بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In this post we will Insha Allah review the ayahs describing the ‘forbidden tree’ in Quran, which caused exit of Adam and his pair from the garden, exploring the description of this event in Quran as not merely a historical event, but as a timeless warning against the subtle deceptions of perversion of Divine guidance.
The thing to note is that the plan of God from the beginning was the placement of Adam on Earth as ‘khalifa’ as per ayat 2:30. He was never intended to remain in paradise.
2:30 وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً ۖ قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
And when your Lord said to the angels “Indeed, I am the maker of a khalifa on Earth.”, they said, “Would You place therein one who will make violence therein and shed blood? while we do celebrate Your praises and glorify Your Holy (name)?” He said. “I know what you do not know.”
The metaphor of the Forbidden Tree
The description of creation of Adam and his exit from Janna in Quran is understood to be literal by some and allegorical by others. As mankind matures, more and more people tend towards understanding the description as allegorical. There are certain aspects of this narration which strongly suggest it to be allegorical, which will be pointed out in this post.
If we look at the story of the first human pair, the promises of Satan seems out of place in a literal sense. Why would early human couple with no exposure to “kingdoms” and benefits of it, be tempted by the idea of a kingdom? Also, not sure what incentive could be for them to strive to be angels when angels were made sub-servient to them by God’s command. A magical tree which suddenly would tear away clothes of people eating it’s fruit is also unlikely to be a literal one. While Quran in below ayahs, talks about good and evil Word as examples of good and evil tree:
14:24-26 أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا ۗ وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ اجْتُثَّتْ مِن فَوْقِ الْأَرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٍ
Didn’t you see how Allah strikes an example of a good word like a good tree whose root is firm, and its branches up to the skies. It brings forth its fruit at all times, by the leave of its Lord, thus Allah strikes examples for people so that they may receive admonition/remember. And the example of an evil word is like of an evil tree. It is uprooted from the surface of the earth, it has no stability.
This suggests that the “forbidden tree” is an allegory for “Evil Word” i.e the false statements and ideologies —which Satan uses to hijack the human psyche.
In the Quranic narrative of Adam, the “forbidden tree” serves as a powerful metaphor for the deceptive promises used by Satan to lead man away from order of God. This deception is rooted in three specific, alluring promises of Satan to Adam as stated in Quran:
- Angelic Status: The promise of becoming “angels” i.e attaining a high moral spiritual state (7:20)
- An Everlasting Kingdom: The promise of a kingdom that never fades. (20:120)
- Eternal Life: The promise of everlasting life (7:20, 20:120)
Can we ponder on the three key points of Satan’s deception mentioned above and see with what can we relate to these three points?
20:120 فَوَسْوَسَ إِلَيْهِ الشَّيْطَانُ قَالَ يَا آدَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَىٰ شَجَرَةِ الْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍ لَّا يَبْلَىٰ
“Thus, Satan put an (evil) idea in him and said: ‘O Adam, should I point you to the tree of immortality, and a kingdom that will not decline?'”
7:20 فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا الشَّيْطَانُ لِيُبْدِيَ لَهُمَا مَا وُورِيَ عَنْهُمَا مِن سَوْآتِهِمَا وَقَالَ مَا نَهَاكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا عَنْ هَٰذِهِ الشَّجَرَةِ إِلَّا أَن تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ أَوْ تَكُونَا مِنَ الْخَالِدِينَ
Then Satan whispered to both in order to make it appear to them their shortcomings which were in hindsight for them and said “that Your Lord has prevented you from this tree so that you become angels or you become eternal.”
The Strategy of Satan: Mimicry of God’s promise and sitting on the straight path
Satan’s most vicious trick is that he does not invite people to a path that looks obviously evil. Instead, he mimics God’s promise so that people are beguiled to think they are following God’s path as apparently there are similarities such as i.e eternal life and high morality. While God promises eternal bliss and success to those who follow His guidance and has zero tolerance for mixing and associating any thing in His Word and Orders, Satan offers a “shortcut” through religious systems that mix Divine truth with human-made dogmas.
