The Wrong that Adam Did to Himself

There is no doubt that al-ẓālimīn (“wrongdoers”) in this verse refers to ẓulm in the sense of wrongdoing, not ẓulmat (darkness) in the sense of a lack of light. The best evidence for this is Adam’s (a.s.) own words when repenting: “Rabbanā ẓalamnā anfusanā…” (Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves…).(105)

Based on the advisory nature of the prohibition, it appears that the oppressed (maẓlūm) in the phrase “fatakūnā min al-ẓālimīn” (“lest you be among the wrongdoers”) are Adam and Eve themselves, and the oppression (ẓulm) refers to self-wronging, not wronging God or others. This is because the consequences of committing advisory prohibitions or neglecting advisory commands are the harm and loss that impact the person themselves, similar to a sick person ignoring a doctor’s advice and thereby harming themselves.

This understanding is why, in Sūrah Ṭāhā, regarding the same story, the phrase “fatakūnā min al-ẓālimīn” is replaced with “fatashqā,” as shaqāʾ means hardship and toil. This is further explained in the verse as referring to hunger, thirst, heat, and cold: “Inna laka allā tajūʿa fīhā wa lā taʿrā” (Indeed, you will not go hungry or be naked therein) (20:118).

Had ẓulm (wrong) in the verse under discussion meant disobedience in the technical sense, then in Sūrah Ṭāhā, where a replacement is given, it would have referred to the consequences of disobeying God, implying otherworldly punishment and torment.

The ẓulm (wrong) in the verse is similar to that in the verse: “Each of the two gardens gave its produce and did not fall short thereof in anything” (Kiltā l-jannatayni ātat ukulahā wa lam taẓlim minhu shayʾan) (18:33). In this context, ẓulm is used in its literal sense of absolute deficiency and deprivation, not as disobedience in the technical sense. Just as the phrase “did not fall short in anything” (18:33) means that none of the trees in those gardens were deficient or fruitless, the phrase “lest you become among the wrongdoers” indicates that if Adam and Eve ate from the tree, they would become deprived, losing the benefits prepared for them in Paradise.

For this reason, in Sūrah Ṭāhā, the consequence of their disobedience is described as going astray (ghawāya), which means losing sight of the goal, not incurring divine wrath: “And Adam disobeyed his Lord and went astray” (20:121). Going astray means losing one’s way, whereas if the wrongdoing were disobedience in the technical sense, Adam would have been subjected to wrath and counted among those who incurred anger, rather than those who went astray.

The phrase “lest you become among the wrongdoers” indicates the entrenchment of this wrongdoing because the term “become” (kawn) suggests transformation, and “among the wrongdoers” points to a person’s establishment among those who are firmly rooted in deficiency and wrongdoing against themselves. Similar references in both positive and negative contexts affirm this interpretation.