In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent

Long ago, We made a covenant with Adam; but he forgot it, and We found him lacking in firmness of purpose. And when We said to the angels, “Prostrate yourselves before Adam,” they all prostrated themselves; but not Iblis. He refused.

“Adam,” We said, “this is indeed a foe to you and your wife; so let him not drive the two of you out of Paradise and plunge you into affliction. It is guaranteed that you shall not hunger here or feel naked, and you shall not thirst here or suffer from the blazing sun.” But Satan whispered to him, saying: “Adam, shall I lead you to the tree of life eternal, and to a kingdom that will never decay?”

They both ate of its fruit; and thereupon their shameful parts became visible to them, and they began to cover themselves with pieced-together leaves from the Garden. Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, and thus did he stray into error.

(Ta Ha: 20: 115-121)

The Surah gives a brief account of Adam’s story, when he forgot the commitment he gave to God. When he was tempted by the prospect of immortality, he yielded to that temptation and listened to Satan and his promptings. This was a test which God wanted him to go through before he was placed in charge of the Earth. It was also an example of what Satan may do, so that Adam’s offspring may learn the lesson. When the test had been completed, God bestowed His mercy on Adam and elected him for the role assigned to him, and provided him with guidance.

Every story related in the Qur’an is made to fit with the context in which it is given. In this Surah, the story of Adam follows soon after the reference to the Prophet’s hasty repetition of the Qur’anic revelations, for fear of forgetting them. Hence, Adam’s forgetting of his commitment is pointed out at the beginning. Moreover, the story is given in a Surah which reveals many aspects of God’s grace bestowed on God’s chosen servants whom He places under His care.

Therefore, in this story the point is made that God chose Adam, accepted his repentance and provided him with guidance. This is followed by a scene of the Day of Resurrection portraying the two different ends of God’s obedient servants and those who persist in their disobedience. This is shown like a journey back from Earth to the first abode where everyone is given their rightful reward. Let us now look at the story as it is related in this Surah.

“Long ago, We made a covenant with Adam; but he forgot it, and We found him lacking in firmness of purpose.” God’s covenant with Adam was that he could eat of all the fruits in the Garden except for one tree that represented the prohibition necessary to strengthen willpower, assert one’s personality and liberate oneself of the oppressive pressure of desire. All that is necessary to give the human soul the freedom to do without its needs, so that it may not be enslaved by its desires. This is indeed the true measure of human excellence. Whenever man’s will weakens under the pressure of desire, man sinks closer to the level of animals.

Hence, God’s grace, bestowed on man in abundance, gave man this initial test of his will in preparation to fulfill his role of building human life on Earth. Thus, his power of resisting temptation is alerted. His eyes are opened to the struggle awaiting him between the pleasures raised before him by Satan and his will to honor his commitment to God. The results of this first test are made public: “He forgot (his commitment), and We found him lacking in firmness of purpose.” The result is declared before the details of the test have been given.

“And when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam,’ they all prostrated themselves; but not Iblis. He refused.” This first episode of the story is given in very general terms, without any details like those given in other Surahs. The general context here is one of mercy, care and blessings. Hence, these aspects are brought forth very quickly: “Adam,” We said, “this is indeed a foe to you and your wife; so let him not drive the two of you out of Paradise and plunge you into affliction. It is guaranteed that you shall not hunger here or feel naked, and you shall not thirst here or suffer from the blazing sun.”

We see how God takes care to alert Adam to the wicked designs employed by his enemy, warning him against Satan’s treachery, after he disobeyed God’s command to prostrate himself before Adam. The warning is very precise, showing the inevitable result of listening to Satan and his promptings: “Let him not drive the two of you out of Paradise and plunge you into affliction.” Once Adam is thrown out of Heaven, all he will have is affliction: hard Labour, going astray, worry, indecision, endless wait, agony, deprivation, etc.

As long as he is in Paradise, he is immune to all these and similar aspects of affliction: “It is guaranteed that you shall not hunger here or feel naked, and you shall not thirst here or suffer from the blazing sun.” Such needs are available in plenty in Paradise, which means that man should make sure of staying there. We note here how hunger and nakedness are shown to be parallel to thirst and suffering from heat. These four represent the initial concerns of man as he tries to find food, clothing, drink and shade.

But Adam was without experience. Moreover, he has all his weaknesses, such as his desire for survival and power. It was through these weaknesses that Satan was able to tempt him: “But Satan whispered to him, saying: ‘Adam, shall I lead you to the tree of life eternal, and to a kingdom that will never decay’?”

We see here how Satan touches Adam’s raw nerve. Man’s life and power are limited. Hence, he longs for survival and lasting power. These two desires provided Satan with suitable openings. As we have said, Adam had all human weakness, planted in him for a definite purpose. Hence, he forgets his commitment and goes over the permitted limits: “They both ate of its fruit; and thereupon their shameful parts became visible to them, and they began to cover themselves with pieced-together leaves from the Garden. Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, and thus did he stray into error.”

It appears that what Adam and his wife saw were their physical private parts, which had been covered. This is more likely, since they started to try to cover them again, piecing together leaves from the trees in Heaven. On the other hand, the expression may only mean that their action might have aroused in them their sexual desire. Prior to sexual feelings, man does not feel any shame in leaving his private parts exposed. Indeed, he may not be aware of them unless he feels his sexual urge. It is then that he experiences shame and feels too shy to expose himself.

We will continue with the story of Adam next week, God willing.