The Command to Dwell and Benefit in Paradise

The reference to al-janna (Paradise) does not imply a general or comprehensive meaning but rather a specific, known external Paradise. There are several opinions about the nature of this particular Paradise: it could be the Eternal Paradise (jannat al-khuld), the Purgatorial Paradise (_jannat al-_barzakh), a specific garden from the gardens of this world, or it could be indeterminate, allowing for the possibility of each interpretation.

However, it appears that the Eternal Paradise (jannat al-khuld) and the Paradise of the Hereafter are not intended, because firstly, they are described as the Abode of Eternity (dār al-khuld), where those who enter will never leave. Secondly, these paradises are not places where Satan, satanic temptation, or disobedience have access; false imaginings do not exist there: “No vain speech, and no sin” (52:23). Furthermore, the inhabitants of these paradises live with one another in a state of complete purity and serenity: “And We will remove whatever rancor is in their breasts” (7:43). Although some have questioned the notion of being immune to disobedience in the Paradise of the Hereafter, this topic will be further examined in the section on subtleties and allusions.

Additionally, the referenced Paradise was not a garden from the gardens of this world because, firstly, residing in such a garden does not constitute a significant station from which one could imagine descent or fall. In the material world, the more comforts and amenities available, the more accessible it is for Satan to infiltrate, providing him with ample means for satanic temptation: “Beautified for people is the love of desires – of women, children….” (3:14).

Secondly, the alif and lām in al-janna (Paradise) are used for external specification (ʿahd khārijī), indicating that this Paradise was known to Adam (a.s.). In the Noble Qur’an, apart from the spiritual and otherworldly Paradise (not specifically jannat al-khuld), no other Paradise is referred to with the alif and lām except in specific cases where there is a textual specification (ʿahd dhikrī) or similar context. For example, there is an indication that the term janna refers to a worldly garden in the verse: “And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself” (18:35).Thirdly, it is assumed that Adam (a.s.) had not yet descended from that spiritual state to the earthly realm (even though his body was on earth) to be commanded to dwell in one of the earthly gardens, as the original descent to earth occurs afterward.

Fourthly, the attributes described for this Paradise, such as freedom from internal sufferings (hunger and thirst) and external sufferings (cold and heat) as mentioned in: “Indeed, for you is that you will not go hungry therein or be unclothed, And indeed, you will not be thirsty therein or be hot from the sun” (20:118-119), are not compatible with earthly gardens. In earthly gardens, people experience hunger and thirst, but they find food and water to relieve these needs. Likewise, cold and heat are present, but one can find shelter from the sun and clothing to protect against the cold. This contrasts with the described Paradise, where these four attributes are fundamentally absent, as indicated by the verses.

It might be objected that the phrase “and eat from it in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will” suggests that the Paradise in the verse was one where hunger was conceivable. However, with the availability of various foods everywhere, hunger would be alleviated upon eating, indicating that the apparent meaning of “you will not go hungry therein…” is that hunger will never persist because eating from the fruits would constantly satisfy it.

The answer is: The act of eating food and drinking water is not necessarily evidence of hunger and thirst. In the world and everything subject to its laws, the pleasures of eating and drinking are typically preceded by the discomfort of hunger and thirst. However, in the Hereafter or another spiritual Paradise, pleasures are continuous and are never preceded by such pains. The verses of Sūrah Ṭāhā indicate the absence of the four mentioned conditions, not their removal; this means that in Adam’s (a.s.) Paradise, those conditions were entirely nonexistent, rather than merely alleviated by consuming food and drink.

This perspective is attributed to Maymūn, who considers those lacking deep engagement in religious knowledge to be outside the domain of divine understanding. He views those who have explored this knowledge but have not achieved a pure, fully affirmed proof as having entered the vestibule of divine knowledge, not yet fully acquainted with its essence. In contrast, those who have excelled and grasped all necessary points are considered to have full acquaintance with the sovereign of divine knowledge. He regards the peak of this knowledge, companionship, and familiarity as the domain of the prophets, with the lesser degrees belonging to their true followers and sages. Just as prophets have varying ranks—some observe their Lord from afar, as noted: “From afar, the Lord appears to me,” while others witness their Lord from near. He remarks that someone without true realization in the knowledge of God, who merely utters the name of God through imitation or imagined perception, remains outside the house of knowledge and distant from its truth.

In any case, once it has been established that this is not the eternal Paradise nor a garden from the gardens of this world, the necessary conclusion is that it is the Purgatorial Paradise—the Paradise that lies between this world and the Hereafter. This Paradise shares some features with the Paradise of the Hereafter, such as perpetual joy and the absence of hunger, thirst, cold, and heat. However, it also shares some characteristics with the gardens of this world. Specifically, it lacks certain attributes of the eternal Paradise, such as immunity from Satan and satanic whisperings.

While Satan cannot access the eternal Paradise (jannat al-khuld) or the Paradise of meeting (jannat al-liqāʾ), he does find a way into the Purgatorial and imaginal Paradises—those Paradises that possess form, body, quantity, and volume—and whispers to their inhabitants.

Such a Paradise is naturally not located on Earth because Earth is part of the material world and exists at a level lower than the imaginal world. It is assumed that Adam’s (a.s.) settlement on Earth occurred only after his descent from Paradise, as indicated in the verse: “Go down, being enemies to one another, and on earth you will have your abode and provision for a time” (2:36).

