Quran - Previous Life P3

 

Chronological order of the events in the 
previous life, up to our birth on earth
By A. Muhammad

The Quran mentions numerous events that suggest that our life on earth is not our first life. Collectively, these events point to a previous existence which all human beings had, somewhere in God's Kingdom. Such events, while detailed in the Quran, yet are not placed in a precise step-by-step chronological order.

This article aims at placing these events in a chronological order based on the Quranic information available about this subject. The chronological order presented below comprises over 30 individual events. They are placed in such a way that every event becomes a direct outcome of the event that preceded it. In addition, every event provides a rational justification for the event that follows it. The compiling of this chronological order was such so as to produce a naturally flowing sequence of events. Every event on the list is accompanied by its Quranic reference.  

The Chronological Order

1- All human beings were living in God's Kingdom well before the universe and tiny earth were created:

I did not make them witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor the creation of themselves, nor was I to take the misleading ones as assistants. 18:51

The fact that we were not made to witness the creation of the universe indicates that we existed (in some form) prior to the creation of the universe, but that God did not make us witness its creation.

If we did not exist at the time the universe was created, God would not need to say that He did not make us witness its creation, for then the possibility of us witnessing the creation of the universe would not exist. What does not exist cannot witness anything.

Naturally, the creation of the heavens and the earth preceded our birth on earth as humans.

The words in 18:51 provide one of the numerous pieces of evidence of our previous existence. For the full list of Quranic evidence of the previous existence please go to: Quranic evidence of the previous existence

2- What form were we in the previous life; spirits, energy, angels, is a matter known to God alone. All we know is that in the previous existence we were not human beings. The confirmation is found in the following words: 

Your Lord said to the angels, "I will create a human being from clay, formed from putrid dark mud. Once I have fashioned him and blown into him from My Ruh, you shall fall prostrate to him." 15:28-29

God's words, "I will create a human being" confirm that Adam was the first human being to be created. The phrasing of the words indicates that God was informing the angels of the creation of a new creature. 

If human beings lived before the creation of Adam, God's command would have been along the lines "I am creating another human being". However, the words "I will create a human being" signify the creation of a novel creature.

Besides, if Adam was not the first human being to be created, but we all existed in the form of human beings before Adam was created, this would give rise to the question as to why were the angels to prostrate to this particular human being (Adam) and not to any of the human beings who already existed before him? Nothing in the Quran suggests that Adam had any divine or holy attributes that justify prostration to him only from among all human beings. 

After the creation of Adam and his wife, and after their expulsion from Paradise, came the creation of the rest of the human beings on earth, in a pre-ordained precise order. The outcome of the above analysis is that we all existed before the creation of Adam, but we were not in human form at the time. 

3- Satan, who was one of the angels (details below), suffered from excessive arrogance and an inflated ego. 

He acted arrogantly, and was one of the disbelievers. 38:74

His excessive arrogance led him to harbour blasphemous thoughts that he could be a god worthy of being worshipped besides God:

Did I not take a pledge from you, O Children of Adam, that you shall not worship the devil for he is your clear enemy, and that you shall worship Me, for that is a straight path? 36:60-61

God's instructions to all humans not to worship Satan can only be because God knew that Satan will attempt to coax the human being into worshipping him. This in turn establishes the fact that Satan thought of himself as a god worthy of being worshipped. Indeed, there are many cults all over the world, presently and in the past, who do just that; worship Satan as Lord. 

4- Satan's arrogant claims caused a great feud in the Highest Assembly: 

Say, "It is awesome news from which you turn away. I had no knowledge of the Highest Assembly as they quarrelled. 38:67-69

The outcome of Satan's claims was that divisions were formed among God's creatures:

a- The first group were resolute in their conviction that only God can be a god. They never wavered in upholding God's absolute authority. They remained angels following the dispute, and they are angels today.

b- A second group sided with Satan and believed his claim that he can be a god. 

c- A third group were not sure. They wanted to witness for themselves the truth in Satan's claim. 

5- It may be that before the dispute there may have been only one group of beings, all alike and all angels. The grounds for this understanding are as follows:

1- The ones who stood firm in upholding God's absolute authority (as will be explained later) remained angels. This could suggest that if we had accepted God's absolute authority, like the angels did, we too may have remained as angels.

2- More decisively, we know that Satan was an angel at one time (details below). We also know from the Quran that Satan is the most despicable and rebellious creature. Ultimately, if the most despicable creature (Satan) was once an angel, then why could we not have also been angels? Are we worse than Satan?

