Overview (Verses 115 - 122)

Man’s Lack of Purpose
 
The sūrah gives a brief account of Adam’s story, when he forgot the commitment he made to God. When he was tempted by the prospect of immortality, he yielded, listening 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 also provided an example of what Satan can do, so that Adam’s offspring would learn the lesson. When the test was completed, God bestowed His mercy on Adam, assigning his role to him, and providing him with guidance.
 
Every story related in the Qur’ān is made to fit with the context in which it is given. In this sūrah, Adam’s story follows soon after the reference to the Prophet’s hasty repetition of Qur’ānic revelations, for fear of forgetting them. Hence, Adam’s forgetting of his commitment is referred to at the outset. Moreover, the story is given in a sūrah which reveals many aspects of God’s grace bestowed on those 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 on the one hand and, on the other, those who persist in 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 sūrah.
 
“Long ago, We made a covenant with Adam; but he forgot it, and We found him lacking in firmness of purpose.” (Verse 115) 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 this is necessary to give the human soul the freedom to do without its supposed needs, so that it is not enslaved by desire. This is indeed the true measure of human excellence. Whenever man’s will weakens under the pressure of desire, he sinks closer to the level of animals.
 
Hence, God so tested man initially in order to prepare him for his role of building human life on earth. Thus the test is seen to be part of God’s grace which He bestows on man in abundance: his power to resist temptation is alerted and enhanced. His eyes are opened to the struggle awaiting him between the pleasures raised before him by Satan and his will to honour his commitment to God. The results of this first test are made public: “He forgot it [i.e. his commitment], and We found him lacking in firmness of purpose.” (Verse 115) 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; except Iblīs, who refused.” (Verse 116) This first episode of the story is given in very general terms, without the details given in other sūrahs. 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 the Garden, for then you will be plunged 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.’” (Verses 117-119)
 
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 the Garden, for then you will be plunged into affliction.” (Verse 117) Once Adam is thrown out of heaven, all he will have is affliction: hard labour, going astray, worry, indecision, endless waiting, agony, deprivation, etc. As long as he is in Paradise, he is immune to all 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.” (Verses 118-119) All that man needs is available in plenty in Paradise, which means that man should ensure he stays there. We note here how hunger and nakedness are shown to be parallel to thirst and intense heat. These four represent man’s initial concerns as he tries to find food, clothing, drink and shade.
 
Adam however was without experience. Moreover, he was burdened by weakness, such as his desire for survival and his other desire to feel himself powerful. 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?” (Verse 120)
 
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 weaknesses planted in him for a definite purpose. Hence, he forgot his commitment and transgressed 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.” (Verse 121)
 
It appears that what Adam and his wife saw were their genitals, which had thus far been covered. This is the more likely explanation, since they started to cover themselves again, piecing together leaves from the trees in heaven. On the other hand, the expression may mean that their action aroused 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 such urges. It is then that he experiences shame and feels too shy to expose himself.
 
It may be that the tree was forbidden to Adam and his wife because its fruits could awaken their sexual desire. Perhaps it was intended to leave this desire dormant for a time. It could be, on the other hand, that their forgetting of their commitment to God and their disobedience of His orders resulted in a weakening of their willpower and a break of their bond with the Lord Creator, giving way to the emergence of sexual and reproductive desires. It is only in this way that man can extend his life beyond his own term. All these are possible explanations for the association between their eating of the forbidden tree and their becoming aware of their nakedness. The Qur’ān does not say, “their shameful parts became visible”; rather, these parts became visible “to them”. This suggests that these parts were screened from them and then became exposed through their own inner feelings. In another sūrah the Qur’ān says: “Satan whispered to them both, so that he might show them their nakedness, of which they had previously been unaware.” (7: 20) “[Satan] stripped them of their garment in order to make them aware of their nakedness.” (7: 27) Perhaps the clothing that Satan removed was not physical, but rather, a protective feeling of innocence, purity and closeness to God. These are mere hypotheses which we neither emphasize nor give weight to. We state them only to make the first human experience with temptation clearer.
 
But God extended His grace to Adam and his wife after he had disobeyed Him. This was only the first experience: “Then his Lord elected him [for His grace], accepted his repentance, and bestowed His guidance upon him.” (Verse 122) Realizing the enormity of his error, Adam repented and sought God’s forgiveness, but this is not mentioned here in order to leave God’s grace to be seen most clearly.