be on earth and last seven years. He wrote his last will addressed to him. Seth reportedly was the legatee of his father Adam, so after Adam's death, political leadership fell to him. According to a tradition on the authority of the Messenger of God, God revealed fifty scrolls to Seth.

  According to Ahmad b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Wahb-his paternal uncle-al-Midi b . Muhammad-Abu Sulayman-al-Qasim b. Muhammad-Abu Idris al-Khawlani-Abu Dharr al-Ghifari: I said: O Messenger of God! How many books did God reveal? He replied: One hundred and four. God revealed fifty scrolls to Seth. All the children of Adam today trace their pedigree back to Seth. That is because the offspring of all the other children of Adam except those of Seth have completely disappeared, and not one of them remains . Thus, the pedigrees of all people today go back to Seth.


  The Persians who say that Jayumart is Adam say: Born to Jayumart was his son Mash !, who married his sister Mashyanah [941. The first three paragraphs are translated in Christensen , I, n6, and the rest of the chapter in Christensen, I, 147 f. The forms Mashi and Mashyanah may be the ones intended by Tabari . The text of the Cairo edition has Mashi ( Mishi) and Mishinah . Among Iranian scholars, we find Mashia and Mashiana ( Justi), Mashyay and Mashyinay ( Christensen, II, j67 ), or Masya and Masyani ( Anklesaria). For the variant forms Mari and Mariyinah , see above, n. 91t . For Fravik as the son of Siyamak, see Bundahishn, ed. Justi, ch. 32, ended . Anklesaria, ch.14, pp.132 f., and ch. 35, Pp . 2 92 f. The vocalization and etymology of the other names is quite uncertain. See the listings in justi . Christensen, I, u6 and 121 , attempts no explanation for the names which are attested only in TabarI.For Afri as an element in nomenclature, one may tentatively compare Naveh and Shaked, Amulets, 146 if.]  She bore him his son Siyamak and his daughter Siyami . Born to Siyamak b. Mashi b. Jayumart were his sons Afrawak, Dis, Barasb, Ajwab (Ajrab), and Awrash, and his daughters Afrl, Dadhi, Bari, and Awrashi. The mother of all of them was Siyami, the daughter of Mash!, their father' s sister.

  The Persians mention that the entire earth consists of seven climes. The land of Babil and the regions reachable by people who go there by land or sea constitute a single clime . Its inhabitants are the offspring of the children of Afrawak b. Siyamak and their descendants . The remaining six climes not reachable today by land or sea are ( inhabited by) the offspring of all the other sons and daughters of Siyamak.

  Siyamak's daughter Afri bore her brother Afrawak King Hoshank Peshdadh. It was he who succeeded his grandfather Jayumart as ruler, and he was the first to rule over all the climes. God willing, we shall mention his history when we get to it [942. Tabari seems to refer to text below, 1, 170 ff., unless he has a more general reference in mind (perhaps, to text below, I, 201 ff.).] It is assumed by some(one) that this Oshahanj was the son of Adam's loin by Hawa.

  Hisham al-Kalbi, on his part said, as I was told on his authority: We have heard God knows best!-that the first king to rule the earth was Oshahanj b. Eber b. Shelah b. Arpachshad b. Shem b. Noah [943. See Genesis 10:21-24 and 11:10-14.] He continued. The Persians claim him and assume that he lived two hundred years after Adam's death. He continued. As we have heard, this king lived two hundred years after Noah, but the people of Fars had him living two hundred years after Adam, with no indication of what was before Noah.

  Hisham's statement deserves no consideration, because among the experts in Persian genealogy, King Hoshank is more famous than al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf is among the Muslims [944. The reference to the famous Umayyad governor ( see 612 , 111, 39-43, s. V. al-Hadjdjaj b . Yesuf) seems a bit strange until one realizes that it would have been unsuitable in the context to compare a secular and rather tyrannical ruler with the ancient rulers of Islam.] Every people is more familiar than others with their own forefathers, pedigrees, and accomplishments. With respect to every complex matter, one must have reference to those people who were (directly) involved.