In any case, the question of whether all creatures were once angels or not, the certainty of which belongs with God alone, does not alter the sequence of events of the previous life, so we should not dwell on it long.

6- After the division occurred among the creatures, God mercifully offered a second chance to those in the heavens and the earth to correct their error. They were given a chance to repent and accept God's absolute authority:

We have offered the Trust to the heavens, the earth and the mountains, but they refused to carry it and were afraid of it, while the human being accepted it; he was transgressing, ignorant. 33:72

The words in 33:72 point to the following:

1- The fact that the offer was given to the heavens and the earth indicates that everything in the universe is alive. The example of mountains in 33:72, who responded to God's offer, tell us that such objects that we normally think of as dead matter, are in fact alive. All who were given the second chance, apart from the human being, repented, submitted, and are in constant prostration to God:

And the stars and the trees prostrate 55:6

2- The Trust was offered to those in groups (b) and (c) (see point 4 above) who committed the sin of not upholding God's absolute authority. Those in group (a) never wavered from upholding God's absolute authority, thus they were not in need of a second chance.

7- A closer analysis of the words in 33:72 indicates that the words "the heavens and the earth" speak of various categories of beings in the heavens and the earth but not of everything/everyone in the heavens and the earth.

The Concept

For a start, we know that the angels never wavered regarding upholding God's absolute authority. As a result, there was no need to offer the angels a second chance to repent. This is the first indication that the words "the heavens and the earth" in 33:72 do not include everyone in the heavens and the earth; it does not include the angels. 

The words "the heavens and the earth" should therefore be understood in the context and purpose behind the second chance. 

Another category of beings who would be created by God following the dispute in the High Assembly is the jinn. When the dispute occurred, the jinn were the hardcore supporters of Satan and his claims. 
Besides the angels who were not subject to the second chance offer (33:72), it can also be deduced that the jinn were not given the second chance offer, but for a different reason than that of the angels. The evidence that the second chance was not given to the jinn is derived from the outcome of the second chance itself as will be shown later. 

The words in 33:72 tell us that when the second chance offer was given, two groups resulted:

Group 1: Everything given the offer (except the human being) declined to carry the responsibility and were afraid of it. They repented and fully accepted God's absolute authority.

Group 2: The human being accepted the responsibility to carry the Trust and was thus "transgressing, ignorant". 

The jinn could not have been in either of the above two groups. 
Had the jinn followed suite with those in group 1 and repented, there would not have been any wicked jinn (see 6:112 as an example), nor would any of the jinn end up in Hell (see 7:179).

Equally, with regards to group 2, God deliberately singled out the human being as the one who accepted the responsibility of carrying the Trust. The jinn are not mentioned to have done the same.

Since the jinn could not have been in either of the two groups, they could not have been among those offered the second chance offer in 33:72.

In addition, the fact that the jinn were to become the descendents of Satan (7:27), points to the fact that the jinn were the hardcore supporters of Satan's idolatrous claim of divinity. Why else would they become his descendents? 

Why were the jinn not given the second chance offer? Was it because they constituted the hardcore supporters of Satan and his blasphemous claims? The certainty of this matter rests with God alone. Whatever the reason may be, all we can say is that God did not deem the jinn to be worthy of receiving the second chance offer. 

So far, we concluded why both the angels and the jinn were not offered the second chance of 33:72. This, in turn, confirms that the phrase "offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth" in 33:72 does not indicate everyone in the heavens and the earth. 

The Phrasing

Additional evidence in the phrasing of 33:72 also confirms that the words "the heavens and the earth" in 33:72 do not speak of everyone in the heavens and the earth. To demonstrate this matter, we need to compare the phrasing in 33:72 to the phrasing used in other verses that use the same words (heavens and the earth).

When we look at all other Quranic verses that speak of the heavens and the earth, we find that God deliberately included words that confirm that God is indeed speaking about everything in the heavens and the earth without exceptions:

Example 1

Indeed, everyone who is in the heavens and the earth comes to the Almighty as nothing other than a servant. 19:93

The word "everyone" allows no exclusions.

Example 2

To Him belongs what is in the heavens and the earth, and to Him does the religion forever belong. Is it other than God that you reverence? 16:52 

The words in 16:52, even though do not contain the words "everyone" or "everything" yet, on par with 19:93, allow no exclusions for the following reasons: 

Are the angels in the heavens or the earth? The answer is yes, thus they cannot be excluded.

Are the jinn in the heavens or the earth? The answer is yes, thus they cannot be excluded.

Are the humans, the animals, the plants, and all other objects in the universe located in the heavens or the earth? The answer is yes, thus they cannot be excluded.

