How Is Man Khalifa Over Ghayb (The Unseen): “And when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am about to place a viceroy in the earth, they said: Wilt thou place therein one who will do harm therein and will shed blood, while we, we hymn Thy praise and sanctify Thee? He said: Surely I know that which ye know not.”(2:30)
The significance of this verse doesn’t lie in the fact the Angels objected to man being placed on earth but that He would be made Allah’s khalifa over it, because the Angels in charge of ghayb, the unseen world, would now be made to follow the lead of the ones in charge of earth. We can see this is what Allah intended from the fact that the Angels didn’t simply say man would cause bloodshed and isn't fit to be on earth, but they continued with the objection and said we are better than Him as custodians of the earth, “while we, we hymn Thy praise and sanctify Thee?” the response was personal to them and their role on earth saying they are better than man in this place, which tells us man’s khalifa of the earth would be in the spiritual domain as well.
So Allah set about to reassure them that man was capable of being in charge of the spiritual domain by showing them Adam (as), the first man, and through Him what mankind is capable of.
“And He taught Adam all the names, then showed them to the angels, saying: Inform Me of the names of these, if ye are truthful.”(2:31)
Mankind has the same physiology and Allah placed in Adams heart the names of all things, and so because this was how Allah reassured the Angels about the whole of mankind, this means mankind would also benefit from what Allah gave Adam (as) as His descendants, if they could be reassured with Adam then too with mankind since the claim of bloodshed and aggression was not against Adam (as) but the rest of mankind.
Allah before showing them the first man challenged the Angels to see if they could know what is in the universe better than Adam and ultimately mankind, both in the seen and unseen domain (which is indicated in a later verse).
“They said: Glory be to Thee! we have no knowledge but that which Thou hast taught us; surely Thou art the Knowing, the Wise.”(2:32)
The Angels couldn’t name anything they had not seen before or had experience with, to understand the significance of this we have to know the nature of the Angels, because any human can say like the Angels I can’t name anything I have not see before, so then how does Allah giving one prophet (as) the names of all things prove that mankind is fit for the khalifa on earth.
This isn't as hard a question as it may seem because the answer in part lies in the nature of the test Allah set for the Angels, but ultimately one must also know about the Angels themselves. Most know the Angels don’t have freewill/choice while man does, when this is looked at with understanding we will see that Allah didn’t take their ability to choose from them, Angels can make choices like any other creature Allah created but the nature of the place they exist in ghyab (the unseen) and the bodies of light Allah gave them, doesn’t allow them to have much choice.
Our freewill and choice comes from the nature of our heart and physical physiology which allows it, the Angels have bodies entirely made of light (photons) and so subatomic particles like light follow the subatomic forces of the universe (the laws of quantum mechanics) very closely with little buffer between the Angels and the forces that shape the universe which are powerful.
To mankind the bodies of the Angels are the equivalent of the light Allah placed in our heart, Angels are entirely made of light while man isn’t, and so on top of that light Allah gave man a physical body that is almost free from the laws of quantum mechanics (the laws and forces of subatomic space), because these laws and forces only work on subatomic particles while to our bodies we see them as influences in our life responsible for our spirituality and not things that run it.
But to Angels they don't have enough freedom in the choices they make because they act closely within the forces that shape the universe, this is the essence of mans freedom his physical nature affords him the most freedom of all creatures Allah created but the least power.
So the heart of the Angels experiences less freedom than mans, but at the same time they are closer to Allah than any other creature and have little veils between them and Allah, which is an immense source for power and happiness, so they don’t tire or fatigue mentally.
As the scholars understood and explained, because of their nature Angels don’t dream of distant things or have an imagination that takes them elsewhere, both of these things for man are his ability to sense the spiritual world and because Angels live there they are not in need of dreams or an imagination, they only know what they experience directly and this is the crux of the matter, of the example Allah was setting in front of them.
“And He taught Adam all the names, then showed them to the angels, saying: Inform Me of the names of these, if ye are truthful. They said: Glory be to Thee! we have no knowledge but that which Thou hast taught us; surely Thou art the Knowing, the Wise. He (Allah) said: O Adam! inform them of their names.”(2:31-33)
Insha Allah the nature of the question and the response given should be a lot more clearer after understanding that, man both dreams and has an imagination which the scholars called mans inner or spiritual sight, when this is purified by purifying the heart this is his window to his soul and as Imam Al Ghazali explained the inner sight must see absolutely truthfully, like the Angels sight, of what is there in the unseen world.