  Some Persian genealogist ( s) assume ( s) that this King Oshahanj Peshdad is Mahalalel, that his father, Frawak, is Mahalalel's father Kenan, that Siyamak is Kenan's father Enosh, that Mash! Is Enosh's father Seth, and that Jayumart is Adam.[ 945. For the Biblical figures, see Genesis 5:1-12.] If this is so, there can be no doubt that Oshahanj was a man in the time of Adam. This is because, as mentioned in the first Book, [946. If the sg. "Book " as in the Cairo edition has the proper support in the manuscript tradition, it may be preferable to the pl . "Books " ( Scriptures) found in the Leiden text.] Mahalalel's mother Dinah, the daughter of Barakil b. Mehujael b. Enoch b. Cain b. Adam, [947. See Genesis 4:17 f. Dinah and Barikil are , of course, not found in Genesis, but they appear as, respectively, wife and father-in-law of Kenan ' s son Mahalalel in jubilees 4:15. See text below, 1, 165] gave birth to him after 395 years of Adam's life had passed. Thus, when Adam died, Mahalalel was 605 years old,  since according to a tradition on the authority of the Messenger of God concerning Adam 's life, Adam lived a thousand years.

  The Persian scholars have assumed that the rule of this Oshahanj lasted forty years. If the genealogists ' statement concerning this king just mentioned by us is as indicated, it is not impossible to say that he became ruler two hundred years after Adam's death.
Adam's Death


  There are differences of opinion as to the duration of Adam's life and how old he was when God took him unto Himself.

  The received reports on the authority of the Messenger of God indicate what I was told by Muhammad b. Khalaf al-'Asgalani-Adam b. Abi Iyas-Abu Khalid Sulayman b. Hayyan-Muhammad b. 'Amr-Abu Salamah-Abu Hurayrahthe Prophet. Also Abu Khalid-al-A'mash-Abu Salih-Abu Hurayrah-the Prophet. Also Abu Khalid-Dawud b. Abi Hindal-Shabi-Abu Hurayrah-the Prophet. Also Abu Khalid-Ibn Abi Dhubab al-Dawsi--Sa'id al-Magburi and Yazid b. HurmuzAbu Hurayrah-the Prophet: God created Adam with His own hand and blew some of His spirit into him. He commanded the angels to prostrate themselves before Adam, and they did. Adam sat down, then sneezed and said: Praise be to God! His Lord said to him: May your Lord show mercy unto you! Go to that multitude of angels and say to them : Peace be upon you! He went and said to them: Peace be upon you! and they responded: And upon you be peace and the mercy of God! Adam then returned to his Lord who said to him: This is your greeting and the greeting for your progeny to use among themselves. [948. The same tradition appears up to this point in text above, 1, 93 f.]

  Then God closed His hand and said to Adam: Pick and choose! Adam said: I choose the right of my Lord. Both His hands are right hands. God opened His hand for him, and behold, there was the picture of Adam and all his progeny, and there was the term of each man written down with God. For Adam, a life of a thousand years had been written down. There were people there crowned by light. When Adam asked his Lord who they were, God replied: They are the prophets and messengers whom I shall send to My servants . Among them, there is a man who is the most luminous of them . However, a life of only forty years was written down for him. Adam asked: 0 my Lord! Why is a life of only forty years written down for this most luminous man among them ? God said: That is what was written down for him. So Adam said : 0 my Lord! Shorten my life by sixty years for him! Now, the Messenger of God said: When God had settled Adam in Paradise and then had cast him down to earth, Adam used to count his days. So, when the Angel of Death came to seize him, Adam said to him: You have come too early, Angel of Death. The Angel of Death replied: I did not. Adam said: Sixty years of my life still remain. The Angel of Death replied: Nothing remains of your life. You asked your Lord to write (those sixty years) down for your son David. Adam replied: I did not . The Messenger of God continued : Adam forgot, and so did his progeny. Adam denied it, and so did his progeny. On that day, God established written documents and commanded (the use of) witnesses. [949. This story argues the need in legal matters for agreements made in writing and duly witnessed because of human forgetfulness and the human propensity to renege on obligations.]

