ONE AYAT A DAY
وَاِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلٰۤىِٕكَةِ اِنِّيْ جَاعِلٌ فِى الْاَرْضِ خَلِيْفَةً ۗ قَالُوْٓا اَتَجْعَلُ فِيْهَا مَنْ يُّفْسِدُ فِيْهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاۤءَۚ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ ۗ قَالَ اِنِّيْٓ اَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُوْنَ
Wa iż qāla rabbuka lil-malā'ikati innī jā‘ilun fil-arḍi khalīfah(tan), qālū ataj‘alu fīhā may yufsidu fīhā wa yasfikud-dimā'(a), wa naḥnu nusabbiḥu biḥamdika wa nuqaddisu lak(a), qāla innī a‘lamu mā lā ta‘lamūn(a).
And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt You with praise and declare Your perfection?" He [Allāh] said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know."
Adam and His Children inhabited the Earth, Generation after GenerationAllah reiterated His favor on the Children of Adam when He stated that He mentioned them in the highest of heights before He created them. Allah said,وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـئِكَةِ(And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels.)This Ayah means, "O Muhammad ! Mention to your people what Allah said to the angels,إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِى الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً(Verily, I am going to place a Khalifah on earth).Meaning people reproducing generation after generation, century after century, just as Allah said,وَهُوَ الَّذِى جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَـئِفَ الاٌّرْضِ(And it is He Who has made you (Khala'if) generations coming after generations, replacing each other on the earth) (6:165),وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ حُلَفَآءَ الاٌّرْضِ(And makes you (Khulafa') inheritors of the earth) (27:62),وَلَوْ نَشَآءُ لَجَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ مَّلَـئِكَةً فِى الاٌّرْضِ يَخْلُفُونَ(And if it were Our will, We would have (destroyed you (mankind all, and) made angels to replace you (Yakhlufun) on the earth.) (43: 60) and,فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ(Then after them succeeded an (evil) generation (Khalf)) (7:169). It appears that Allah was not refering to Adam specifically as Khalifah, otherwise he would not have allowed the angels' statement,أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَآءَ(Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein a…