In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Allaah ennobled and favoured Aadam [alayhis salaam] with great specific qualities which have been mentioned in the Qur’aan and [authentic] Sunnah, and among them:

[1] Allaah [The Most High] created him with His Two Noble Hands, as He [The Most High] said: [قَالَ يَـٰٓإِبۡلِيسُ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَن تَسۡجُدَ لِمَا خَلَقۡتُ بِيَدَىَّ – (Allah) said: “O Iblis (Satan)! What prevents you from prostrating yourself to one whom I have created with Both My Hands]. [Surah Saad. Aayah 75]

[2] The Angels prostrated to him after he was created [i.e. out of respect], just as Allaah [The Most High] said:

فَإِذَا سَوَّيۡتُهُ ۥ وَنَفَخۡتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِى فَقَعُواْ لَهُ ۥ سَـٰجِدِينَ

فَسَجَدَ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةُ ڪُلُّهُمۡ أَجۡمَعُونَ

إِلَّآ إِبۡلِيسَ ٱسۡتَكۡبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ

So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him (his) soul created by Me, then you fall down prostrate to him.” So the angels prostrated themselves, all of them: Except Iblis (Satan) he was proud and was one of the disbelievers. [Surah Saad. Aayaat 72-74]

[3] Allaah entered him and his wife into paradise, as Allaah said: [وَقُلۡنَا يَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ ٱسۡكُنۡ أَنتَ وَزَوۡجُكَ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَكُلَا مِنۡهَا رَغَدًا حَيۡثُ شِئۡتُمَا – And We said: “O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will.  [Surah Al-Baqarah. Aayah 35]

These specific qualities have been gathered in the long hadeeth regarding the shafaa’ah reported by Abu Hurairah [radiyallaahu anhu]: [Bukhaari 3340]

The physical traits of Aadam [alayhi salaam]:

He was tall – 60 cubits, very good looking etc Abu Hurairah [radiyallaahu anhu] reported that the Messenger [sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam] said:  “Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall. When He created him, He said to him, “Go and greet that group of angels, and listen to their reply, for it will be your greeting (salutation) and the greeting (salutations of your offspring.” So, Adam said (to the angels), As-Salamu Alaikum (i.e. Peace be upon you). The angels said, “As-salamu Alaika wa Rahmatu-l-lahi” (i.e. Peace and Allah’s Mercy be upon you). Thus the angels added to Adam’s salutation the expression, ‘Wa Rahmatu-l-lahi,’ Any person who will enter Paradise will resemble Adam (in appearance and figure). People have been decreasing in stature since Adam’s creation. [Saheeh Al-Bukhaari. Number 3326]

The Claim That Aadam [alayhis salaam] Perform Tawassul By The Virtue And Status of The Prophet [i.e. that he sought Allaah’s forgiveness by virtue and status of Muhammad (sallal laahu alayhi wasallam)

Ahlul Ahwaa Wal Budah [The People of Evil Desires And  Religious Innovations] claim that when Aadam [alayhis salaam] ate from the forbidden tree, he performed Tawassul through the Prophet’s (sallal laahu alayhi wasallam) status as means of getting what he desired whilst supplicating, so Allaah accepted his repentance. They used as proof that Umar Ibnul Khattaab [radiyallaahu anhu] said: “When Aadam committed his mistake he said, “O my Lord! I am asking you to forgive me for the sake of Muhammad. Allaah said, ‘O Aadam! And how do you know about Muhammad whom I have not yet created?’ Aadam replied, ‘O my Lord! After You created me with Your hand and breathed into me the soul you created, I raised my head and saw written on the heights of the Throne: Laa Ilaaha Illal laah Muhammadun Rasoolul laah, so I knew that You would not place next to Your Name but the most beloved one of Your creation’. Allaah said, ‘O Aadam! You have spoken the truth, indeed he is the most beloved of the creation to Me, so indeed I have forgiven you, and were it not for Muhammad I would not have created you’”.

Falsity of this above narration from a number of angles:

1: The Hadeeth is a fabrication and a lie. It has not been reported with an established [authentic chain of narration] from the Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam]. In the chain of this hadeeth there are narrators who were found guilty of lying and fabricating narrations. Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [rahimahullaah] said, “It has no basis and it from the fabricated reports that are narrated by some of the common people- neither found any of the Imaams of Islaam using it as proof nor depending upon it.

2: Indeed Aadam [alayhis salaam] received words from his lord and his Lord forgave him. It is not established that he performed Tawassul by the status and virtue of the Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi] or his honour. Had this been established, then the explainers of the Qur’aan would not have refrained from reporting it from the Salaf [i.e. the first three pious generations of Muslims] whilst explaining these words which Aadam [alayhis salaam] received.

3: Repentance from the sin was established through acknowledgement of the sin and seeking forgiveness, and this was based on the statement:

قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمۡنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمۡ تَغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَتَرۡحَمۡنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡخَـٰسِرِينَ

They said: “Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.” [Surah Al-A’raaf. Aayah 23].  If forgiveness is received due to repentance, the goal has been achieved and there is no need for anything other than it.

4: If Aadam [alayhis salaam] did say this [i.e. made Tawassul by way of the Prophet’s virtue and status] and fulfilled repentance through it, then the Ummah of Muhammad [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam] would be more worthy of it than him and the Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi] would have commanded them to supplication with this supplication and legislate it for them; however he did not command them to do it, nor legislated it, nor has that been transmitted from any of the Sahaabah, nor from any of the righteous scholars. So this shows the falsity of this affair.

It is known by necessity that other people besides Aadam [alayhis salaam]- such as the disbelievers and the wicked sinners – do not do so in the [name, honour, status etc]  anyone when they repent to Allaah, therefore how can Aadam [alayhi asalaam] be in need of this in his repentance that which is not needed by anyone amongst the sinners, neither a Muslim nor a disbeliever! [An Excerpt from ‘Mawsoo’ah Al-Aqeedah 1st edition 1439H 2018. Vol 1. Pages 9- 12. slightly paraphrased]

Listen to detail lecture here about Tawassul: https://soundcloud.com/salafi-publications/tawassul-seeking-a-means-of