Some may have heard of the jolly green giant but may be oblivious of another giant, one who was of ruddy complexion. According to the supposedly authentic sunni reports attributed to Muhammad, Adam was actually 90 feet tall when Allah created him. Muhammad further taught that Adam’s initial offspring were also 90 feet tall but started gradually shrinking overtime.
The following post is taken from Islam Question & Answer (IslamQA): How Tall Was Adam? All emphasis is mine.
How Tall Was Adam?
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Publication: 28-02-2003
Views: 245550
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Question
In saheeh al-Bukhari hadith No. 246, Prophet Muhammad states that Adam was created 30m in height. I cannot understand and imagine this, can you please explain this to me?
Summary of answer
1- A Muslim is obliged to believe in every idea for which there is evidence in the Quran or the Sunnah. 2- The basic principle is to accept the absolute power of Allah. 3- Allah created Adam and he was sixty cubits tall. For more, please see the detailed answer.
Answer
ContentsRelated
- How tall was Adam (peace be upon him)?
- Is belief in the unseen an article of faith?
- Belief in the Omnipotence of Allah
Praise be to Allah.
How tall was Adam?
This hadith was narrated by Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet who said:
“Allah created Adam and he was sixty cubits tall. Then He said, ‘Go and greet those angels and listen to how they greet you, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your progeny.’ He said, ‘Al-salamu ‘alaykum (Peace be upon you).’ They said, ‘Al-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allah (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah).’ So they added the words ‘wa rahmat Allah.’ And everyone who enters Paradise will be in the form of Adam. People kept on growing smaller until now.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 3336; Muslim, 7092)
According to a version narrated by Muslim: “Everyone who enters Paradise will be in the form of Adam who was sixty cubits tall. People kept growing smaller until now.”
With regard to the words of the Prophet, “People kept growing smaller until now,” al-Hafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Bari (6/367): “This means that in every generation people grew shorter than the previous generation, and continued to grow shorter until the time of this ummah, then they stayed like that.”
The Muslim is obliged to believe in every idea for which there is evidence in the Quran or sahih Sunnah from the Messenger of Allah. Imam al-Shafi’i said: “I believe in Allah and in that which came from Allah in the sense meant by Allah. I believe in the Messenger of Allah and in what came from the Messenger of Allah in the sense meant by the Messenger of Allah.” See al-Irshad Sharh Lam’at al-I’tiqad, p. 89.
So the believer is required to believe with firm faith in everything that we are told by Allah and by the Prophet, if it is proven to be soundly reported from him. He must believe in it with firm faith that leaves no room for the slightest doubt. He must accept it in general and specific terms, whether he understands it or not and whether he finds it strange or not, because not understanding something that is proven in a sound report does not mean that it did not happen. All that means is that he cannot comprehend this particular issue. Allah has commanded us to believe in everything that He tells us and everything that His Prophet tells us. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Only those are the believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and afterward doubt not but strive with their wealth and their lives for the Cause of Allah. Those! They are the truthful” [al-Hujurat 49:15]
Is belief in the unseen an article of faith?
Part of faith is belief in the unseen (al-ghayb). The hadith we are discussing here comes under this heading. Allah praises those who believe in the unseen, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Alif-Lam-Mim. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Quran and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings.]
This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun [the pious believers of Islamic Monotheism who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)].
Who believe in the Ghayb[the unseen].” [al-Baqarah 2:1-3]
Belief in the Omnipotence of Allah
You should note that Allah is Able to do all things. Just as He is able to create man in the form that he appears in now, He is also able to create man in a larger or smaller form.
If this is difficult for you to understand, then think of the dwarves that we see, who are child-sized men. If this can happen, then why could the opposite not happen, namely a man being sixty cubits tall? In the history of mankind there have been giants as the archaeologists tell us.
The basic principle here is to accept the absolute power of Allah and to accept what He tells us and what His Messenger tells us, and to say what those who are well versed in knowledge say:
“We believe in it; the whole of it (clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord.” [Al ‘Imran 3:7 – interpretation of the meaning].
We ask Allah to show us the truth as true and help us to follow it, and to show us falsehood as false and help us to avoid it.
For more about some issues related to Prophet Adam, please see these answers: 8492 , 20652 , 4622 , and 170025 .
And here’s another IslamQA post on this issue:
Man was created tall then he kept getting shorter until now
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Publication: 24-03-2002
Views: 38898
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Question
Was man short at the time of Adam then he gradually grew taller, or was it the other way round? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer
Praise be to Allah.
Allah created Adam sixty cubits tall, then mankind gradually grew shorter until they stopped and remained as they are now. The evidence for that in the Sunnah is the hadeeth of the Prophet: “Allah created Adam sixty cubits tall, then mankind kept getting shorter until now.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3326; Muslim, 2841). Ibn Abi Haatim narrated with a hasan isnaad from Ubayy ibn Ka’b that the Prophet said: “Allah created Adam a tall man with a lot of hair on his head, as if he were a tall palm tree.”
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari:
“‘Mankind kept getting shorter until now’ means that each generation grew shorter than the generation before, and that decrease in height ended with this ummah, and that is how they stayed.”
Conveniently, IslamQA do not quote Ibn Hajar’s candid admission that Muhammad’s claim that Adam was created 90 feet tall was a problematic issue that he did not know how to explain:
“What is problematic here is what is observable today of the archaeological remains of previous nations, such as those of Thamud, since the size of their houses does not give the impression that they were exceptionally tall, as this would imply. Furthermore, it is obvious that they lived a long, long time ago, and the time between them and Adam was less than the time between them and those at the beginning of this nation. To date, I have not been able to explain this problem.” (Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Fath al Bari) (Man was created tall then he kept getting shorter until now.; emphasis mine)
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