We read the same in:

Absolutely, to God belongs what is in the heavens and the earth. 10:55 

Absolutely, to God belongs everyone in the heavens and everyone in the earth. 10:66

and many other verses..

In contrast, in 33:72 we read:

We have offered the Trust to the heavens, the earth.

In 33:72, God did not use any of the words "everyone", "everything" or "what is in". The deliberate omission of such words is indeed significant and is crucial to attain the correct understanding. The omission of such words was necessary because not everyone in the heavens and the earth was offered the second chance.

However, due to the immense numbers of those who received the offer, it was not possible for God to list them one by one in 33:72, hence the need to refer to those who received the offer collectively with the words "to the heavens and the earth". 

8- When the second chance was offered, the majority of those who received it accepted God's gracious offer. They were afraid to carry the responsibility and to be tested. And so, they very wisely repented and redeemed themselves from their original sin. Those would later be created as animals, plants and everything else which we normally perceive as dead, such as the mountains:

And We gave Solomon the understanding of it. We granted both of them sound judgment and knowledge, and We subjected the mountains to glorify with David, as well as the birds. Indeed We did.  21:79 

Glorifying Him are the seven universes and the earth and all who are in them. There is nothing that does not glorify Him with praise, but you do not understand their glorification. He is Forbearing, Forgiver. 17:44

In contrast, a small minority of those who received the second chance offer "accepted" the responsibility of the Trust. They elected to find out for themselves the truth in Satan's claim of divinity. Those were the ones who would later be created as human beings. 

One outcome of this reality is that animals such as frogs, locusts and donkeys were wiser than the "transgressing, ignorant"human being!

We should also note that God spoke of the human being collectively in 33:72 without exceptions. Therefore, we do not have a reason to exclude any human being. Every single human being to have walked or will walk on earth accepted the responsibility to carry the Trust, be it the most wicked disbeliever or the most righteous prophet. 

9- God could have destroyed Satan instantly because of his arrogance and for planting the seed of doubt and dissent among the creatures, but then Satan's claim would have never been exposed. All who harboured doubt would have been left with the same doubt. However, God the All-Wise decreed a plan that would expose the falsehood and instate the truth about which the division occurred in the "Highest Assembly" (38:69). The plan would also restore to God's side those whom God knew to be deserving of a second chance.

The plan started by putting to death everyone in groups (b and c), including the ones who accepted the second chance. This was necessary because all in the two groups would be created as different species/creatures, and also in a different place (earth). 

The One who created death and life that He may test you regarding who will do better works. He is the Dignified, the Forgiver. 67:2

The deliberate wording in 67:2 whereby the creation of "death" is placed before the creation of "life", confirms that we were alive before being put to death. It is not possible to put to death what does not exist.

Sometime after we were put to death, we were brought back to "life" on earth "that He may test you". Only by passing the second merciful test on earth is the human being able to redeem himself from his previous sin.

10- God's divine plan called for the creation of a setting, a stage on which the second chance would be played out. The stage was to be the seven universes created in layers:

He is the One who created seven universes in layers. 67:3

The following words confirm that our universe is the smallest and innermost of the seven universes:

We adorned the lowest universe with lamps. 67:5

The lamps are the stars which give off light. All the stars we see, whether in our galaxy or in the other billions of galaxies, are indeed in the "lowest" universe. The universe we inhabit is the lowest, smallest and innermost universe.

Such creation, that can never be fathomed by the human being, was not in vain nor for mere amusement:

We did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between them in vain. 38:27

We did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between them for mere play. 21:16

The creation of the seven universes was to serve the purpose of instating the truth (point 7). Instating the truth is mentioned numerously as being the reason behind the creation of the universe:

God did not create the heavens and the earth and what is between them except with truth 30:8

That is because God is the Truth and what they call upon besides Him is the falsehood, and that God is the Most High, the Great. 22:62

So that the truth shall be validated and falsehood shall be nullified, however much the criminals dislike it. 8:8

Within the universe we live in, which is the innermost and smallest of the seven universes, God created a tiny speck called earth. Tiny earth was to be the temporary home of those in groups (b and c). 

Above us, our sky provides a panorama overlooking a small part of the smallest and innermost universe. Such a view is to serve as a constant reminder to the human being of how infinitely small he is, so that he may practise modesty and humility towards the Almighty Creator.

