The Paradox of Adam, Iblis, and Consciousness: An Evolutionary Journey Of Discovery Of Self.
Introduction: In the journey of self-awareness, the concepts of Bashar, Adam, and Iblis in the Quran offer profound metaphysical insights into human consciousness and evolution. These terms, far from being simply historical or external narratives, represent stages of inner growth and spiritual awakening. They reveal the paradox at the core of human existence: the conflict between higher and lower consciousness, the struggle between our provoking psyche and our divine potential. This article seeks to explore these concepts, showing how they function as internal forces within every person, guiding us toward a fuller understanding of ourselves.
Bashar: The Simple Basic Sensation of Imagination:
Bashar, as described in the Quran, represents the beyond five or more senses. Bashar at initial stage is just a imagination not worth mentioning. It needs grooming from our conscience and consciousness. Bashar is the first sense of imagination, the initial thoughtful process before any self-awareness or reflection is born. It is the raw instinctual feeling that arises within us before we experience the world through our senses—our emotions, desires, and urges.
Think of a baby, crying from hunger or discomfort, not understanding the reason behind the sensation but still has basic awareness. The state of the baby does not represents Bashar, because the baby does not have the power to imagine or think. The baby just responds to basic sensation of hunger, thirst or any discomfort and no reflective thought behind those sensations.
In the same way, when an adult experiences emotional turmoil—such as hurt after an argument—without understanding the reason, they are not in the state of bashar. The woman who feels irritated and weep during an argument, without introspecting on the cause, is living through her raw emotional stimulus; she is not bashar, if the sensation or her outburst not coming from deep down self-awareness or thoughtfulness than she does not represent the Quranic bashar. The state of Bashar is not a permanent state but mortal state which does not remain forever. It is just a sensation of imagination which comes, knocks our thought process and if we are not receptive it goes away.
Bashar, Bashir, Basharat, Mubashir, Mubashrah, Mubasharat is a quality to receive and give. It is a strong quality to evolve through imagination to think out of the box.
Adam: The Awakening of Self-Awareness through imagination. Adam is a combination of our Lower and Higher consciousness.
The moment we begin to reflect on our imagination, Adam awakens within us. Adam represents the first step toward self-awareness, where we transit from mere sense of imagination to deep reflection. Going back to the example of the woman in an argument: when she starts to ask herself, “Why do I feel this way?” or “What triggered these emotions?,” she begins the shift from Bashar (basic sensation of imagination) to Adam (self-awareness to differentiate).
Adam, is a simile for human consciousness, symbolizes the capacity to reflect on the inner chaos—the desire, the emotion, the pain—and start understanding its root causes. This is a crucial moment, because, without reflection, we remain trapped in just sensation of imagination (Bashar), not able to react instinctively to our sensations without understanding them. But through Adam whose characteristicsis is to adapt, we begin to see ourselves as active participants in our emotional and sensational experiences, capable of making choices, decisions and taking responsibility for our feelings, dreams and imagination.
Iblis: Resistance to Change and the Paradox of Consciousness.
At this stage, Iblis enters the picture—not as an external devil with horns, but as an internal force of resistance not to become humble (sajda) due to pride ego and arrogance. Iblis’ refusal to bow to Adam represents the rejection of facts and the unwillingness to accept the truth. It is a unrefined state of basic sensation of imagination (Bashar). In the story of Adam and Iblis, Iblis is not the enemy of Allah, but a necessary paradox within the journey of evolution of our own consciousness. He represents the resistance, conflict and dispute within. We all feel the heat when we face the inner battle for perfection with imperfections —the dominance of our basic human intinct such as hunger, cravings, desires, greed, fear, insecurities, complexes and beliefs makes a perfect breeding ground for Iblis to emerge and take command.
Iblis’ is not just an external force to be defeated; it is a reflection of the domimance of our internal desire we all face when we confront our insecurities and fear. The paradox is that this rigidity of Iblis not to bow is part of our journey of arrogance that we are something or we have some significance —Iblis is a important part of our test or exam to discover our own Engine or Driver. Iblis or Shaitaan is the fire of our life, it is stone or rock on the path of that stagnants and hinders our growth. Iblis misguides us that the refusal to accept our true role or direction may lead to stagnation and decay. This rejection of our pure instinct keeps us trapped in emotional suffering signifies as fire in Quranic context.
Allah (Noor) and Iblis (Naar): Two Sides of the Same Coin:
One of the most profound insights of this interpretation is that Iblis and Allah are not separate, antagonistic forces but One Force. They represent two aspects of the same divine paradox within human consciousness. Iblis is the rigid force of negativity, ego, which losses hope in positivity and rebels, but it is not outside the Divine Plan. Allah, as the encompassing higher consciousness, is not only the source of light but also allows for growth through the challenges of Iblis. Iblis and Allah are like the two sides of the same coin—representing or rather appearing to be rivals in conflict between lower desires (ardh) and the higher (samawaat) potential of consciousness.
Rather than seeing Iblis as a separate force against Allah, it’s more accurate to view Iblis as part of the inner paradox of Allah that delays our progress to evolve. Iblis' resistance to bowing is to be arrogant to the adaptive and accommodative quality of Adam. This narrative is not meant to be defeat Iblis but to subdue that egoist force. The parable of Adam and Iblis teaches us how to transcend our own resistant ego and grow toward higher awareness.
From Darkness to Light: The Journey of Introspection:
In the human journey, there is always a choice: we can turn towards the light (higher consciousness, self-awareness) and evolve, or we can turn towards the darkness (ignorance, despair, victimhood) and remain stagnant. The key is introspection—the ability to reflect on our raw imagination (Bashar), understand the ignorance and arrogance(Iblis), and move toward higher wisdom (Allah, Rabb, Rehman, Subhaan).
If we turn away from introspection, if we resist our own growth, we fall into the stagnation of Iblis—a place where we get stuck in disappointment, despair, and victimhood. This is the bottom less hell within, a place where our consciousness remains locked in darkness because we refuse to understand our imperfection with respect to our divine potential.
Conclusion: Unity of Light and Darkness
Ultimately, the journey from Bashar to Adam to Naas and Insaan is about integrating both the light and darkness within us. Iblis and Allah are not separate Powers, but two aspects of the same divine reality that shape human evolution. The darkness of Iblis serves to highlight the light of Allah, pushing us toward introspection and growth.
The paradox is that both Iblis (Naar) and Allah (Noor) are necessary for human evolution. They represent the struggle between our instinctual desires (Nafs) and our higher potential (samawaat). Understanding this paradox allows us to transcend it, move beyond victimhood, and embrace our true potential as conscious sentient of light who overcomes the dark with the light within us.
