I Speak, Therefore I am Adam: The Question of Language and Becoming Human in the Qur'ān

Abstract

Abstract:This article investigates the centrality of language in the Qur'ānic story of Adam as a human being or insān. Based on the Qur'ān's view of human creation, Adam emerges as a creature who is uniquely capable of naming things. Analyzing the semantic difference between the two key concepts of insān and bashar, I argue that the human being as khalīfa is the "successor" to non-speaking creatures rather than a successor to God, as is commonly understood. The appearance of the concept of insān in the Qur'ānic model of creation refers primarily to the creation of a speaking animal. Hence, the Qur'ānic use of the term khalīfa should also be seen as signifying an evolutionary stage in humanity's social life on earth rather than providing the basis for a political institution. Understanding the concept of khalīfa in the light of the human acquisition of language instead of mastery over God's earthly creation leads to a fundamentally different picture of political sovereignty in Islam from that held by proponents of political Islam.