The One who created seven universes in layers. You do not see any inconsistency in the creation of the Almighty. Return your sight to it: do you see any flaw? Then return your sight twice over. Your sight will return to you humbled and exhausted. 67:3-4

How large is the second universe which surrounds ours, let alone the seventh universe? The mind goes blank just to think of such incomprehensible dimensions. But that is not all, all seven universes are folded in the right hand of God: 

They did not value God according to His true worth. The whole earth is within His grip on the Day of Resurrection, and the universes are folded up in His right hand. Glory to Him and exalted is He, far above whatever they associate with Him. 39:67

The fact that we once entertained the blasphemous claims of Satan meant that we had miserably failed previously to value God according to His true worth. Indeed, we were "transgressing, ignorant."

11- To expose Satan's arrogance to the angels, God informed the angels that He is creating a human being (Adam) and that they should prostrate to him once God has created him and blew into him from His Ruh:

Your Lord said to the angels, "I will create a human being from clay, formed from putrid dark mud. Once I have fashioned him and blown into him from My Ruh, you shall fall prostrate to him." 15:28-29

The words "I will create" (future) confirm that the command was given to the angels before the creation of Adam.

God knows all matters of the 'ghayb' (unseen, future), and thus, when God said to the angels, "I will create a human being"(15:28), which was before the creation of Adam, God would have already known that Satan would disobey the command to prostrate to Adam. That was exactly why God gave that command. It was for the benefit of the angels. The Quran does not suggest any other reason behind God's command to prostrate to Adam. 

Up to that stage, none of the humans were yet created. All were in a state of death. A transit state between the first life and the forthcoming birth and life on earth.

12- Adam was created and all the angels obeyed God's command to prostrate to him except Satan. Since the command was addressed to the angels, "Your Lord said to the angels", it meant that Satan was one of the angels who were given the command.

Your Lord said to the angels, "I will create a human being from clay, formed from putrid dark mud. Once I have fashioned him and blown into him from My Ruh, you shall fall prostrate to him." 15:28-29

It is important to note that when the angels obeyed God's command and prostrated to Adam, they were not in any way worshipping Adam; they were worshipping the source of the command, and that was God.

13- God already knew that Satan would not prostrate. God also knew the reason behind Satan's refusal, that being his arrogance, yet God still asked Satan why did he not prostrate:

He said, "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?" He said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay." 7:12

God wanted Satan's reply, which was full of arrogance, to be known to the angels. Once again, this confirms that the purpose behind the command to prostrate was primarily to expose Satan to the angels.

14- When Satan disobeyed God and refused to prostrate to Adam, God demoted Satan from an angel to a jinn, "he 'kana' (became) of the jinn". 

When We said to the angels, "Fall prostrate before Adam", they fell prostrate except Satan. He 'kana' (became) of the jinn, and so he rebelled against the command of His Lord. 18:50

Traditional scholars interpret the words "kana min al jinn" to mean Satan was (always) a jinn. Consequently, they state that Satan was never an angel. They state that the word "kana" has only one meaning, and that is "was" (past tense). This claim is contrary to Quranic evidence:

The word 'kana' has been used in the Quran to mean any one of the following three words: (is) - (was) - (became).

1- 'Is': as in 4:129: God 'kana' (is) Forgiver, Merciful. 

The word "kana" in 4:129 cannot mean "was" because this would mean that God was Forgiver, Merciful in the past only. 

2- 'Was': as in 6:161: (Abraham) 'ma kana' (was not) one of the mushrikeen. 

In this use, the word "kana" indeed means "was". Abraham is no longer alive, but while he lived, he was not one of the mushrikeen.

3- 'Became': as in 7:175: The devil pursued him and he 'kana' (became) one of the strayers.

The one spoken of in 7:175 became one of the strayers after he was pursued by the devil, and not before.

Also in 25:18: They forgot the Reminder and 'kanu' (they became) a wasted people.

Once again, the people mentioned became a wasted people after they forgot the Reminder. 

Also in 78:19: The heaven was opened and 'kanat' (it became) gateways.

The heavens became gateways after it was opened.

Since Satan was once an angel (see point 12 above), the word 'kana' in 18:50 can only mean 'became'. In other words, Satan "became" a jinn. This will be further detailed later.

15- It is also important to note that the words "he rebelled against the command of his Lord" in 18:50 do not refer to Satan's refusal to prostrate to Adam. To attain the correct meaning we need to inspect the words in 18:50 closely:

When We said to the angels, "Fall prostrate before Adam", they fell prostrate except Satan. He became of the jinn, and so he rebelled against the command of His Lord. 18:50

- The word 'rebelled', (Arabic word is 'fasaqa') comes after "he became of the jinn" and not after refusing to prostrate to Adam. This is of great significance. 

