Abu Huraira reported that God’s messenger told of Adam and Moses holding a disputation in their Lord’s presence and of Adam getting the better of Moses in argument. Moses said, “You are Adam whom God created with His hand, into whom He breathed of His spirit, to whom He made the angels do obeisance, and whom He caused to dwell in His garden; then because of your sin you caused mankind to come down to the earth.” Adam replied, “And you are Moses whom God chose to deliver His messages and to address, to whom He gave the tablets on which everything was explained, and whom He brought near as a confidant. How long before I was created did you find that God has written the Torah?” 1 Moses said, “Forty years.” Adam asked, “Did you find in it, ‘And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred’?” 2 On being told that he did, he said, “Do you then blame me for doing a deed which God had decreed that I should do forty years before He created me?” God’s messenger said, “So Adam got the better of Moses in argument.” Muslim transmitted it.1 At-Taurat, a general name for the first five books of the Old Testament.2 These words are in Quran, xx, 121.
Theological Commentary on Predestination and Free Will
This profound narration from Sahih Muslim addresses the delicate balance between divine decree (qadar) and human responsibility. The disputation between Adam and Moses represents two perspectives: Moses emphasizes human accountability for actions, while Adam demonstrates how divine preordainment operates within human choice.
Scholarly Analysis of the Argument
Classical scholars explain that Adam's victory in argument stems from his understanding that God's eternal knowledge encompasses all events before their occurrence. The forty years reference indicates God's timeless knowledge, not a temporal measurement in human terms.
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani notes this hadith establishes that God's decree does not negate human responsibility, but rather encompasses it within His perfect knowledge. The sinner remains accountable while recognizing events unfold according to divine wisdom.
Spiritual Lessons from the Dialogue
Al-Nawawi emphasizes this narration teaches humility in theological debates and recognizes the depth of divine wisdom beyond human comprehension. Both prophets spoke truth, yet Adam's argument revealed a deeper dimension of divine decree.
The dialogue demonstrates how righteous predecessors engaged in scholarly discourse with respect while seeking truth, providing a model for Islamic intellectual tradition where knowledge is pursued with humility and reverence.