  According to In Sinan-Musa b . Ismail-Hammad b . Salamah -'Ali b. Zayd-Yusuf b. Mihran-Ibn 'Abbas: When the verse of the debt [950. That is, Qur. 2:282.] was revealed, the Messenger of God said: The first to deny ( an obligation ) three times was Adam. When God created him, he rubbed his back and brought forth from it whatever He was going to multiply (dh-r-y1dh-r-') [951. See text above, I, 134.] to the Day of Resurrection . When He started to present them to Adam, Adam saw among them a man who shone. He said: 0 my Lord! Which prophet is this? God replied: This is your son David. Adam said: 0 my Lord! How long is his life? God replied: Sixty years, whereupon Adam said : 0 my Lord ! Give him a longer life! God said: No, unless you take some years of your life and add them to his. Now, Adam's life was one thousand years , and he gave David forty of it. God wrote this down in a document and had the angels witness it. When Adam was about to die and the angels came to him to seize his spirit, he said : Forty years of my life still remain . The angels said: You gave them to your son David. Adam said: No, I did not give him anything. Whereupon God had the document brought down and had the angels produced as witnesses against him. Adam lived a full thousand years ( despite the years he had given away), and David lived a full hundred years.[ 952. See Ibn Hanbal, I, 251 f., 298 f., 371.]

  According to Muhammad b. Sad-his father-his paternal uncle-his father-his father-Ibn'Abbas , commenting on: "And  your Lord took from the backs of the children of Adam their progeny" to "They said: Yes. We (so) testify,"  [953. Qur . 7:172.] as follows: When God created Adam, he rubbed his back and brought forth all his progeny in the shape of tiny ants. He gave them speech, and they talked. "He had them testify against themselves. " [954. Qur . 7:172.] He had light shine forth from one of them. He said to Adam: They are your progeny with whom the covenant has been made that I am their Lord, lest they associate something with Me, and I am obligated to provide for their sustenance . Adam said : Who is the one with the light? and God replied: David. Adam said: 0 my Lord! How long a term have You written down for him? God replied: Sixty years. Adam said: How long a life have You written down for me? and God replied: One thousand years. For every one of your progeny, I have written down how long he will live. Adam said: 0 my Lord! Give David a longer life! God said: The book here is all done, but, if you wish, give him some years from your own life! Adam agreed, although the Pen was dry for all the other of Adam's children. Thus, (God) wrote down for Daud as (an additional) forty years for Adam 's sake. so that David 's term was a hundred years. When Adam had lived 96o years, the Angel of Death came to him. When Adam saw him, he said: Why (have you come)? He replied: You have completed your term. Adam said: I have lived 960 years. Forty still remain . When he said this to the Angel, the Angel replied: I have the information from my Lord. Adam now said : Then go back to your Lord and ask Him! The Angel went back to his Lord, who asked him why (he had come back). The Angel said: 0 my Lord! I have come back to You because I know You hold Adam in such high esteem. God said: Go back and in form him that he gave forty years to his son Daud. [955. See Tafsir, IX, 78 (ad Qur. 7:172).]

  According to Ibn Bashshar -Muhammad b. Jafar-Shu'bah Abu Bishr-Sa'id b . Jubayr, commenting on this verse: "And God took from the backs of the children of Adam their progeny and had them testify against themselves : Am I not your Lord ?"  [956. Qur. 7:172] as follows: He brought them forth from Adam's back and gave Adam a life of one thousand years . He continued. When Adam ' s progeny was presented to him , he saw among them one endowed with light. He wondered about him and asked who he was. God replied: He is Daud. His life has been set at sixty years. Adam thereupon made over to him forty years of his own life. When Adam was about to die, he started to argue with ( the angels) about the forty years. He was told that he had given them to Daud. (A variant reading) is: and he started to argue with ( the angels about the forty years , he was told ... ). [957. See Tafsir, IX, 79 (ad Qur. 7:172; Ibn Khuzaymah, 67.]