Of equal importance is that God used the word 'rebelled' and not the word 'refused'. 

The significance of the choice of the word "rebelled" becomes apparent when we read the following verse:

When We said to the angels, "Fall prostrate before Adam," they fell prostrate, except Satan; he refused. 20:116

The words in 20:116 speak about Satan disobeying the command to prostrate, the word "refused" is used. 

Now let us look at the contrasting choice of words between the two verses (18:50 and 20:116):

1- In 20:116, Satan "refused" to prostrate to Adam.

2- In 18:50, Satan "rebelled" against the command of God.

Refusal and rebellion are not identical acts. Refusal, as used in 20:116, relates to disobeying a single command, while as rebellion is a continuous state of rejection and opposition against the source of the command. Rebellion is not confined to only one incident. The following is one example: 22:3

Among the people is he who argues about God without knowledge and follows every rebellious devil. 22:3

The word "rebellious" in 22:3, an adjective of the devil, does not speak of one specific act, but that such a devil is of a rebellious nature in general.

As mentioned, the words "he rebelled against the command of His Lord" in 18:50 are placed after the words "He became of the jinn" and not after the words "they fell prostrate except Satan". In contrast, the word "refused" in 20:116 is placed after the words "they fell prostrate, except Satan".

The refusal of Satan to prostrate to Adam caused God to demote him to a jinn. Due to his arrogance, Satan could not accept being demoted to a jinn, and all because of a creature whom he considered to be inferior to him "I am better than him" (38:76). As a result, this made Satan rebel against God. 

Indeed, the arrangement of the words in 18:50 confirms this exact sequence:

When We said to the angels, "(1) Fall prostrate before Adam", (2) they fell prostrate except Satan. (3) He became of the jinn, and so (4) he rebelled against the command of His Lord. 18:50

The sequence:

1- The angels were commanded to prostrate to Adam

2- All angels obeyed, but Satan refused to prostrate

3- Satan became a jinn

4- Satan rebelled against his Lord.

The rebellion of Satan against God should not be confused with the single act of refusing to prostrate to Adam. The rebellion was the sickness, while the refusal to prostrate was merely the symptom.

All the time, God the All-Wise, the Knowledgeable, was already fully aware of Satan's arrogance and wickedness. 

16- While as the creation of Adam and the command to prostrate to him were merely ordained by God to expose Satan to the angels, to Satan, the interpretation of these events was quite different. To Satan, the creation of Adam and the command to prostrate to him was the cause of his expulsion and his demotion to being a jinn. To Satan, if Adam was not created, the command to prostrate to him would not have been issued. Equally, he would not have had to disobey God. Ultimately, he would have continued to be an angel. Ultimately, to Satan, Adam was the one to blame!

Such blinkered interpretation is not unusual coming from an arrogant being. It is the trait of the arrogant to blame everyone else but themselves. Satan's warped interpretation of the cause of his humiliation explains why, from that moment onwards, he vehemently hated and despised the human being:

He (Satan) said, "Shall I expose for You that thing You have honoured over me? If You respite me until the Day of Resurrection, I will claim all his descendants, except for a few." 17:62

The words 'that thing' which Satan used to refer to the human being are quite telling. They denote the extreme hatred and contempt that Satan has towards the human being. 

Satan's extreme loathing of the human being drove him to make it his life-long goal to mislead all human beings so that they would end up in Hell: 

I will lead them (mankind) all astray. 15:39. 

I will lie in wait for them on Your straight path. 7:16

To lead all humans astray (15:39), and divert them from God's path (7:16), Satan planned to replace faith, submission and guidance with disbelief, idol worship, immorality and evil.

The Quran contains a whole host of evil works which define the mission of Satan, together with his army of devils. To view the detailed plan of Satan to misguide the human being, please see the following page: 
Satan's plan to mislead the human being

17- God's plan to establish the truth, and to expose Satan's blasphemous claims, deemed that Satan would be placed as a supreme ruler on earth (2:30). This would enable all to witness whether Satan possesses the attributes necessary to conduct affairs efficiently merely on such a tiny speck as earth. 

God informed the angels that He is placing Satan as a 'khalifa' (supreme ruler) on earth. The angels objected saying that he (Satan) would shed blood and spread corruption:

When your Lord said to the angels, "I am placing a 'khalifa' (supreme ruler) in the earth," they said, "Will You place in it one who will corrupt therein and shed blood, while we glorify You with praise and extol Your holiness?" He said, "I know what you do not know." 2:30

Contrary to the traditional interpretation, the Quranic evidence confirms that the khalifa in 2:30 is Satan and not the human being:

First: In 2:30, God tells the angels, "I know what you do not know."

