At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Global / Diaspora
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Summary
Sha'rawi holds that the plural address in the verse on creation shows that Adam's descendants were latent in his loins at creation, and that all of them were in him 1.
Continuity of life
The prostration to the descendants
He holds that the angels prostrated to Adam and to his descendants until the Hour, because the descendants were latent in his loins, and that the verse adds a new part to the account of creation 2.
Not yet checked
This is Sha'rawi's reading. His remarks on cells and molecules are not to be treated as scientific findings until checked against named sources. No academic or other tafsir reading is set out here and none is checked.
Opinions on the question
The question: Did the descendants exist in Adam before their creation, and how is the continuity of life from Adam to be understood?
First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference
The descendants were latent in Adam, and life has continued from him to the Day of Resurrection
Held by: Muhammad Mutawalli al-Sha'rawi
More opinions (2)
Academic viewSecondary opinion
A scientific or historical reading of the continuity of life is not yet added
Other viewOther opinion
Another tafsir reading is not yet added
People and things also explored
Cosmic signs, miracles and the Qur'an as sign· Reflection on God's signs in creation· The signs in the human being (ayat al-insan)· The world's createdness or eternity· The human khilafa (stewardship) on earth
Sources
- Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.239
- Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.240
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Adam's descendants latent in him”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/dhurriyyat-adam-fi-zahrih/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.