Our knowledge about Prophet Adam and his wife Eve, unlike our knowledge about other prophets, is very little. There are so many books written and so many films made about different prophets, but when it comes to Adam and Eve, we usually face a bunch of jokes about them; most common is that they were lucky not have any in-laws! And after all the jokes we end up blaming them for having sinned and having brought the human generation on earth in this miserable, sinful world. 

It is a shame that we usually speak less about the status of Adam and Eve and there is not much information about them, available to the public, to show their status.

 In this article, we will study the status of Adam and Eve and compare the Christian view on the concept of original sin with the Islamic viewpoint on the same topic. 

Christian’s Opinion on the Concept of Original Sin

In Christianity original sin is the rebellion of Adam and Eve in Eden, mainly in consuming from the forbidden tree, which resulted in the fall of man (from the state of innocent obedience to the state of guilty disobedience). 

After huge discussions on the topic of original sin which was first raised by St. Augustine who stated “the deliberate sin of the first man is the cause of original sin”, Christian Catholic theologists accepted two main ideas about human condition in this world, believing in the fact that humans were supposed to live eternally in Eden; [1]

1. ‘Adam by his sin caused the fall of human generation on earth, and therefore as a result of this worldly life, he caused death for human generations. 

2. Adam by his fault transmitted sin to human generation.’ [2]

According to Christian opinion, death and sin are transmitted to the human race by generation, "for as by the disobedience of one man, many [i.e., all men] were made sinners" (Romans 5:19). [3]

Now, let’s see how the story of Adam and Eve is explained in the Quran.

Prophet Adam in the Quran

There are four major parts from the story of Adam and Eve described in the Quran:

1. The creation of Adam, ordering the angels to prostrate before him and Satan’s disobedience. (20: 61, 18:50)

2. Adam and Eve’s settlement in paradise, their temptation by Satan, tasting from the forbidden tree. (20: 120-3)

3. Adam, Eve and Satan’s fall on earth where “In it you will live, and in it you will die, and from it you will be raised [from the dead].” (7: 25)

4. Adam and Eve’s repentance and choosing Adam by God. (20: 122)

Where Does the Story Start? 

“When your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed I am going to set a viceroy on the earth,” (2:30) then He thought “the Names” to Adam and old the angels to prostrate for Adam, “they prostrated, but not Iblis: he refused and acted arrogantly, and he was one of the faithless.” (2: 34) Then God said: “O Adam, dwell with your mate in paradise and eat thereof freely whence so ever you wish, but do not approach this tree, lest you should be among the wrongdoers.” (2: 35)

Then Satan tempted them as he had sworn to tempt human generation, “Then Satan caused them to stumble from it, and he dislodged them from what [state] they were in.” (2: 36) Adam and Eve returned to God and asked for forgiveness based on their divine nature and “Then his Lord chose him, and turned to him clemently, and guided him.” (20: 122)

The Islamic View on the Concept of Original Sin

Unlike Christianity that discusses the concept of original sin from a theological aspect, almost all Muslim scholars discuss the issue based on the exegesis of the Quranic verses. It is also important to keep in mind that Muslims believe in the infallibility of prophets and to find out how the concept of original sin comes along with Prophet Adam’s infallibility. 

Most important points about the concept of original sin from Muslim scholars’ viewpoint are as follows: 

1. Were Humans supposed to remain eternally in heaven?

“When your Lord said to his angels, Indeed I am going to set a viceroy on the earth,” (2:30)

Based on the above verse and other similar verses, Fakhr-e Razi claims that Adam’s rejection from paradise was not because he sinned. Since God’s order to prevent them from tasting from the tree was not an obligation, but He said: “do not approach this tree, lest you should be among the wrongdoers.” (7: 19) And therefore they did not do a forbidden act.

In reply to those who admit the repentance of Adam shows that he committed a sin and therefore cannot be infallible, Fakhr-e Razi says that “prophets not only do not commit any sins but if they make a mistake they would repent from it as they know that these little mistakes would make the way broader for real sins” [4].

