Taha 20:115–122

Commentary _

And now we come to the story of Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) which has been related earlier in Surah Al-Baqarah and Al-A` raf and partly in Surah Hijr and Al-Kahf, and will also appear later in Surah Sad. The link of the story with the preceding verses has been variously explained by the commentators. The most obvious of these explanations is the one which refers to an earlier verse كَذَٰلِكَ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنبَاءِ مَا قَدْ سَبَقَ (Thus We narrate to you certain events of what has passed- 20:99) in which Allah informed the Holy Prophet ﷺ that the stories of the past prophets were revealed to him as evidence and confirmation of his own prophethood and in order that his own followers be warned against committing the sins for which the earlier generations were punished. The first, and in some ways, the most instructive story was that of Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) in which there was a clear warning for the followers of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that Shaitan was an old enemy of mankind who by his flattery and show of sympathy tricked Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) into committing an error for which both he and his wife were expelled from Paradise and the clothes which they wore there were taken away from them. Later their prayer for forgiveness was accepted by Allah and Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) was elevated to the status of prophethood.

وَلَقَدْ عَهِدْنَا إِلَىٰ آدَمَ مِن قَبْلُ فَنَسِيَ وَلَمْ نَجِدْ لَهُ عَزْمًا (And earlier We had given a directive to 'Adam, then he forgot, and We did not find in him a firm resolve. - 20:115) Here the word 6 has been used in the sense of اَمَرنَا or وَصَّینَا (A1-Bahr ul-Muhit), and the meaning of the verse is that long before the time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Allah had assigned a particular tree and enjoined upon Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) to shun it and not to eat any yield from it, and that barring this tree and its yields he was free to use the fruits of all the trees and all the other gifts from Allah which were abundantly available in Paradise. And, as will follow, he was also warned that the Shaitan was his enemy against whose wiles he must at all times remain on his guard and that any lapse on his part would land him in serious trouble. But he forgot and was found wanting in resolution. Here two words have been used, namely of نِسیَان (nisyan) which means to forget or to be unmindful, the other word is عَزم (` azm) which means to be resolute in the performance of some task. In order to fully comprehend the meanings of these two words it is well to bear in mind that Sayyidna 'Adam علیہ السلام was one of those prophets who were endowed by Allah with constancy and determination, and that prophets, by virtue of their status are infallible.

The first word suggests that Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) was overtaken by نِسیَان . (forgetting) and since forgetting something is beyond one's control and volition it does not constitute sin. There is a Hadith which says رَفَعَ عَن اُمَّتِی الخَطَأ وَالنِسیَان (My followers will not be held liable for mistakes and unmindfulness). Then there is the general pronouncement in the Qur'an لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا (Allah does not obligate anyone beyond his capacity - 2:286). At the same time it has to be remembered that there are ways and means which if adopted will prevent people from forgetting things. And since the prophets stand high in the favour of Allah a special responsibility rests upon them to adopt such ways and means to avoid even mistakes and refrain even from forgetting something, therefore, they may well be held liable for not using the means which were available to them in order to avoid forgetfulness. The well known Sufi Junaid Al-Baghdadi (رح) has expressed this idea in the following words: حَسَنَات الابرار سَیَّٔات اَلمُقَرّبِین (The good deeds of ordinary virtuous men are often regarded as sinful and evil when performed by those who stand high in Allah's favour).

The episode under reference occurred before Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) was granted prophethood and according to some Sunni Scholars sins committed in the prior period do not militate against the concept of the prophet's immunity from sin. Also it was a case of forgetfulness which cannot be considered as a sin, but in view of the high position of Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) as a prophet of Allah this too was regarded as a lapse for which he was admonished and as a warning to him his lapse was described as عِصیَان ; as (Disobedience).

The second word is عَزم ` azm (firm resolve) and the same verse says that Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) was found wanting in عَزم ` azm. As a matter of fact he was fully determined to comply with the commands of Allah but the intrigues of Shaitan weakened his resolve and unmindfulness made him lose his grip on it.