7:16-17 قَالَ فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُم مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَائِلِهِمْ ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ
He (Satan) said. “so with what you have made me go astray, definitely I will sit on Your straight path for them. “Then definitely I will come to them from their front and from their behind and about their right and about their left and you will not find the majority of them thankful.”
Satan is not hiding in the shadows of the “wrong” path; he sits directly on the Straight Path of God, to intercept those who are sincerely striving.
By attacking from the “right side” (the side of religion and virtue), Satan convinces most innocent people to follow clergy-led systems. These systems promise “angelic” purity and “everlasting kingdom,” but almost 100% of these clergy led religions demand their followers to mix God’s instructions with the interpretations and traditions of men.
The Consequence of tasting forbidden tree:
From the narration, how can we identify Satan’s deception? This is described in the consequences of tasting that evil tree and listed below to identify it:
- Those who will go near that Tree will become Zalmeen/oppressors (7:19) and ‘Shirk’ association with Allah in His self and His orders is great oppression (31:13)
- Their short-comings become apparent for themselves and others and they try to cover their shortcomings by covering with leaf of Janna (artificial layers of piety) (7:22)
- Some people will become enemies of some (2:36)
- There will be more hardships and strains. (20:117)
Quran describes that once Adam and his pair tasted the tree, their shortcomings became apparent to them. In an allegorical sense, when humans buy into false religious standards—which demand very cumbersome “angelic” perfection—they begin to see shortcomings in themselves and others that didn’t exist before. They lose protection of Allah and start feeling a sense of shame and inadequacy. To hide these shortcomings, they use the “leaves of the Garden’ i.e artificial layers of religious piety and external appearances—to cover their perceived flaws.
“Then Satan whispered to both in order to make it appear to them their shortcomings which were in hindsight for them and said, ‘Your Lord has prevented you from this tree only so that you do not become angels or you become eternal.'” (Surah Al-A’raf, 7:20)
7:22 ….فَدَلَّاهُمَا بِغُرُورٍ ۚ فَلَمَّا ذَاقَا الشَّجَرَةَ بَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْآتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَقِ الْجَنَّةِ
“Thus he led them with guile; so when they tasted the tree, their shortcomings appeared for them and they began to patch over them the leaf of the garden….
After tasting this tree, the consequence of it i.e following deviant religious ideologies is that some people will become enemies of each other i.e hating others on the basis of difference in their faith.
2:36 فَأَزَلَّهُمَا الشَّيْطَانُ عَنْهَا فَأَخْرَجَهُمَا مِمَّا كَانَا فِيهِ ۖ وَقُلْنَا اهْبِطُوا بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ ۖ وَلَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمَتَاعٌ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ
Thus did Satan make them slip and got them both out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been. We said. “Get down, all, for you are enemies to one another. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood – for an appointed time.”
And another consequence is that hardships and strains will increase.
20:117 فَقُلْنَا يَا آدَمُ إِنَّ هَٰذَا عَدُوٌّ لَّكَ وَلِزَوْجِكَ فَلَا يُخْرِجَنَّكُمَا مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَتَشْقَىٰ
Thus, We said. “O Adam! verily, he is an enemy to you and your pair, So let him not get you both out of the Garden, so that you be in hardship’
While when you follow God system and leave the clergy led sectarian religions, the outcome in below given ayat is bound to happen:
3:103 وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا ۚ وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
And hold fast all together with the rope of Allah and do not be divided among yourselves, and remember the favor of Allah on you when you were enemies and He joined your hearts; thus you became brethren with His favor, and you were on the brink of the pit of fire and He saved you from it. Likewise Allah makes His ayahs/signs clear to you that you may be guided.
The Two Trees: The Good Word vs. The Evil Word
7:19 وَيَا آدَمُ اسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الْجَنَّةَ فَكُلَا مِنْ حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَٰذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
And “O Adam You and your pair stay in the garden, thus both of you eat from wherever you wish and do not go near this tree lest you be of the oppressors.”
