How long ago did Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him) arrive on Earth, and for how long have humans been living here since then (in terms of thousands of years)?

The question is this: in Islam, Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him) is considered the first human—the forefather of all humanity—and according to information available online, he arrived on Earth approximately 6,000 to 7,000 years ago. However, scientific carbon dating has revealed human fossils that are 2.8 million years old. If Hazrat Adam arrived only 6,000 to 7,000 years ago—meaning no humans existed on Earth prior to that—then where did scientists find such ancient human fossils? I am confused about this; I would appreciate it if you could clarify the matter.

Dear Brother / Sister,

The Qur’an does not give a definite date concerning how long ago Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) came to the earth. Although periods of seven thousand years have been mentioned in some narrations and historical calculations, it would not be correct to accept these as definite and binding information.

Furthermore, expressions of time such as “day” and “year” mentioned in the verses and hadiths do not necessarily have to be understood everywhere according to the calendar measurements we use today. Indeed, the Qur’an states that one day is one thousand years according to people’s reckoning (Hajj, 47), and also that one day is fifty thousand years (Maʿarij, 4). These expressions show that time may be expressed according to different measures depending on the context.

From this perspective, it cannot be said that the expressions of “year” found in narrations speaking of Prophet Adam’s (peace be upon him) coming to the earth or the history of humanity must also be understood directly in their present-day sense as years consisting of 365 days.

Therefore, it is not a religious obligation to accept that Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) came to the earth necessarily 6,000–7,000 years ago according to solar or lunar years; it is also possible that different numbers are intended by these years.

Questions on Islam