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ (And when We said to angels - 20:116)Here is a brief mention of the command which, after the creation of Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) Allah gave to all the angels including Iblis (Shaitan) who at that time lived in the Paradise with them, to prostrate to him. All the angels obeyed but Shaitan refused. In his haughtiness he claimed that he was made of fire while Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) was made of clay, and fire being superior to clay, he could not be expected to prostrate to the latter. As a punishment for his arrogance and defiance of the command of Allah he was accursed and driven from Paradise while all the gates of Paradise were opened wide for Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) and Sayyidnh Hawwa' (علیہا السلام) to enjoy the fruits of its gardens and all the blessings of Allah at their will. However, there was one particular tree which they were told to shun in all circumstances and never to partake of any of its produce. This story has been related in Surah Al-Baqarah and Al-A'rif. Instead of repeating it here, Allah has mentioned his directives given to Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) to comply with His commands to the fullest extent. Referring to the rebellious conduct of shaitan He reminds Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) that the former is his enemy and that both he himself and his wife should at all times be on their guard against his deceptions. But if they succumbed to his tricks and became heedless of the commands of Allah then they would be expelled from Paradise and face distress

(فَلَا يُخْرِ‌جَنَّكُمَا مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَتَشْقَىٰ ). The word تَشقٰی (tashga) is derived from شَقَاوَہ (shaqawah) which has two meanings namely distress or trouble in the Hereafter and distress in this world. Here the word has obviously been used in the second meaning because it cannot be used in its first meaning even for pious Muslims, leave alone the prophets. Commentators have explained this word in the sentence ھو امن یاکل من کدّ یدیہ (He will have to earn his living by the labour of his hands). (Qurtubi) In the present context the second meaning of the word appears more appropriate because in the following verse reference has been made to the four basic needs of human life, namely food, water, clothes and shelter which are freely available in Paradise without any effort and toil. This verse also contains a hint to Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) that if he ever was expelled from Paradise, He would forfeit all these gifts. It is worth noting that here only those gifts have been mentioned which are basic to human life, to the exclusion of the other major rewards and comforts which are available in Paradise and the intention is to warn Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) that one wrong step would deprive him of all these benefits, which he would have to earn for himself with physical labour and by the sweat of his brow. Most commentators have adopted this very meaning of the word فَتَشقٰی . (lest you get into trouble) Imam Qurtubi اللہ تعالیٰ has also recorded that when Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) came down to the earth, Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) gave him some grains of wheat and rice and taught him how to plant the seeds, harvest the ripe crop, grind the grain and prepare bread from it. Finally when all the stages were completed and Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) sat down to eat, the bread slipped out of his hand and rolled down the hill. Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) went after it and retrieved it with great exertion. Thereupon Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) told Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) that on the earth he and his descendants would have to work very hard in order to earn their livelihood. (Qurtubi)

The responsibility for providing the essential needs of a wife rests on her husband _

Early in this verse when Allah spoke to Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) He included Sayyidah Hawwa' also in His address عَدُوٌّ لَّكَ وَلِزَوْجِكَ فَلَا يُخْرِ‌جَنَّكُمَا مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ (shaitan is your enemy and the enemy of your wife. So you both must be very careful so let him not expel you from Paradise - 20:117). But towards the end of the verse word فَتَشْقَىٰ (lest you get into trouble) is used in the singular and not in dual form. From this Imam Qurtubi has deduced the rule that a husband is responsible for meeting the essential needs of his wife and that any physical labour which is necessary to meet that responsibility must be provided by the husband alone. The use of the word فَتَشْقَىٰ in second person singular is a pointer to Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) that if they were sent to the earth the onus of earning a livelihood for himself and Sayyidah Hawwa' (علیہا السلام) will fall on him alone.

Only four things fall within the definition of obligatory maintenance.

Qurtubi says that this verse clearly indicates that there are four things only which a husband must provide for his wife namely food, water, clothes and shelter. Anything else which he gives her will be regarded as gift, but is not binding on him. From this it has also been deduced that wherever Islamic law makes a person responsible for the maintenance of somebody else (such as sick and needy parents whose maintenance is the responsibility of the children), it is obligatory on him to provide only these four things.

