Adam the First Man to Travel in Search of Knowledge
Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim have recorded in their Sahih collections, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه), that the Prophet ﷺ said that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, created Adam in His image, with a height of sixty cubits. When Allah created him, He instructed him to go to a group — a gathering of angels — and to greet them. Allah told him to listen carefully to their reply, for it would become his greeting and the greeting of his offspring after him.
Adam (عليه السلام) went to them and said, “Peace be upon you.” The angels replied, “Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah.” Thus, they added “and the Mercy of Allah” to his greeting.
The scholars, while commenting on this hadith, reflected on the wording in which Allah instructed Adam to go to that group of angels and to listen to their response. They pointed out that this indicates Adam was at some distance from the angels. He had to go to them, greet them, and then return with knowledge of their response.
From this, scholars derived a subtle but powerful lesson: this was the first journey undertaken for the sake of learning. Adam (عليه السلام), the very first human being, travelled in order to gain knowledge — even though he was a Prophet and directly taught by Allah.
This narration beautifully highlights the virtue of seeking knowledge and the nobility of travelling for it. If the father of humanity himself was instructed to go and learn, then how much more in need are we of humbly striving to seek knowledge? It also emphasizes the importance of the Islamic greeting of peace, which traces back to our father Adam and has been preserved among his righteous descendants.
The hadith is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim and remains a timeless reminder that the path of knowledge often requires effort, humility, and movement — and that the legacy of learning began from the very beginning of human history.
