Receiving through the Mediation of Words

While the reception of words technically differs from conversation, and similarly, receiving the word of mercy mentioned in Nahj al-Balāgha(197) differs from a direct verbal discourse between a speaker and an addressee, all these forms can share a common foundation. This comprehensive principle is that divine communication with humans, in a manner that allows humans to receive the word of God, occurs in three ways:

“It is not for any human that God should speak to him except by revelation (waḥy), or from behind a veil, or that He sends a messenger to reveal by His permission what He wills. Indeed, He is Most High and Wise” (42:51).

No human can be directly addressed by God except through one of these three methods:

1. Direct Revelation (Waḥy) Without Intermediary: This occurs without any mediation, as in the direct imparting of knowledge or guidance.

2. From Behind a Veil: This involves a barrier, as seen in the experience of Moses (a.s.) with the tree, where the divine message is conveyed indirectly.

3. Through a Messenger of Revelation: God sends a messenger to convey His message, acting as the intermediary.

In the context of this discussion, Adam (a.s.) is identified as being of human kind, not angelic or anything else, and he received divine speech. Therefore, this must have occurred through one of the three methods mentioned earlier. The apparent meaning of the Qur’an indicates that Adam (a.s.) received words from his Lord, but there is neither connected nor disconnected evidence to definitively determine the exact nature of this interaction. No rational proof has been presented to establish the necessity of one specific method or the impossibility of another. As such, all three ways are possible. However, it can be inferred that God’s communication with Adam (a.s.) was direct, without the involvement of any intermediary angel. There was no veil between them, nor was there a messenger designated for Adam (a.s.) to receive the words. What can be gathered from these indications is that the divine imparting occurred without a veil, intermediary, or the sending of a messenger, and Adam (a.s.) received the revelation directly.