إِنَّ لَكَ أَلَّا تَجُوعَ فِيهَا وَلَا تَعْرَ‌ىٰ (Here you are privileged that you will not be hungry nor will you be unclad, and you will not be thirsty, nor will you be exposed to sun - 118.) Four things needed for the existence of life will be provided in Paradise without asking or putting in any labour. One should not doubt that good taste of food will not be enjoyed because of the absence of hunger in Paradise. Similarly, it is incorrect to assume that one would not enjoy drinking cold water in Paradise because of lack of thirst. The reality is that hunger and thirst would not be felt in Paradise to the extent of feeling any difficulty. The food will be made available as and when one would desire, and the cold water will be provided immediately when one would like to drink. In fact everything will be provided the moment one would desire.

فَوَسْوَسَ إِلَيْهِ الشَّيْطَانُ قَالَ يَا آدَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَىٰ شَجَرَ‌ةِ الْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍ لَّا يَبْلَىٰ ﴿120﴾ فَأَكَلَا مِنْهَا فَبَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْآتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَ‌قِ الْجَنَّةِ ۚ وَعَصَىٰ آدَمُ رَ‌بَّهُ فَغَوَىٰ (Then the Shaitan instigated him...And 'Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred- 120, 121.) Here it is pertinent to ask that when Allah had specifically told Sayyidna 'Adam and Sayyidah Hawwa' (علیہما السلام) to abstain from a particular tree or to eat any part of its yield, and had also warned them to beware of shaitan's machinations who was their sworn enemy who would do his best to seduce them and thus cause their expulsion from Paradise, why then, despite all the warnings and admonitions, did Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) let himself fall into the trap laid out for him by the shaitan. His action clearly constituted disobedience of the commands of Allah and were, therefore, acts of sin. There is consensus among scholars that the prophets of Allah are immune from all sins - minor or major, and Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) was a prophet of Allah! So how may one explain his action of eating the fruit of the forbidden tree when Allah had warned him in such clear terms? An answer to all these questions will be found in the commentary of Surah Al-Baqarah which also explains the use of the words عِصٰی (to disobey) and غَوٰی (to err) in reference to Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) . According to the divine Islamic law the action of Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) did not constitute a sin but because he was a prophet of Allah and in His high favour therefore this minor lapse on his part has been described as عِصیَان (disobedience) for which he was admonished by Allah. A further point here is that the word غَوٰی has two meanings: One is "to be deprived" and the other is "to err", or "to go astray". Al-Qushairi and Al-Qurtubi have adopted the first meaning of the word and have explained this verse by saying that as a punishment for his lapse Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) was deprived of the comforts which were available to him in the Paradise and as a result his life became harsh and bitter.

It is incumbent on Muslims to show reverence to the prophets of Allah when referring to them

Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn Al-` Arabi (رح) when discussing the word عَصٰی (disobeyed) etc. in reference to Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) in his book Ahkam-ul-Qur'an has made an important observation which is reproduced below in his own words:

لا یجوز لاحدنا الیوم ان یخبر بذلک عن اٰدم الَّا اذا ذکرناہ فی اثناء قولہٖ تعالیٰ عنہ او قول نَبِیّہ، فامّا ان یبتدیء ذالک من قبل نفسہٖ فلیس بجایٔز لنا فی ابایٔنا الاذنین الینا المماثلین لنا فکیف فی ابینا الاقدام الاعظم الاکرم النّبی المقدّم الذی عذرہ اللہ سبحانہ و تعالیٰ و تاب علیہ وغفرلہ (تفسیر قرطبی و ذکرہ فی البحر المحیط ایضاً )

Today it is not permissible for any of us to use the word عِصیَان (disobedience) in relation to Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) except when it has been used with reference to this verse or to a Hadith of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . When indeed it is not desirable to use this word in relation to our own not-too-distant ancestors, who were like us, how can it be permissible in relation to Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) who is the father of all mankind and more deserving of respect than our own ancestors? Besides he is a revered prophet of Allah whose excuse He accepted and forgave him for his lapse. For such a person the use of the word of (disobedience) is totally forbidden.

The same views have been expressed by Qushairi Abu Nasr.