And in 2:33, God tells the angels that it is He who knows the "unseen of the heavens and the earth."

None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen (future, hidden, etc) except God:

"No one in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except God." 27:65

Now let us assume that the 'khalifa' in 2:30 is the human being. This would give rise to the following question: 

How would the angels know that the human being, who was not yet created nor placed on earth, would shed blood and spread corruption in the earth? This knowledge would have required the angels to know the future, but as confirmed above, they do not. 

However, because the khalifa mentioned in 2:30 was Satan, and because the angels knew Satan well because he was an angel among them; they would have known about his nature. Based on that knowledge, it was rational for the angels to expect that, if God granted Satan 'supreme ruler' status, he would abuse this authority and use it to shed blood and spread corruption.

In essence, with Satan being the khalifa on earth, the angels were not predicting the future, but only making an informed expectation based on their prior knowledge. 

Second: In addition, with regards to us humans, God made it known in the Quran that all wickedness, evil, aggression and immorality are instigated by the devil. This also gives us confirmation that the one who is behind all bloodshed and corruption on earth is Satan, just as the angels thought it would be. 

18- When the angels objected to Satan being made a supreme ruler on earth, God's reply was:

"I know what you do not know." 2:30.

God knew that His plan would achieve various benefits that the angels were not aware off because they did not know the future:

1- Even though a minority, some among the humans and the jinn will make good use of the second chance and redeem themselves.

2- Satan's claims of possessing divine status will be exposed to all. 

As mentioned, the angels do not know the future, but they knew about Satan and his nature because he was one of them. However, they were keeping their thoughts about Satan to themselves. It was only when God told them that He will place Satan as a 'khalifa' on earth that they could not keep their inner thoughts to themselves, and they had to object. It was only then that their thoughts about Satan surfaced. 

At that point, they expressed their concern that it would not be right to grant such authority to one as arrogant and wicked as Satan. 

However, God the All-Knowledgeable already knew what they were concealing before they objected:

Did I not tell you that I know the unseen of the heavens and the earth and that I know what you reveal and what you were concealing? 2:33

19- God's plan (for the human being) started by placing Adam and his wife in Paradise. They were told that they may eat of all the fruits of Paradise except that of the forbidden tree: 

And We said, "O Adam, dwell with your wife in Paradise and eat from it freely as you please, but do not approach this tree or you will be among the transgressors." 2:35

God also warned the two of them about Satan and that he will try to evict them from Paradise: 

So We said, "O Adam, this is an enemy of you and your wife, so do not let him evict the two of you from Paradise and thus become miserable. 20:117 

It is important to note that only Adam and his wife were placed in Paradise. The rest of the human race were never in Paradise in the previous life. The rest of the human beings were still in the dead state at that time (see point 9 above). All humans were in a kind of a depositary, each awaiting their birth on earth as human beings. 

It is He who initiated you from a single self, then to a place of settlement and a depository. We have detailed the revelations for people who understand. 6:98

20- In keeping with his proclaimed mission, Satan wasted no time in his attempt to make Adam and his wife disobey God. This he did through telling them lies:

He said, "Your Lord has only forbidden you this tree, lest you become two angels, or you become among the immortals." 7:20

He thus lured them through deception.7:22

Despite God's warnings, Adam and his wife fell for the deceitful lies of Satan. They disobeyed God's command and ate from the forbidden tree.

21- As soon as Adam and his wife disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree, their bodies suddenly became apparent to them as a source of shame. And so they started covering their bodies with the leaves of Paradise:

So they ate from it whereupon their bodies became apparent to them, and they started covering themselves with the leaves of Paradise. Adam disobeyed his Lord and so he was misled. 20:121

The act of disobeying God gave birth to a new feeling; the feeling of shame. Before disobeying God, Adam and his wife were without sin, and therefore without shame, and so they did not feel the need to cover any part of their bodies. From that moment, the instinctive feeling of shame in one's private parts was born in the human being and was to be carried forward and coded in the DNA of every human being. 

22- God reprimanded Adam and his wife for their disobedience: 

Their Lord called to them: "Did I not forbid you from that tree, and tell you that the devil is a clear enemy to you?" 7:22

Even though God redeemed Adam after that (2:37), a consequence of their disobedience was that the two of them were expelled from Paradise and made to descend to earth.

