Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The angels were created before Adam (peace be upon him). This is apparent from the texts in which Allah informed the angels that He would create a human being and then commanded them to prostrate to him after he was created. As for how the angels knew that human beings would cause corruption on earth and shed blood, the scholars differed concerning this and gave several explanations. There is no explicit text in the Qur'an or Sunnah that definitively establishes how they knew this. Among the most well-known views are that Allah informed them of it; that they knew it from the condition of creatures who had previously inhabited the earth; or that they understood it from the nature of human beings or from the meaning of being a khalifah (successor/steward) on earth.
Yes. The texts indicate that the angels existed before Adam (peace be upon him) was created.
Allah says:
﴿When your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down before him in prostration.”﴾
[Sad 38:71–72]
Allah informed the angels about the creation of Adam before his creation was completed, and then commanded them to prostrate to him. This clearly indicates that the angels were created before human beings.
Allah also says:
﴿And when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I am going to place a khalifah on earth,” they said, “Will You place therein one who will cause corruption therein and shed blood, while we glorify You with Your praise and sanctify You?” He said, “Indeed, I know that which you do not know.”﴾
[Al-Baqarah 2:30]
The commentators mentioned several possibilities in explaining this, the most famous of which are four:
Most commentators held that the angels knew what would happen from the descendants of Adam because Allah had informed them of it, even though this communication is not explicitly mentioned in the context of the verse.
This view was transmitted from Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Abbas, Al-Hasan, Mujahid, Qatadah, Ibn Zayd, and others.
Ibn al-Qayyim stated that the angels' statement indicates that Allah had already informed them that corruption would occur among the descendants of Adam, because the angels do not speak about Allah's affairs without knowledge.
This meaning is supported by Allah's description of them:
﴿They do not precede Him in speech, and they act according to His command.﴾
[Al-Anbiya 21:27]
Some scholars held that creatures had inhabited the earth before Adam, including the jinn, and that corruption and bloodshed had occurred among them.
According to this view, the angels understood that the new creature who would live on earth might do what had been done by those who preceded it.
This meaning has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, Abu Al-'Aliyah, and Muqatil, and some scholars adopted or preferred this interpretation.
However, there is no explicit text in the Qur'an or Sunnah establishing that this was the reason the angels knew what would happen from human beings.
It was also suggested that the angels understood from the nature and composition of this creature that among its descendants there would be those capable of disobedience, injustice, and bloodshed.
Some commentators mentioned that Allah may have described to them the nature of this khalifah, or that they perceived from his constitution an inclination toward such actions.
This is also an interpretive explanation of the verse, and there is no explicit text that definitively settles the matter.
Some scholars held that the angels understood from Allah's statement:
﴿Indeed, I am going to place a khalifah on earth﴾
that this khalifah would be responsible for judging between people and ruling on disputes and injustices that occurred among them.
If there are people who settle disputes and restrain injustice, this indicates that disputes and injustice may occur among them.
This is another explanation mentioned by the scholars of Qur'anic exegesis.
No. The angels' question:
﴿Will You place therein one who will cause corruption therein and shed blood?﴾
was not an objection to Allah's decree, nor was it motivated by jealousy toward Adam and his descendants.
Allah described the angels by saying:
﴿They do not precede Him in speech, and they act according to His command.﴾
[Al-Anbiya 21:27]
Rather, their question was a request to understand the wisdom behind creating a creature among whose descendants some would cause corruption and shed blood, while the angels glorify and sanctify Allah.
Therefore, Allah answered them:
﴿Indeed, I know that which you do not know.﴾
[Al-Baqarah 2:30]
Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that Allah knew of great benefits and wisdoms in the creation of human beings that the angels did not know. Among the descendants of Adam would be prophets, messengers, the truthful, martyrs, righteous people, scholars, worshippers, and other people of faith and obedience.
The occurrence of corruption among some human beings does not mean that there is no wisdom in the creation of humanity. Rather, Allah has wisdoms and benefits in His creation that are encompassed by His knowledge.
The angels were created before Adam (peace be upon him). As for how they knew that some human beings would cause corruption on earth and shed blood, there is no explicit text that definitively establishes this.
The scholars mentioned several possibilities. The most famous is that Allah informed them of it. It was also said that they knew it from what had occurred among creatures that existed before human beings, or that they understood it from the nature of human beings or from the meaning of succession on earth.
Most importantly, the angels' question was not an objection to Allah. Rather, it was a question about the wisdom behind the creation. Allah gave them the comprehensive answer:
﴿Indeed, I know that which you do not know.﴾
And Allah knows best.