“And He taught Adam all the names…He (Allah) said: O Adam! inform them of their names. Then when he had informed them of their names, He said: Did I not say to you that I surely know what is ghayb (unseen) in the heavens and the earth and (that) I know what you manifest and what you hide? (2:33)
The Angels who could not name anything they had not seen or experienced before now saw that Adam could name things in the unseen world (ghayb) He had no experience with or seen before. Allah was teaching the Angels about what mans heart can do, it can be inspired to know things it had not seen before, and this is the nature of the revelations that Allah gave to each prophet (as), along with the inspiration He placed in the hearts of His saints and the guidance Allah gives to each believer, meaning a person who lets Allah guide his heart by doing acts that purify it.
The Angels learnt for the first time that Mans heart can be spoken to by them and given knowledge of anything in the universe and this was the reason why He would be made Khalifa of the earth in every respect, physical and spiritual, and the Angels would have to follow His lead on earth because of it.
The Prophet (saws) said “In the nations before you were people who were spoken to (muhaddathun) though they were not prophets. If there is anyone in my Community, it is `Umar ibn al Khattab” (Bukhari, Muslim) Ibn Wahb explained "spoken to" as meaning "inspired" (mulhamun)," and this is the majority's opinion according to Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (7:62:#3689) who adds "spoken to" means "by the angels."
Earth was mans domain now, both physical and spiritual, and the Angels would be asked to learn from him, “Did I not say to you that I surely know what is ghayb (unseen) in the heavens and the earth” and mankind would also come to know these things even if they reside on earth and never travel the universe to see them.
Adam had lived in Jannah but mankind had not and so Allah was teaching the Angels that mankind would know about the unseen world (ghayb) through inspiration placed in their hearts.
“and (that) I know what you manifest and what you hide” Allah here is referring to the work of the Angels in the unseen, the unseen being the context of the prior statement. What they manifest are the things Angels bring from the unseen world to earth, it makes better sense if we say from the subatomic world to the physical world beocuse this has to do with every living things reliance on the subatomic world, which is related to baraka we receive in life.
What you hide means what is taken deeper into the unseen (the subatomic), and that refers to the things Angels put a distance between it and the physical world.
All of this is talking about the qualities we see or don't see in things Allah created (we usually say "their is something about this thing", or "I have a feeling about this"), which the Angels make apparent or hide from people as either guidance or punishment.
Allah is telling the Angels that man would have influence over this as well by making it part of the example He is setting for them.
After Allah conclusively taught the Angels about the nature of man’s heart and what He will impact on earth He asked them to prostrate to Adam, the prostration in this context means follow His lead with Iman (faith), this is the meaning of this kind of prostration, it means you may not see where everything is coming from in the universe but have faith in what you see with him and learn from it.
Allah through man would teach the Angels about everything in the universe so they would know it completely before the end and in the next world they will act in it with complete knowledge and experience of what had created, which all of creation will benefit from at that time.
“In time We shall make them (man) fully understand Our messages [through what they perceive] in the utmost horizons [of the universe] and within themselves [the microscopic and subatomic], so that it will become clear unto them that this [revelation] is indeed the truth.” [Qur'an 41:53]
Before this promise mankind did not have knowledge of the universe and before them neither did the Angels, but through man Allah would bring the far reaches of the universe in front of them to learn from;
The Prophet (saws) said: "Utitu mafatiha kulli shay'in illa al-khams”, “I was given the keys to everything, except the five”.
But unfortunately this event in Adam’s life was also the point in time when Iblis (Allah’s curse be upon him) learnt He could whisper to man’s heart which caused Him to become Arrogant thinking He could dominate Adam, so why should He prostrate or follow Him, 'I can tell Him what to think He should be following me';
“And when We said unto the angels: Prostrate yourselves before Adam, they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. He demurred through pride, and so became a disbeliever.” (2:34)
يَٰـأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱعْبُدُواْ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
There are many different Translations and Tafsir’s to this verse some right some wrong but all are incomplete.