  According to Ibn Humayd-Ya'qub (al-Qummi)-Ja'far (b. Abi al-Mughirah)-Said (b. Jubayr), commenting on God's word: "And your Lord took from the backs of the children of Adam their progeny," as follows: He brought forth his progeny from his back looking like tiny ants and presented them to Adam with their names and those of their fathers and their terms . He continued. He presented to Adam the spirit of Daud in a sparkling light, and Adam asked who he was. God replied: He is one of your progeny, a prophet I have created . Adam said : How long is his life? And God replied: Sixty years. Adam said : Add forty years of my life to his! He continued . ( That was when) the pens were still moist and proceeding to write. The (additional) forty were thus set down for Daud. Adam's life was one thousand years. When he completed them except for the forty years, the Angel of Death was sent to him. He said : Adam, I have been commanded to seize you , whereupon Adam said: Do I not have forty more years to live? He continued. The Angel of Death thereupon went back to his Lord and said: Adam claims he has forty (more) years to live, and God said: Inform him that he made them over to his son Daud, while the pens were still moist, so they were set down for Daud. [958. This tradition as well as the following isndd is found in Tafsir, IX, 79 (ad Qur. 7:172)]

  We were told about the same by Ibn Waki'-Abu Dawud Ya'qub-Ja'f ar-Sa'id. It has been mentioned that Adam was ill for eleven days before his death. He made his son Seth his legatee and wrote his last will. Then he handed the document containing his last will to Seth and commanded him to keep it concealed from Cain and his children, because Cain had killed Abel out of envy. That was when Adam singled Abel out for (receiving God's) knowledge. Seth and his children kept concealed the knowledge they possessed, and Cain and his children did not have any knowledge they could use. The people of the Torah assume that Adam lived 930 years. [959. See Genesis 5:5.]

  According to al-Harith-Ibn Sad-Hisham b. Muhammadhis father-Abu Salih-Ibn 'Abbas: Adam lived 936 years. [. 960. Following Wahb b. Munabbih, In Hisham , Tiffin, ig, mentions 930 years in the text, but the manuscripts seem to have 937 (927).] God knows best! The reports received on the authority of the Messenger of God and our early scholars are as I have mentioned. The Messenger of God is the human being who knows best about it.

  The reports received on his authority mention him as saying: Adam lived one thousand years, even after he made over those additional years from his own life to his son Daud. For God gave Adam the full number of years He had (originally) given him, before Adam gave Daud those (forty years). Perhaps, the years that Adam made over to Daud were not included in Adam's life in the Torah. So it was said that he lived 930 years.

  Someone might say: Even if this so (that the Torah did not count those years), and Adam made over forty years of his life to his son Daud, it should be 960 years in the Torah, in order to be in agreement with the reports received on the authority of the Messenger of God. The reply would be: In connection with this subject, we have the tradition of the Messenger of God transmitted by us that it was sixty years of his own life that Adam made over to his son Daud-this is according to Abu Hurayrah's tradition on the Prophet's authority mentioned by us earlier. [961. See text above , I, 156 f. The discussion indicates serious concern with a Biblical statement, even if it does not quite work out.] If this is so, the  assumption made in the Torah about the duration of Adam's life agrees with what we have transmitted in this connection on the authority of the Messenger of God.

  According to Ibn Humayd-Salamah-Ibn Ishaq : After writing his last will, Adam died . The angels assembled at his ( place), because he was the chosen friend (safi) of the Merciful One, and buried him . Seth and his brothers were in the regions east of Paradise at a village that was the first on earth. The sun and the moon were in eclipse for seven days and nights . When the angels assembled for ( Adam ' s burial ), and Seth collected the last will, he placed it upon a ladder ( like that used for the ascent and descent of angels and souls) [962. Doubts about the reading and interpretation of mi'rnj are, however, expressed in Tabari , Introductio etc., CCCLV.] in the company of the generation that our father Adam had brought out from Paradise , so that there would be no neglect with respect to mentioning God.

  According to Ibn Humayd-Salamah-Ibn Ishaq-Yahya b. 'Abbad [963. For Yahya b. 'Abbid and his father ' Abbid b. 'Abdalli h b . al-Zubayr b. al-' Awwim, see Tahdhib, XI, 234 f. and V, 98.] - his father : 'l (Yahya ) heard him ('Abbad) say: I have heard that when Adam died, God sent him his shroud and embalming materials from Paradise . The angels then took charge of his grave and burial and hid him ( from sight).

