Did Adam live in the Heavens?

Did Adam live on the earth or in the heavens? What was the clothing that was removed from Adam? Is our origin from this earth alone, or are we heavenly? The story of Adam and Eve in paradise is well known. However, not much detail is available on this topic.

Here are the excerpts from the book ‘They Ask You About the Spirit” on the same:

The Quranic text is clear: Adam and Eve were created and initially lived in the paradise of the first heaven, which is a temporal paradise, but not on the earth. Rather, it is in the first heaven : the world of souls. The Almighty said, {We said, “O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in paradise and eat therefrom in abundance from wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers”} Quran Chapter “The Cow” 2:35.
And the Almighty said, {“O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers”} Quran Chapter “The Heights” 7:19.

The Almighty also said, {So We said, “O Adam, indeed this is an enemy to you and to your wife. Then let him not remove you from paradise so you would suffer. ✶ Indeed, you will not be hungry therein or be unclothed. ✶ And indeed, you will not be thirsty therein or be hot from the sun.” ✶ Then Satan whispered to him; he said, “O Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of eternity and possession that will not deteriorate?” ✶ Adam and his wife ate of it, their shame became apparent to them, and they began to fasten the leaves of paradise over themselves. And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred} Quran Chapter “Ta Ha” 20:117-121.

The verses are clear: Adam pbuh was not earthly. He was not created on the earth to begin with. Instead, he was created in paradise, in the first heaven, which is not the eternal paradise: {Then let him not remove you from paradise so you would suffer}. This paradise Adam was created in is not like the earth where the human being can become hungry, unclothed, thirsty,
visible, or harmed by the sun and the weather if he does not work and collect fruit, or plant and hunt, or raise animals, and take precautions to prevent harm. Therefore, it is something other than earthly.

Let us examine the distinct condition of Adam in these verses and whether or not it concurs with the condition of the earth and the bodies therein. The body of the earthly human, unless partially covered by clothes, is revealed, and it is certainly seen by him and others. If Adam had been wearing earthly clothes, they would not vanish once he disobeyed God. If Adam and Eve were on the earth and unclothed from the beginning, they would have noticed their condition then, rather than after the disobedience . If they were wearing clothes on the earth, the clothing would not vanish from their bodies just due to disobedience.

Therefore, the issue is not earthly, and neither is the story. As told by God in the Quran, it does not correspond with the condition of the earth and the people in it. However, if Adam and Eve had be en in the temporal paradise in the first heaven during the disobedience, it would have been natural for the shame to become apparent to them only when they disobeyed, and
not before. This is because the clothing that conceals the shame is the clothing of piety that is worn by the soul as a natural result of obeying God and opposing the desires and Satan. The clothing of piety is of greater importance and better than bodily clothing, because God looks at
the soul and spirit of the human being and what it wears, rather than the body of the human and what is covering it.

{O Children of Adam! We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your
shame, and as an adornment. But the clothing of piety, that is the best. That is from the signs of God, perhaps they will remember} Quran Chapter “The Heights” 7:26.

With disobedience, this clothing is removed and the shame of the human being is exposed before his Lord. In other words, Adam and Eve pbut were wearing clothes in paradise from the beginning. They were wearing the clothing of piety, and then it was removed from them. It is not that they were naked in the beginning and their initial condition was revealed to them. What was actually revealed to them was their condition after disobedience and the removal of the clothing of piety.

{“O Children of Adam! Do not let Satan tempt you as he removed your parents from paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their shame. Indeed, he and his tribe see you from where you do not see them. We have made the satans supporters of those who do not believe”} Quran Chapter “The Heights” 7:27.

The verse clearly states that the clothing of Adam was removed from him because of his disobedience. {Do not let Satan tempt you as he removed your parents from paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their shame}. This clothing was returned by seeking forgiveness: {Their shame became apparent to them, and they began to fasten the leaves of
paradise over themselves}.

The verses clearly show that the fall of Adam pbuh and Eve, from the temporal paradise in the first heaven to the earth, cannot be said to be a fall from a paradise on this earth to the earth. {We said, “Go down from it, all of you; and when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance, there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.”}.

Therefore, it is a fall from the first heaven to the physical heaven, and to the earth specifically.

This is the story of the creation of Adam pbuh from the wet clay that was raised to the first heaven and had the spirit breathed into it. Adam was created in the temporal paradise that is in the first heaven. Thus, we are heavenly, and our souls were created from the spirit breathed into the raised wet clay in order for us to be tested on this earth, and for the souls to be able to connect with the earthly bodies that are the expanse in which the soul is tested in this physical, material world.

Click here to read more about the origin of creation and the reality of human soul in the book “They Ask You About the Spirit”.