Human diversity and the Alast
Have you ever wondered why some people just *fit* with you instantly — as if you’ve known them forever — while others remain strangers even after years? Why some hearts are soft, some are firm, some are fiery, and some are calm as still water?
When we turn to the Qur’an and Sunnah, we find breathtaking wisdom about this mystery — the way Allah created us, shaped us, and gathered us before this world even began.
Made from Different Soils
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told us in a famous hadith that Allah created Adam from a handful of earth gathered from across the world. From that single handful came soils of many colors — red, black, white, and in between — and soils of many textures — soft, rough, fertile, barren, smooth, hard.
And so, the Prophet ﷺ said, Adam’s children reflected this diversity: Some gentle, some harsh. Some cheerful, some solemn. Some inclined to good, others to struggle.
It’s humbling, isn’t it? We are literally made of the same earth we walk upon, yet the “soil” of our creation helps shape our personalities, temperaments, and outer forms. Humanity’s diversity is not random — it’s a mirror of the very earth Allah chose to fashion us from.
The First Gathering: Alastu bi-Rabbikum
But we are not just bodies of clay. We are also souls. And before any of us walked this earth, there was a moment every soul experienced — a moment recorded in Surah al-A‘rāf (7:172).
Allah gathered all the children of Adam and asked us:
Am I not your Lord? We all replied: Yes, we testify.
This was the primordial covenant — al-mīthāq. In that sacred instant, every soul acknowledged Allah’s Lordship.
So here’s something to pause and marvel at: Our bodies were shaped from different soils, giving us diversity. Our souls were united in one truth, giving us shared purpose.
Why Some Souls Recognize Each Other
There is another hadith, equally striking, that sheds light on our relationships in this life. The Prophet ﷺ said:
Souls are like gathered armies; those that knew each other before will recognize one another, and those that did not will remain distant. (Bukhari:3336, Muslim:2638)
SubḥānAllāh. Could this be why you sometimes meet someone and feel an unexplainable connection — as if your souls once stood side by side on that Day of the Covenant? And why with others, no matter how polite or kind, the connection just doesn’t form?
It may not just be personality or preference — it could be a subtle echo of that ancient gathering of souls.
The Amazing Wisdom
When we connect all these threads, a tapestry emerges. The lessons we learn:
- Clay explains our diversity — different soils gave us different temperaments, appearances, and strengths.
- The covenant explains our unity — every soul testified to the same truth: Allah is our Lord.
- The gathering of souls explains our affinities — why some people feel like home, and others feel foreign. Why some bonds are instant, others remain distant.
When we bring all these lessons together, we see:
- The soils explain our diversity — different temperaments and appearances.
- The covenant explains our unity — all souls testified to Allah.
- The soul recognition explains our affinities — why some bonds are instant, others remain distant.
Like the earth — sandy, fertile, rocky — humanity thrives because of diversity. Each type has a role in sustaining life, just as each personality contributes to balance in our world. Embrace the differences amongst people and learn from this diversity.Often we learn opposing views and different perspectives from people unlike ourselves.
Practical Takeaways
- Celebrate diversity — don’t wish everyone were the same; Allah made us different in His wisdom. Life would be boring if everyone was the same.
- Seek unity in faith — remember, every soul once said: “Yes, You are our Lord.” Seek common grounds rather than focus on differences. Reflect with gratitude for this blessed moment.
- Be gentle with differences — if someone feels distant, it may simply be the arrangement of souls, not enmity. Have grace with difference in personality. We never know what each soul has gone through in their lives in shaping them. Be kind.
- Cherish soul connections — when you meet someone who feels familiar, treat it as a mercy from Allah. If you haven’t made friends or formed closed relationships never despair. Maybe your haven’t met your crowd yet. Have faith and be open to meeting all types of people. We learn from everyone.
Allah designed us this way, not by accident, but with intention. Just as the earth needs every type of soil — sandy, fertile, rocky, rich — to sustain its balance, humanity needs every kind of personality to fulfill its mission. And just as all those soils come from the same earth, all of us ultimately come from the same Lord.
Closing Reflection
When you meet someone whose soul feels familiar, let it remind you of that timeless day when we all stood before Allah and said, Yes, You are our Lord. And when you meet someone very different from you, remember — their soil may not match yours, but their soul once stood next to yours in the same covenant.
What a wonder it is to be human — made from the colors of the earth, tied together by a promise before time, and walking this world with echoes of ancient soul-connections guiding our steps.
SubḥānAllāh — how beautifully Allah has woven the story of our diversity and unity into the very fabric of our existence. Pause and imagine for a moment what connections await us in jannah in Allah’s wisdom. May we reach jannatul firdous Al ala ameen.
Dua for Knowledge
اللهم انفعنا بما علمتنا وعلمنا ما ينفعنا وزدنا علماً
O Allah, benefit us with what You have taught us, teach us what will benefit us, and increase us in knowledge.
