A Discussion of the Narrations

The Disobedience of Adam (a.s.)

From al-Riḍā (a.s.):

“… Adam and Eve had not witnessed before that anyone who swears falsely by God. So he (Satan) deceived them with deception, and they ate from it, trusting his oath by God. And that was from Adam before prophethood, and it was not a major sin deserving of entering the Fire. Rather, it was among the minor sins that are forgiven, which are permissible for prophets before revelation descends upon them. When God Almighty chose him and made him a prophet, he became infallible, not committing any minor or major sin. God Almighty said: ‘And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred. Then his Lord chose him and turned to him in forgiveness and guided [him].’ (20:121-122) And the Almighty said: ‘Indeed, God chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of ʿImrān over the worlds.’ (3:33)”(167)

From al-Riḍā (a.s.):

“… When God, exalted is His mention, honored Adam by having His angels prostrate to him and by admitting him into Paradise, he said to himself: ‘Has God created any human being better than me?’ So God Almighty knew what occurred in his mind. He called out to him: ‘Raise your head, O Adam, and look at the leg of My Throne.’ So Adam raised his head and looked at the leg of the Throne and found written on it: ‘There is no god but God, Muḥammad is the Messenger of God, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib is the Commander of the Faithful, his wife Fāṭima is the mistress of the women of the worlds, and al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn are the masters of the youths of the people of Paradise.’ Adam said: ‘O Lord! Who are they?’ The Almighty said: ‘They are from your descendants, and they are better than you and all of My creation. Were it not for them, I would not have created you, nor created Paradise and Hell, nor the heaven and earth. So beware of looking at them with the eye of envy and wishing for their station, lest I expel you from My vicinity!’ But he looked at them with the eye of envy and wished for their station.(168) So he was overcome by envy until he ate from the tree, as Adam ate. So God Almighty expelled them from His Paradise and sent them down from His vicinity to the earth.”(169)

From al-ʿAskarī (a.s.):

“… And do not approach this tree, seeking thereby the rank of Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad (s.a.w.) and their superiority, for God Almighty has singled them out with this rank over others. It is the tree from which, whoever partakes with God’s permission, is inspired with the knowledge of the ancients and the later generations without learning. And whoever partakes from it without permission fails in his aim and disobeys his Lord, thus being among the wrongdoers due to your disobedience and your seeking a rank that has been preferred for other than you…”(170)

Comment:

The ranks of the perfect human being and the reason for the inability of the high to attain the highest rank require explanation. Setting aside the chain of transmission of such mursal reports, by which it is difficult to establish secondary and scholarly issues, let alone primary and scholarly teachings, and disregarding the plausible possibility of metaphor in such expressions, one may suppose that the degrees of divine vicegerency (khilāfa) as well as the ranks of wilāya of the vicegerents (khulafāʾ) and saints (awliyāʾ) of God are differentiated, just like the prophethood of prophets and the messengership of messengers. In the arena of wilāya and the domain of divine vicegerency, not only is envy forbidden, but unauthorized admiration (ghibṭa) is also improper, for such a good deed from those great individuals is tantamount to a misdeed. Of course, the secret of divine decree that was revealed to others after the fall (hubūṭ) has filled the beginning and end of the story of Adam with wisdom.

In response to the question of whether the infallibility of the prophets is after their mission and apostleship, or if there is a rational proof that necessitates their infallibility absolutely, including before their mission and prophethood, it must be said that the discussion about the infallibility of the prophets, insofar as it requires a theological character, although Imam Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī extensively reported and critiqued the evidence of the opponents and supporters, and the views of the extremists, the exaggerators, and the moderates,(171) and a great deal of it was presented in the exegesis (tafsīr) of Ṣadr al-Mutaʾallihīn.(172) Proving or denying such a theological matter with some mursal (incompletely transmitted) aḥādīth which are more similar to reports (āthār) than to news (akhbār), and are more similar to fabricated, false, and forged ones than to transmitted ones, and are closer to opinion than to narration, is a very difficult task.