The devil made them slip away from it and caused their eviction from where they had been. 2:36

From that moment onwards, the earth would become the destination of all the descendents of Adam:

We said, "Go down as enemies of one another, and in the earth, you shall have a resting place and enjoyment until a certain time." 2:36

23- God's plan on earth also called for the creation of the jinn. The jinn are a species of beings who were the hardcore supporters of Satan's blasphemous claims in the previous life. It is for that reason that they would be his descendents: 

O Children of Adam, do not let the devil entice you just like he caused your parents to be evicted from Paradise, stripping them of their garments to expose to them their bodies. He and his tribe see you from where you cannot see them. We have appointed the devils as allies of those who do not believe. 7:27

Satan and his descendents of the jinn would be given powers above those given to the humans. Such powers would enable them to whisper and entice the human being while remaining unseen and undetected. The human being, with his physical limitations, would not be able to see or hear Satan and his descendents of the jinn. By remaining unseen, Satan and his jinn devils would be able to misguide the human being without the latter realising that he is being manipulated by Satan and his devils: 

O Children of Adam, do not let the devil entice you just like he caused your parents to be evicted from Paradise, stripping them of their garments to expose to them their bodies. He and his tribe see you from where you cannot see them. 7:27

It was also decreed by God that Satan and his devils of the jinn would have no authority over those who believe and trust in God. Satan's authority would only be on those who ally themselves with him:

He has no authority over those who believe and in their Lord they trust. His authority is only over those who take him as an ally and who set him up as a partner. 16:99-100

As a result, those with sickness in their hearts would be easy prey for the devil, while the reverent will seek shelter in the Almighty when they are being whispered to: 

When the reverent are touched by a visitation from the devil, they remember, whereupon they become seers. 7:201

24- Sometime before we were born on earth, God made all of us, Children of Adam, bear witness that God is our Lord:

And when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their backs, their descendants, and made them bear witness regarding themselves: "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes. We bear witness." Lest you say on the Day of Resurrection, "We were unaware of this." 7:172

25- Every time a human being is born, a 'nafs' (self) from the billions who decided to accept the responsibility of carrying the Trust (33:72) is placed in the human body. God assigns the timing, the place and the circumstances in which every self is placed in accordance with His knowledge:

Your Lord creates and chooses whatever He wills. The choice was not theirs. Glory to God, and exalted is He, far above whatever they associate with Him. 28:68

26- Every time a human being is born, a jinn companion is assigned to be his companion:

You have been oblivious of this, then We stripped you of your covering, and so your sight today is iron strong. The companionsaid, "This is what I have ready with me." 50:22-23

The type of companion assigned to every human being is also in accordance with God's infinite wisdom. The wicked humans are assigned to wicked jinn companions:

Whoever shuns the remembrance of the Almighty, We appoint for him a devil to be his companion. 43:36

27- To give us a fair and unbiased chance of accepting God's truth, we are born on earth with our memories blanked out. We come to earth with no recollection of any of the events of the previous life. Just as well, for we were fooled by Satan in the previous life, probably dazzled by his high God-given powers. God made sure that that would not happen again by safeguarding us from the memory of the previous events. God also safeguarded us by limiting Satan's influence on us to mere whispering. God then made available to us the means for redemption by sending us the Scriptures and the messengers proclaiming the truth.

The law was set and the route to redemption was spelt out. The human being was given the freedom to choose between God's guidance and denial and disbelief: 

We said, "Go down therefrom, all of you. Then when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance, no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve. And for those who disbelieve and deny Our revelations, they will be the companions of the Fire; therein they shall permanently remain. 2:38-39

28- As a result of our memory being wiped clean at birth of all recollections of the previous existence, the oath we bore witness to before coming to earth (7:172) would have been of no benefit to us had God not made provision for that. Indeed, there is no detail that ever escapes God the Most Wise. Another act of mercy from God was to instil the monotheistic oath we bore witness to (7:172) as an instinct that is coded in the DNA of every human being:

So direct your face towards the religion as a monotheist. Such is the natural instinct that God instilled in the people. 30:30

This merciful act makes every human being instinctively know that there is no god except God, which is what we bore witness to (7:172). However, God gave the 'nafs' (self) the free will to submit to God or to disbelieve:

And the self and what fashioned it, then He inspired it with its depravity and its reverence: he who purifies it has indeed succeeded, and he who corrupts it has indeed failed. 91:7-10

29- The memory of the human being regarding the previous events, which was blanked out upon his birth, is returned to him at the moment of his death. At that moment, all that was obscured from the human being would become apparent once more: 

You have been oblivious of this, then We stripped you of your covering, and so your sight today is iron strong. 50:22

This is because death brings with it the truth of all matters: 

And the trance of death came with the truth; that is what you were trying to evade. 50:19

Because death brings the truth with it, those who have not believed during their life on earth will try to repent and ask for forgiveness at the moment of death, but then it will be too late. The story of Pharaoh and his lame repentance while he was drowning (10:90) is a good example. 