“O MANKIND! Worship your Sustainer, who has created you and those who lived before you, so that you might remain conscious of Him.”
“O mankind! worship your Lord, Who hath created you and those before you, so that ye may ward off (evil).”
“O ye people! Adore your Guardian-Lord, who created you and those who came before you, that ye may have the chance to learn righteousness;”
“O people of Mecca worship profess the oneness of your Lord Who created you made you when you were nothing and created those that were before you; so that you may be fearful of His punishment by worshipping Him la‘alla ‘so that’ is essentially an optative but when spoken by God it denotes an affirmative.” (Tafsir Al Jalalayn)
You will usually find in translations and tafsir’s at the end of the verse the subject of the verse is neglected, that is, the reason why Allah created mankind which is the aim of the verse.
Some translate this verse to say Allah’s aim in creating mankind is so that they fear him, which is the wrong use of the word Taqwa, fear does not lead anywhere let alone closeness to Allah.
Fear is the lowest form of awareness it is the thing used when a person is incapable of functioning properly, fear is useless when you are already doing the right thing, while Taqwa the word used at the end of the verse is the highest form of awareness it means with your certitude (Yaqeen) of Allah you are able to overcome any obstacle in life because you know Him.
“Lo! verily the friends of Allah are (those) on whom fear (cometh) not, nor do they grieve?” (10:62)
Fear of Allah is not what is driving you but knowing, Maarifah, sight of His presence. Understanding this you then see that in the verse Allah is saying something immense regarding the aim of mans creation.
The verse is an argument meant to persuade you as to why you should worship Him; “O MANKIND! Worship your Sustainer, who has created you and those who lived before you, so that you might reach Him (reach the highest place with Him).”
Allah is saying He created man to learn taqwa, learn the Yaqeen that can overcome hardship, because that is the quality that will help man surpass all His other creatures, the maarifah that comes from it is the thing that gives man His place in the universe.
Angels can’t have experience with the same Taqwa as man, they only learn it from their struggles in their place of existence but man learns from the Taqwa that is taken from earth where they do not reside or have Maarifah.
What is the difference between the two? because of of this the Angels can only ever see an aspect or sliver of Allah’s face at a time, while man sees Allah’s face in a complete way.
This is something Rasul Allah (saws) taught us about Angels, the Angels of mercy can only have taqwa with mercy and only see Allah’s face of Mercy, the higher Angels who encompass more and are like man in their complete sight are still limited to the spiritual qualities and lack Maarifah with the physical struggles of life on earth and the Qualities gained from them.
If Angels never tire how can they know the qualities that relate to tiredness and the salam (peace) that comes from relief, and so they are limited in what they are able to see of Allah because Allah says He is Salam and all Salam is from Him.
“Allahumma Antas-Salamu wa minkas-Salamu, tabarakta ya dhal-jalali wal-Ikram.”
“Allah, You are the Perfect Peace and peace comes from you. Blessed are You, O Owner of majesty and honour.”
Because of this Angels are missing out on the realty of this dua for example and every Quality that is mentioned in it; Allah’s complete face turned towards you in complete and perfect Salam, Salam in its perfect form, the type of Tabaruk that comes from it and Control (Taali) of Majesty and Honour relating to it, which are all tied together in their existence since they are mentioned together.
Man who combines the two, both spiritual and physical struggles (Taqwa) gains the full spectrum of qualities and so man gains the ability to see all things in a complete form while Angels only ever see partially, this is the difference between the sight of Angels and man.
This is the greatness of this verse, this is how Allah is honoring man in the argument He is placing in front of people as to why you should make the effort of worshiping Him, this is what Allah is trying to persuade you with.
If you don’t understand what Allah is placing in front of you then you end up seeing the verse as just another verse, no verse is just another rather your understanding of every verse is lacking.
Allah each time is saying something immense but you do not see, here Allah is saying He created us to learn this taqwa so we can surpass all other creatures and gain the sight to see His complete face.
Why stay something lowly when the hight of creation is placed at your feet, you just have to walk and have taqwa while doing so.
Shaykh Rami Al Rifai.