Apart from all these difficulties, another significant point that has remained hidden and absent from most of the writings of the exegetes is that although they differentiated between the period before the prophethood of the Prophet and the stage after his prophethood, they did not address this important central issue that there is a difference between the period of the interval (fatra) and before the emergence of the principle of legislative prophethood, and between the period of nature (fiṭra) and after its emergence. This is because in the case of Adam (a.s.), apart from the difference that exists between the periods before and after his personal prophethood, similar to the two periods in the life of any other prophet, another essential difference is also observed which is not evident in other prophets. And that is that Adam (a.s.) went through a period when legislative prophethood had not been established at all in the world of possibility, and in such an environment, the ruling of an action cannot be deduced from the established divine law (sharīʿa) and method (minhāj); because the assumption is that no sharīʿa had emerged in the world at all. Therefore, raising the issue of infallibility (ʿiṣma) in such a situation is different from raising it in the context of an established sharīʿa.

After mentioning the seven pieces of evidence for the disobedience of Adam (a.s.), the most important answer that Imam Razi has provided is that none of the seven aspects indicate that the commission of sin was during the prophethood of Adam, but he has not addressed that central issue.(173)

The Disobedience of Iblis

From al-Sajjād (a.s.): … The first thing by which God was disobeyed was arrogance, which was the disobedience of Iblīs when he refused and was arrogant, and he was among the disbelievers. Then it was greed, which was the disobedience of Adam and Eve when God Almighty said to them: “Eat from it freely wherever you wish, but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.” So they took what they had no need for. This entered upon their progeny until the Day of Resurrection, and that is because most of what the son of Adam seeks is what he has no need for.(174)

Comment:

Putting aside the chain of narration of the ḥadīth, it is necessary to note: First, since the realization of the principle of sharīʿa and the legislative command in the process of prostration to Adam (a.s.) was not ascertained, it is not easy to interpret the disobedience of Iblīs as a legislative disobedience, just as before ascertaining the principle of legislative prophethood, it is difficult to interpret the commission of Adam (a.s.) as a legislative disobedience.

Second, if the cause of the commission is forgetting the covenant, it will not be disobedience, because in a state of forgetfulness, the obligation is lifted. Third, if greed was the cause of the commission, then surely such pervasive greed caused forgetfulness, and the commission occurred in a state of forgetfulness.

The Time and Place of the Descent of Adam and Eve

“Then Satan caused them to slip out of it and removed them from that [condition] in which they had been. And We said, ‘Go down, [all of you], as enemies to one another, and you will have upon the earth a place of settlement and provision for a time.’”

Adam descended upon al-Ṣafā, which was named so because God’s chosen one (ṣafwah) landed there. Eve descended upon al-Marwah, named after the woman (al-marʾah) who descended there. Adam remained in prostration for forty mornings, weeping over his departure from Paradise. Then Gabriel (a.s.) descended to him and said, “O Adam! Did God not create you with His own hand, breathe into you of His spirit, and make His angels prostrate before you?” Adam replied, “Yes, indeed.” Gabriel then asked, “And did He not command you not to eat from the tree? So why did you disobey?” Adam responded, “O Gabriel! Iblīs swore to me by God that he was a sincere adviser, and I did not think that a creature created by God would swear falsely by God.”(175)

When the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) was asked about the most noble valley on the face of the earth, he said, “A valley called Sarandīb, into which Adam fell from heaven.”(176)

From the Messenger of God (s.a.w.): “Friday is the master of days. On it, God created Adam, and on it, He sent Adam down to the earth.”(177)

From Abū ʿAbdullāh (a.s.): “Al-Ṣafā was named Ṣafā because Adam al-Muṣṭafā (‘the Chosen’) descended upon it, so part of Adam’s name was given to the mountain. Eve descended upon al-Marwah, and it was named al-Marwah because the woman (al-marʾah) descended upon it, hence a part of her name was given to the mountain.”(178)

From Abū ʿAbdullāh (a.s.): “Indeed, Adam descended to India.”(179)