30- All those from groups (b and c) who were afraid to carry the responsibility and instead chose to repent (33:72) are created on earth as animals, plants and everything else in the universe. None of these creatures are tested further for they have already repented and upheld God's absolute authority before the creation of the universe. All who are in this category (animals, plants and everything else in the universe), praise and glorify God constantly:

Do you not see that everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies God, even the birds in their flight formation? Each knows its prayer and its glorification. God is Knowledgeable of what they do. 24:41

Objects on earth and in the universe which we normally think of as lifeless are indeed alive. They were afraid of carrying the responsibility but instead repented and chose to accept God's absolute authority. As a result, they too praise God constantly. The following verse mentions the mountains as an example of such objects: 

Be patient in the face of what they say, and mention Our servant David, the possessor of strength, he was always turning to his Lord. We subjected the mountains to glorify with him in the evening and at sunrise. 38:17-18

Animals, who are also among this category, do not come to earth to be tested, thus they are not given brains as advanced as the human brain. The brains they are given are only sufficient to make essential survival decisions; where to find food, how to avoid danger, and so on. Their minds are not programmed to distinguish between such matters as good and evil, nor morality and immorality. They do not need to make such choices because they are not sitting any test.

The second life they go through on earth is merely to cleanse themselves from the initial mistake, and also to nourish themselves by constantly praising and glorifying God. As such, they are not subject to the whispers of Satan. Satan's problem is exclusively with the human being whom he despises.

31- As mentioned, every human being is assigned a companion of the jinn. The jinn companions, being the descendents of Satan (7:27 above) promote Satan's ideology (disbelief, idol worship, sin, immorality, etc) to their human counterparts. It is written that the jinn companions will lead a great number of humans astray:

On the Day He summons them all, "O you tribes of jinn, you have claimed multitudes of humans." 6:128

However, just like the humans, the jinn are also sent messengers from amongst them inviting them to the guidance and warning them of the punishment: 

O you tribes of jinn and humans, did not messengers from among you come to you narrating to you My revelations and warning you about the meeting of this Day of yours? 6:130

The jinn, who are also given free will like the humans, have the choice between submitting to God and redeeming themselves or continuing in their disbelief throughout their life as jinn:

Say, "It was inspired to me that a group of jinn listened, then said, 'We have heard an amazing Quran that guides to correctness, so we believed in it, and we will not associate anyone with our Lord. 72:1-2

Also: 

When We directed towards you a group of jinn to listen to the Quran, then when they were in its presence, they said, "Be quiet, and listen." Then when it was concluded, they rushed to their people, warning.

They said, "O our people, we have heard a Book that was brought down after Moses confirming what came before it. It guides to the truth and to a straight path.

O our people, respond to God's caller and believe in him. He will then forgive you of your sins and save you from a painful punishment." 46:29-31

32- And so, from the moment of his birth on earth and throughout his life, the human being is given the freedom to choose between God's truth or the falsehood promoted by Satan. On earth, the human being is tested and given a chance to redeem himself. Indeed, the only reason for which the human being is created and brought to earth is to redeem himself from his initial sin. Redemption can only be attained through worshipping God alone:

I have not created the jinn and the humans except to worship Me. 51:56

All human beings have to sit the test, even the most righteous believers: 

Did the people think that they would be left to say, "We believe," without them being tested? 29:2

33- God could have created all humans as believers but that would defeat the object behind the second chance. It is the human being who made the initial mistake, and thus, it is also the human being who has to correct it in order to redeem himself,. The human being must voluntarily choose the guidance and submission to God to deserve redemption:

Had your Lord willed, all the people on earth, in their entirety, would have believed, so are you to force the people to become believers? 10:99

It was the human being who arrogantly chose to carry the responsibility (33:72), therefore, it is the human being who must pass the test and accordingly earn the right for redemption.

Another important outcome of the words in 10:99 is that all prayers in which we ask God to guide our loved ones to the faith, or to make them believers, are utterly useless. Such a prayer would not be any different than asking the school teacher "please give my son a 'pass' in his exam"!

The human being must earn his right for redemption through his own work, just as the student in school must earn his 'pass' grade through his own work.