Reminder:

1. If the Paradise of Adam was a garden from the gardens of this world, then Adam’s entry into it with his natural body would be straightforward and without any issue, just as Iblīs’s entry into it would be unproblematic. However, if the Paradise of Adam was a Purgatorial Paradise, it raises several issues, some of which were discussed earlier along with appropriate solutions. One such problem is how Adam entered the Purgatory (barzakh) with his natural body, given that the Purgatory, whether descending or ascending, is beyond the realm of nature, though it is existentially lower than the eternal Paradise.

According to those who consider Adam’s Paradise to be in the realm of barzakh and find it unlikely to interpret it as a garden from the natural world, the answer is that there are two types of entry into barzakh for human beings. The first type occurs through natural death and the departure from the confines of the natural world, which is the commonly understood form of entry into barzakh. The second type occurs without natural death, but rather through voluntary death and willful departure from this world’s realm, which in some ways resembles the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) ascension (miʿrāj), though not in all aspects. This means that the spiritual wayfarer sometimes experiences a state in which, while alive, healthy, and awake, he enters a stage higher than the natural realm where objective realities exist—not mere illusions—and where protection from Iblīs’s whisperings is possible, though his influence may still occur. This is because this existential stage is lower than the stage of the sincere ones (mukhlaṣīn), where Iblīs has no influence.

In other words, just as the Messenger of God (s.a.w.) entered Paradise during the ascension while still possessing a natural body, Adam (a.s.) entered the Paradise of barzakh while also possessing a natural body.

In any case, an exegete who finds no difficulty in interpreting Adam’s Paradise as a garden from the gardens of this world and considers some narrations as evidence for this view avoids such complex questions and challenging answers.

2. Although Adam’s Paradise was a source of tranquility and comfort, it also served a greater purpose, particularly in fostering a family environment with a spouse who was suitable to be his companion. As God said: “And created from it its mate that he might find rest in her” (7:189). Therefore, in the verse under discussion, the mention of Adam’s spouse precedes the command to dwell in Paradise, reflecting the principle of “the companion, then the path.”(91) This emphasizes establishing the tranquility of a spouse and companion before settling into the abode.

3. Sometimes, the focus of the original address on dwelling is understood in the context of the husband’s responsibility to provide the home and expenses. From this perspective, the imperative command “settle” (askin) and the warning against the consequences of prohibited actions—“lest you suffer” (fa-tashqā)—are directed specifically at Adam (a.s.).

This interpretation is derived from comparing the initial stage of Adam and Eve’s creation, when legislative revelation had not yet been introduced, to the current context within the framework of the sharīʿa and prophethood. However, if the principles of sharīʿa, such as the husband’s duty to provide for his wife, had not yet been established, applying this analogy to the story of Adam and Eve would be inappropriate.

Indeed, the focus in this incident is on Adam, not due to a male-centric perspective of the Qur’an, but because of Adam’s role as the vicegerent (khalīfa). If someone other than Eve had been created, the divine address would still have been directed at Adam (a.s.), and that individual would have received God’s ruling through Adam (a.s.), provided that it was not an address directly related to the established sharīʿa.

4. Each realm—nature, imagination, and intellect, as well as the worlds of this life, the intermediate realm (barzakh), and the Hereafter (Hell and Paradise)—has its own specific rulings. For instance, Paradise is not merely a place of comfort and pleasure where its inhabitants vary, with some benefiting properly from its blessings and others improperly, allowing for the possibility of disobedience. Such a scenario would strip Paradise of its unique qualities. Instead, Paradise is a distinct realm where idle talk and sinful speech have no place, and the inhabitants of the sacred eternal abode cannot enter it until they are purified from harmful desires and destructive whims.

The Noble Qur’an emphasizes the purity of Paradise and the eternal realm, stating: “No idle talk will they hear therein, nor any sinful speech” (52:23). It also speaks of the purification of the people of Paradise and the inhabitants of the sacred eternal abode from sin: “And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury” (15:47). This signifies that every form of grudge and betrayal is absent from the hearts of the inhabitants of Paradise, whether it pertains to God’s commands, the Prophetic tradition, or the rights of others.

In other words, the kinds of betrayal mentioned in the verse “O you who believe! Betray not God and His Messenger, nor betray knowingly your trusts” (8:27), are entirely removed from the hearts of the people of Paradise. Therefore, it cannot be said that Adam’s Paradise was the same as the Paradise of Eternity, interpreting his disobedience in its apparent meaning and considering Paradise a place where sin could occur. Such a view would fail to recognize the unique purity of that realm, erroneously attributing the difference to the inhabitants of Paradise rather than the dwelling (that is, nature of Paradise itself).(92)

Sheikh Ṭūsī (r.a.) provides two responses to the question of why Adam entered Paradise if he was created for vicegerency on earth:

First, the Paradise of Adam (a.s.) was not the eternal Paradise but rather a paradisiacal garden on earth.

Second, since God knew of Adam’s disobedience in Paradise and was aware that Adam’s ultimate fate was to descend to earth and dwell there, He declared: “I am placing a vicegerent on earth,” based on this unseen knowledge.(93)

It can also be suggested that Adam’s dwelling in Paradise was intended from the outset as a temporary stage for training and testing. This allowed Adam (a.s.) to become acquainted with the deceptions and tricks of his enemy, experience the bitterness of disobedience and its distressing effects, and learn the path of repentance and return. Such a temporary stay does not conflict with statements like “placing a vicegerent on earth” (jāʿil fī l-arḍ khalīfa).