  According to 'Ali b. Harb [964.Born in 175/December 791, 'Ali b. Harb died in 265 / 879. See TB, XI, 418-20; Tahdhib, VII, 294-96.] -Rawh b . Aslam [965. Rawh b . Aslam is supposed to have died in the first decade of the third century/815-25 . See Tahdhib, III, 291 f] -Hammad b. Salamah-Thabit al-Bunani [966. Thibit b. Aslam al - Bunini died eighty -six years old between 123 and 127/740-45. See Tahdhib, II, 2-4; Khalifah, Tabagat, 214; Sam'ini , Ansab, 1I, 330.]-al – Hasan [967. Al-Hasan al- Basri did not transmit directly from the Prophet.] -the Prophet: When Adam died, the angels washed him separately ( several times) with water and prepared a burial site for him. They said : This ( shall be) Adam 's custom among his children.

  According to In Humayd-Salamah-Ibn Ishaq-al-Hasan b. Dhakwan [968. See Tahdhib, III, 276 f] -al-Hasan b. Abi al-Hasan (al-Basri )-Ubayy b. Kali,-the Messenger of God: Your father Adam was as tall as a very tall palm, that is, sixty cubits ( 30 meters ). He had much hair,  and his privy parts ('awrah) were concealed . When he committed the sin (of eating from the forbidden tree), his secret parts became apparent to him. He fled about in Paradise, but a tree encountered him and seized him by his forelock. His Lord called out to him: (Are you) in flight from Me, Adam? Adam replied: No, by God, 0 my Lord, but I feel shame before You because of the crime I have committed. God cast him down to earth. When he was about to die, God sent him his embalming materials and shroud from Paradise. When Eve saw the angels, she went in to Adam in order to prevent them from entering (dunahum). Adam said: Leave me and the messengers of my Lord alone! It was you who caused the experience I suffered, and it was in connection with you that the misfortune befell me. When Adam was dead, the angels washed him separately (several times) with sidr and water and dressed him in separate layers of shrouds. [969. Sidr is said to be crushed lotus leaves mixed with water to serve as a perfuming agent. The proper procedures of washing a corpse successively with water, sidr, and camphor and the use of several Iarments as shrouds are discussed at length in the Prophetic traditions. See also EI , II, 441 f., s. v. djanaza.] Then they prepared a grave and buried him. They then said: This (shall be) the custom of the children of Adam after him.

  According to Ahmad b. al-Miqdam [970. Ahmad b. al-Migdam died in 253/867. See TB, V, 162-66, Tahdhib, I, 81 f. As is clear from the dates of his authorities, he lived into his nineties. He himself is credited with the statement that he was born two years before the death of Abu Ja'far, apparently the caliph al-Mansur, thus in 773.] -al-Mu'tamir b. Sulayman-his father, or supposedly Qatadah-a colleague of hisUbayy b. Kab-the Messenger of God: Adam was a man as tall as a very tall palm.

  According to al-Harith b. Muhammad-Ibn Sad-Hisham-his father-Abu Salih-Ibn 'Abbas: When Adam died, Seth said to jibril: Pray for Adam! Gabriel replied: You go and pray for your father and say Allahu akbaru for him thirty times, five as (part of the prescribed) prayer and the other twenty-five as a special honor for Adam! There are differences of opinion about the location of Adam's grave. What Ibn Ishaq said, has already been mentioned [971. See text above, I, 161?] Someone else said: He was buried in Mecca in the cave of Abu Qubays. It is a cave called Treasure Cave. [972. Abu Qubays is one of the Meccan hills, see E12 , I, 136, a. v. Abu Kubays. The Treasure Cave in Abu Qubays is mentioned in Yiqut, Mu'jam, III, 769, s. v. ghar, as a place where Adam deposited his books. For the Treasure Cave of  the holy mountain as the burial place of Adam and Eve and his early descendants, see Schatzhohle, text, 38-42, trans ., 9 f. In Ya qubi's Ta'rikh, I, 3-14, it plays a large role, as does the subsequent fate of Adam 's corpse, presumably following some recension of the Schatzh6hle literature.]

