Humans At Time Of Adam عليه السلام
Quran is very clear about two things: First, The difference between an animal and a human being is this process of ‘Nafkh-e-ruh’: وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ. وَالْجَآنَّ خَلَقْنَاهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ مِنْ نَّارِ السَّمُومِ. وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلاَئِكَةِ إِنِّیْ خَالِقٌ بَشَرًا مِّنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ. فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيْهِ مِنْ رُّوحِیْ فَقَعُوْا لَهُ سَاجِدِيْنَ. [These are the people who have been lured by Iblis. Remind them that] We created human beings with a stinking mud that rings and before this created the jinn from the flame of fire. And remind them when your Lord said to the angels: “I am creating a human being from stinking mud that rings. So, when I complete it from every aspect and blow My spirit into Him , all of you prostrate before him. (15:26-29) Secondly, Quran has also made it clear that male and female human beings both were created from one soul and the actual human race that we see today scattered from that single pair: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاء وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا You people! Have fear of your Lord, who created you from a single soul and from its genre He created its spouse, and through these two scattered many men and women [in the earth] . Fear God, in whose name you plead with one another, and fear breaking blood relations. Indeed, God is ever-watching you. (4:1) . The population of this animalistic genus from whom Adam and Eve were chosen, could’ve lived on but died away along the years.
Is it plausible that apes and humans have a common ancestor that was the humanoids before the time of Adam عليه السلام (the blowing of the ruh)
There is definitely a distinction in species both before and after Nafkh-e-ruh, and both of them must’ve lived parallel to each other for quite some time. Also there was a time when the primitive animalistic specie of humans went through evolution (tasfiya) to eventually reach a point where they were perfect for the final blow of ruh. So in loose terms, you can say that the chain of species that happened between primitive animalistic specie of humans to their final form could be categorized as being offshoots of a common ancestor.
Great discussion. I agree with Shoaib Ahmad’s conclusion. It seems logical.
Also I see one issue with this idea. Because 4:1 says ‘created its mate from it’. How would a cell producing asexually have a mate? Unless it means ‘from the same species’