Detailed Exegesis

We said: The expression “We said” in the first-person plural form is used for magnification and glorification, reflecting God’s grandeur rather than plurality. This pronoun (“We”) may also indicate that the angels, who oversee certain affairs, acted as intermediaries in conveying this command. Therefore, it is as if God is saying, “We and the angels said to Adam.”

Dwell: The command to “dwell” signifies tranquility, contrasting with the distress of homelessness or similar conditions, and indicates a state of peace, not stillness. Here, “dwell therein” means to reside comfortably in Paradise. This concept is similar to God’s command to the Prophet to take charity from the people and pray for them, as stated:

“Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke blessings upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them” (9:103).

This verse highlights that the Prophet’s prayers are a source of tranquility and peace for the people. Similar expressions are found in:

“And created from it its mate that he might dwell in tranquility with her” (7:189),

“And when it was said to them, ‘Dwell in this city and eat from it wherever you will’” (7:161).

Verse 104 of Sūrah al-Isrāʾ, which all emphasize rest and comfort.

These examples contrast with the statement, “If He willed, He could still the wind, and they would remain motionless on its surface” (42:33), which signifies immobility rather than peaceful dwelling.

Note: Some concepts, such as khulūd (eternity), inherently imply permanence, while others like labth (staying), makth (pausing), and iqāma (residing) are not necessarily incompatible with permanence. However, certain terms, according to some exegetes, are considered incompatible with permanence and suggest discontinuity. One such term is suknā (dwelling), which is temporary and implies that the resident will eventually leave their dwelling. This understanding is similar to the jurisprudential use of suknā contrasted with ruqbā and ʿumrā, where in suknā, the dwelling is not owned by the resident, and they are required to vacate it after a certain period.

Therefore, the command askin (dwell) subtly hints at the possibility of expulsion from Paradise, as Adam and Eve’s entry into Paradise was of the nature of suknā rather than iqāma.(79)

However, it appears that:

Firstly, jurisprudential terminology should not be imposed on common exegetical meanings without proper evidence, and the command askin should not be assumed to align with the jurisprudential understanding of suknā.

Secondly, if permanence or eternity is absent in certain usages, it does not mean that discontinuity, expulsion, or similar outcomes are intrinsic to the concept of dwelling itself. Rather, it is context-dependent and specific to the case.

Thirdly, the term maskan (dwelling) has been used in reference to eternal and everlasting paradises, such as in the verse: “And He will admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetuity (ʿadn)” (61:12). It is known that the inhabitants of the dwelling of ʿadn will remain there eternally.

Zawj (Spouse): The term zawj is used instead of zawja, even though it refers to Eve, the wife of Adam. This is because zawj is considered more eloquent than zawja, although, according to Ṭabarī, most Arabs use it with the feminine marker “hā.”(80) The eloquent ones specifically use the term zawj for the female spouse instead of zawja, as zawj is a noun rather than an adjective and does not accept the feminine suffix. Farazdaq, who used zawja in his poetry, was criticized for this reason.(81)

The title zawj applies to a spouse because a man and a woman each become a pair (zawj) when united. Therefore, the feminine form of zawj is pluralized in the Qur’an as azwāj, not zawjāt, as seen in the verse:

“And for them therein are purified spouses (azwāj muṭahhara)” (2:25).

Note: The name of Adam’s (a.s.) wife, Eve, is not mentioned in the Qur’an but is discussed in narrations, where reasons for her naming are provided.(82)

Raghadan: Some exegetes interpret raghadan as wāsiʿan hanīʾan(83) (expansive and pleasant), while some linguists define it as ṭayyiban wāsiʿan(84) (good and abundant). Thus, the terms abundance and pleasantness are integral to its meaning.

There are two possibilities regarding its grammatical usage: it can be an adjective for an implied aklan, meaning aklan raghadan (pleasant food), or a verbal noun functioning as an active participle, thereby serving as a circumstantial phrase (ḥāl) for the subject of kulā (eat). This would render the phrase as “eat from it, being in a state of ease and comfort wherever you wish.” Many exegetes have considered both possibilities; however, some favor the second interpretation, suggesting that raghad signifies ease and enjoyment in life, attributes that pertain more to the eater than to the act of eating itself.(85)

The primary term associated with raghad in lexicons is ʿaysh (life), as seen in expressions like “raghad al-ʿaysh,” meaning life became expansive and soft,(86) and “ʿ_aysh raghad_” and “raghīd,” meaning good and expansive.(87) This raises a question: what differentiates the attributes of ʿaysh (life), rizq (sustenance), and akl (food) when described as raghad? Just as one says “an expansive and pleasant life” or “abundant and pleasant sustenance,” it is also correct to say “good and pleasant food.” This is similar to the common expression, “eat so that it may be pleasant for you,” meaning, “may this eating be pleasant for you.”

Moreover, omitting the described noun conflicts with the apparent meaning, as does using the infinitive in place of the active participle.

In any case, the phrase “wa kulā minhā raghadan ḥaythu shiʾtumā” means: eat abundantly and pleasantly from wherever you wish.

Ḥaythu: The word ḥaythu functions as an adverb of place, contrasting with ḥīn, which serves as an adverb of time. Thus, ḥaythu shiʾtumā specifically means “wherever you wish,” not “however you wish.”

However, it is possible, given a specific context—especially when ḥaythu is preceded by min—for it to mean “however” or “in whatever way.” For instance, this usage is seen in the verses: “We shall gradually seize them from where they do not know,”(88) and “When they entered as their father had instructed them…” (12:68).

In the context of this discussion, this interpretation is also plausible. In Sūrah al-Aʿrāf, verse 19, concerning the same event, the phrase min ḥaythu shiʾtumā is used. If we accept that min ḥaythu relates to the state rather than the place, then verse 19 of Sūrah al-Aʿrāf serves as contextual evidence suggesting that ḥaythu shiʾtumā in this context also means “however you wish.” The exclusion of the specific tree from ḥaythu shiʾtumā provides further support for this interpretation.

Lā taqrabā: Some literary exegetes(89) have distinguished between taqarrub with a fatḥa on the rāʾ and taqarrub with a ḍamma on the rāʾ. They state that the former (taqarrub with a _fatḥ_a) signifies actual engagement in an action, while the latter (taqarrub with a ḍamma) means merely approaching. Since the form appearing in the verse is with a fatḥa and not a ḍamma, the verse prohibits the actual act of engaging in eating, not merely approaching. However, this distinction has been met with astonishment by some others,(90) as they argue that both forms essentially mean approaching.

Fatakūnā: The verb kāna in fatakūnā min al-ẓālimīn carries the meaning of ṣāra (became), implying fataṣīrā min al-ẓālimīn (you will become among the wrongdoers). The fāʾ indicates that wrongdoing is a consequence of the eating action, highlighting that this attribute of wrongdoing did not exist beforehand. In other words, the verse conveys that the state of wrongdoing was not present before but came into being as a direct result of the action, aligning with the meaning of ṣāra (a change from one state to another).