31:13 وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَانُ لِابْنِهِ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ
And when, Luqman said to his son while advising him, “O my dear son! Do not associate/mix with Allah, for associating with Allah, is indeed the highest oppression”
God warned that the forbidden tree of garden is associated with ‘Zulm’/oppression so don’t go near it lest you be of the ‘Zalimeen’/oppressors. Highest of oppression in the eyes of the Lord is ‘Shirk’/associating others with Him and His orders,
Quran categorizes all systems of thought into two types of trees. The “Good Tree” is the Word of God—firmly rooted, stable, and consistently productive. The “Evil Tree” is the Word of Man/Satan—the canonized, false religious systems that have no stability and lead to spiritual ruin.
| The Good Tree (Divine Guidance) | The Evil Tree (Man-made Religion) |
| Based on God’s instructions alone, which are reiterated word by word, by prophets and messengers of God | Mixes God’s words with Golden words by humans which then become ‘Hujjat’/obligation for masses (6:112) |
| Firmly rooted with actual Words protected by God | Uprooted from the earth, having no stability. (flimsy and weird criteria for acceptance, not actual words but the sense and meanings of actual words, while God places great emphasis on protecting actual words). |
| Provides constant spiritual fruit/benefit. | Leads to shame, ridicule, hate and downfall in worldly stature |
Protection from Satanic deception:
Any one, who is not in constant touch with God remembrance/Al-Quran, Satan will become his companion and that person will be assuming that he is the guided one. The way to Allah is through His Book. The obstacles creators in the way of Allah are named as satans/shiateen. Can you recognize, what are these obstacles; are there some who tell you that you cannot understand Allah’s Book unless you get this knowledge or that degree or you know about situation when the ayat was revealed or you get knowledge of history books etc.
43:36 وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَانًا فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَصُدُّونَهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ
And whosoever turns away from the remembrance of the Most Merciful, We appoint for him a satan to be his constant companion and they will definitely oppose about the way (of Allah) and they think that they are the guided ones.
Notes:
Other points of view about the forbidden tree of Paradise:
1. Some people believe that the ‘Forbidden’ tree was the tree of knowledge. Before eating from the tree Adam was in a state of innocence i.e he did not realize his nakedness and only sensed nakedness after eating from the tree. However, Quran negates these concepts in ayat 20:118 describing characteristics of Janna in which Adam was, that he will not be naked in it: إِنَّ لَكَ أَلَّا تَجُوعَ فِيهَا وَلَا تَعْرَىٰ, (Surely you are not to be hungry and naked in it)
Also, in ayat 7:27, Quran states that Satan caused Adam loosing his dress, meaning that Adam was not naked to begin with, but lost his dress of protection after eating from the forbidden tree: part of ayat 7:27 يَا بَنِي آدَمَ لَا يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ كَمَا أَخْرَجَ أَبَوَيْكُم مِّنَ الْجَنَّةِ يَنزِعُ عَنْهُمَا لِبَاسَهُمَا لِيُرِيَهُمَا سَوْآتِهِمَا ۗ (O children of Adam, do not let the Satan dupe you as he did when he caused the eviction of your parents from Paradise, and the removal of their garments to expose their ills.). Any way Adam’s superiority over angels was his ability to learn and grow in knowledge so preventing him from the ‘tree of knowledge’ does not make sense.
Some people think that this forbidden tree could represent ‘Sex’, however, it does not make much sense as sex is the system God has designed for propagation of mankind. Why would God prevent Adam to go against the nature designed by God?
What God prevents and puts the most emphasis on?
All prophets and messengers of God, their first message to their nations is not to associate anyone and anything with God. The important point is that association (shirk) with God is done by believers in God, ayat 12:106 وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُم بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَهُم مُّشْرِكُونَ (And the majority of them, do not believe in Allah without associating (other as partners) with Him!)
Messenger declares what he is prevented to do:
6:56 قُلْ إِنِّي نُهِيتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ ۚ قُل لَّا أَتَّبِعُ أَهْوَاءَكُمْ ۙ قَدْ ضَلَلْتُ إِذًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ
Say (O’ messenger). “I am forbidden to serve those – others than Allah – whom you call upon.” Say. “I will not follow your vain desires. If I did, I would stray from the path, and be not of the guided ones.
Topics from The Book (Al-Kitab) 