From Ibn ʿAbbās: “Adam descended to a land called Dajnā, located between Mecca and Ṭāʾif.”(180)

From ʿAlī (a.s.): “The most fragrant land on earth is India, for Adam was sent down with its scent clinging to him from the trees of Paradise.”(181)

From Ibn ʿAbbās: “Adam left Paradise between the prayers of Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr. He descended to earth, and his stay in Paradise lasted half a day by the Hereafter’s measure, equivalent to five hundred years or a day of a thousand years by worldly count. Adam descended upon a mountain in India called Nūd, and Eve descended in Jidda. Adam carried the fragrance of Paradise, which clung to the trees and valleys.”(182)

From al-Ṣādiq (a.s.): “When Adam descended to earth, he landed on al-Ṣafā, named after Adam because God says, ‘Indeed, God chose (iṣṭafā) Adam.’ Eve descended upon al-Marwa, which was named after the woman (al-marʾah).”(183)

Comment:

Setting aside the authenticity of these reports, which seem closer to legend than verified ḥadīth and may even be influenced by Israelite traditions, it is essential to consider the following points:

First, there is agreement in these narrations regarding the timing of Adam’s descent, but there are multiple and differing accounts of the location. Reconciling these accounts is challenging unless we understand the descriptions as symbolic manifestations of the descent’s blessings rather than literal accounts.

Second, the term “jadd” (seashore) is not exclusive to Ḥijāz, and some ḥadīths refer to the shore of the Indian Ocean (jiddat baḥr al-hind). Jurisprudential texts also refer to occurrences of fish on “jadd,” meaning the seashore.

Third, some narrations describe a significant distance between Adam’s and Eve’s descent locations. If one landed on al-Ṣafā and the other on al-Marwa, these locations would be relatively close, not far apart.

The Purpose of the Descent of Adam (a.s.)

From Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a.s.): “…So He sent him down after repentance to populate His earth with his offspring and to establish the proof through him upon His servants.”(184)

From Abū ʿAbdullāh (a.s.): “When Adam descended to the earth, he needed food and drink, so he complained to Gabriel. Gabriel said to him: ‘O Adam! Become a farmer.’ Adam asked, ‘Teach me a supplication.’ Gabriel replied, ‘Say: O God, suffice me with the provisions of this world and protect me from every terror except the terror of losing Paradise, and clothe me in well-being until You provide for me the means of living.’”(185)

Comment:

The purpose of Adam’s (a.s.) creation was his role as vicegerent, and the fundamental plan was for him to be settled on earth, even though his vicegerency extends beyond the earthly realm. To realize this primary goal, various means of trial, including the command to avoid the forbidden tree and the thought of descending to earth, were set in place. The mission of this vicegerent involves populating the earth through his progeny, cultivating the land, completing the outward proofs of divine guidance, and awakening and strengthening the inner proofs—stirring up the hidden treasures of human intellect.

The Meaning of “ḥīn” (for a time)

From al-Ṣādiq (a.s.): “… Get down, being enemies to one another, and there will be for you on the earth a place of settlement and provision for a time (ḥīn),” meaning until the Day of Resurrection.

Comment:

Since all individuals have a share of settlement and enjoyment during their specific period of life on earth, the comprehensive message of the verse cannot be fully realized until everyone’s rights are fulfilled. Therefore, the term “ḥīn” refers to the time of the world’s end and the onset of the Resurrection. In some interpretations of this verse, the word “ḥīn” is explained as referring to the end of people’s lives, which considers one dimension of the broader meaning of the word.

This limitation carries an implicit promise that after the period of separation ends, the time for joyful union will arrive, allowing for ascension once again, provided that one attains purity. For “To Him ascends good speech, and righteous work raises it.” The phrase “provision for a time” conveys two main points: first, the descent is not meant for total annihilation but rather for a period of enjoyment; second, this enjoyment is temporary, and its eventual outcome—either the blessings of Paradise or the punishment of Hell—depends on the actions of those who partake in it.