  On this subject, there is a report transmitted on the authorit of Ibn 'Abbas that I was told by al-Ilarith-Ibn Sa'd-Hishamhis father-Abu Salih-Ibn 'Abbas: When Noah left the ark, [973. While " ark" is a special term which has been associated in our usage with Noah's ark , Arabic uses ordinary words for ship or boat . See below, n. 1071.] he (re) buried Adam in Jerusalem.

  Adam's death took place on Friday. We have mentioned the relevant traditions earlier and would not like to repeat them here. [974. See text above, I, III]' On this subject, we have the following report transmitted on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas which I was told by al-HarithIbn Sad-Hisham b. Muhammad-his father-Abu Salih-Ibn 'Abbas: Adam died upon (Mount) Nudh-Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: This refers to the mountain upon which he was cast down. [975. See above, n. 788.] It has been mentioned that Eve lived one year after Adam's death. Then she died. She was buried together with her spouse  in the mentioned cave . That place remained the grave of Adam and Hawa until the Flood. Noah then took them out, placed them in a coffin , and carried them along in the ark . When the earth had soaked up the water, he returned them to the place where they had been before the Flood. As mentioned, Eve spun, wove, kneaded, baked, and did all kinds of women's work.

(From Seth to Mahalalel)


    We have mentioned the history of Adam and his enemy Iblis and what God did with Iblis when he became tyrannical and overbearing and rebelled against his Lord , then insolently spurned the favor shown him by God, persisted in his ignorance and perversity and asked his Lord for postponement, and He granted him postponement "to the day of the known moment." [976. Qur. 15:38 and 38:81 and the context of the verses.] (We have also mentioned) what God did with Adam, how He hastened His punishment of him for his sin and for having forgotten God's covenant, and then covered him with His outstanding mercy, since Adam repented his slip, and forgave and guided him and saved him from error and perdition. Let us now return to the history of Cain and the history of his children and that of Seth and his children. God willing, we shall mention both the followers of Adam's way and the party of Iblis and imitators of his errors who proceeded along the path of either Adam or Iblis, and (we shall mention) what God did with each group.

  We already mentioned some matters pertaining to Seth, such as that he was the legatee of his father Adam among those left behind by Adam after his passing. We mentioned as well that a number of scrolls was revealed to him by God. [977. See text above, 1, 153.]

  Seth reportedly stayed in Mecca performing the pilgrimage (hajj) and the lesser pilgrimage ('umrah) until he died. He added the scrolls revealed by God to him to those of his father Adam and acted in accordance with their contents. He built the Kabah with stones and clay.

  Our early scholars, however, have said that the dome that God made for Adam where the House is located remained (as it was) to the days of the Flood. God lifted it up when He sent the Flood. [978. See text above, I,122. "Dome" iqubbah) is also "dome shaped tent."] When Seth fell ill, he reportedly appointed his son Enosh as his legatee. He then died and was buried together with his parents in the cave of Abu Qubays. He was born after 235 years of Adam's life had passed, [979. As in the Bible, the figure is usually 130 years. See text above, 1, 153.] and he died at the age of 912 years." [980. Genesis 5:8.] As is assumed by the people of the Torah, Enosh was born to Seth after 605 years of his life had passed. [981. Genesis 5:6 has 105, as in the next tradition; LXX has 205. The reference of "his" cannot be to Adam.]

  Ibn Ishaq, in turn, said as we were told by Ibn HumaydSalamah b. al-Fadl-(Ibn Ishaq): Adam's son Seth married his sister, Adam's daughter Hazurah [982. See above, n. 905.] She bore him his son Yanish and his daughter Na'mah. [983. In jubilees 4:13, her name is Noam. See Fraade, Enosh, 18. Naamah appears as the name of Tubal-cain's sister in Genesis 4:22. Yanish for Enosh is unusual and possibly results from some misunderstood Aramaic spelling tthe letter' spelled y in Christian Palestinian Aramaic?)] Seth was 105 years old at the time.