2. Staying on earth after God accepted their repentance 

“Then Adam received certain words from his Lord, and He turned to him clemently. Indeed, He is the All-clement, the All-merciful.” (2:37)
As mentioned before, Allah (SWT) Accepted Adam and Eve’s repentance and turned to them. As Tabatabaei puts it, the necessity of accepted repentance is that the person would return to his/her previous situation, while Adam and Eve instead of returning to paradise stayed on earth and Adam was chosen and guided to be the guidance for his generation. [5]

Therefore according to Jawadi -Amoli tasting from the forbidden tree has been a part of the plan for Adam and Eve to be treated and prepared for living on earth where they have enemies, and they should not trust everyone as they trusted Satan; “He said, ‘Get down both of you from it, all together, being enemies of one another! Yet, should any guidance come to you from Me, those who follow My guidance will not go astray, nor will they be miserable.” (20: 123) [6]

Did Adam’s Sin Make His Generation Sinful?

Tabataei strongly disagrees with those who claim that the original sin made committing sins a necessity for the human generation. He states that the lordliness of God makes a space to order the right and forbid from wrong. Therefore, there will be punishment for wrongdoers and reward for righteous people.

He can also, based on His lordliness, bless those who commit a sin and repent of it. He continues that it is not logical to accept that human sin will go through generations and one’s sin will make others sinful as well. [7] As it is also mentioned in the Quran “, Every soul is hostage to what it has earned”, (74: 38) and not to what Adam (PBUH) or other human generations have done. 

From the verse mentioned above, the concept of human free will is also concluded. Human beings will be punished or rewarded based on their acts. If human beings are forced to sin according to the concept of original sin, then the whole concept of human free will would be undermined. And as a result, the promises that God gives us about the hereafter and facing the results of our deeds will be meaningless. As Imam al-Sadiq (AS) mentions “God is more just than to force a servant on a (wrong) task and then punishes him because of that.” [8] 

The story of Adam and Eve is not for us to find out if Adam was sinful or not. It is rather a symbolic story that should teach us lessons for having a successful life in this world. Our story from birth to death has a lot in common with the story of our father, Adam. We were born innocent. We grew up and started tasting from different forbidden fruits. We gradually descended from our human status, instead of ascending towards God; “We certainly created man in the best of forms; then We relegated him to the lowest of the low, except those who have faith and do righteous deeds. There will be an everlasting reward for them.” (95: 4- 6)

Every day is the time for us to repent of our sins and to beware of not being deceived by Satan. 

‘O Children of Adam! Do not let Satan tempt you, like he expelled your parents from paradise, stripping them of their garments to expose to them their nakedness. Indeed he sees you—he and his hosts—whence you do not see them. We have indeed made the devils friends of those who have no faith.’ (7:27)

References:

1. original sin
2. ibid
3. ibid
4. Fakhr-e Razi, Muhammad ibn Amr, Mafatih al-Ghayb, p. 17
5. Tabatabaei, Muahmmad Hossein, Al-Mizan, vol. 8. P.46
6. Jawadi – Amoli, Abdullah, Tasneem, vol. 3, p. 328
7. Tabatabaei, Muahmmad Hossein, Al-Mizan, vol. 1. Pp.133-137
8. Sadouq, al-Tawhid, Section al-Qadha wa al- Qdar, Narration No. 28

Imam Ridha (AS) is the eighth Shiite Imam. His original name was Ali, and his father’s name was Musa (AS). He was also known the Ra’uf Imam, which means a kind-hearted person. He was born on Dhu al-Qa’da 11th 148 H (765 AC).

Imam Ridha (AS) was the successor of his father, Imam Musa al-Kazim (AS). After Imam Kazim (AS), the Shia community faced several problems:

Firstly, a new deviated branch of the Shias emerged, called “Waghifiah”. Waghfiah believed that Imam Musa al-Kazim (AS) hadn’t died and he was still alive. They said that Imam Kazim (AS) was the promised Mahdi (AS) in Occultation and he would return one day. This rumor spread among the Shias, and many of them struggled with this test, denying the Imamate of Imam Ridha (AS).

Secondly, the situation worsened due to the belief that Imam Ridha (AS) had no living son which implied he had no successor. Those who denied the Imamate of Imam Ridha (AS) considered this as a sign that he was not a legitimate Imam. This was one of the most dangerous tests the Shias faced. 

Thirdly, during Imam Ridha (AS) time, the Shia population had significantly increased, and many Shias were engaging in conflicts with the contemporary Abbasid Dynasty government. Abbasid dynasty was consistently hostile towards the Shias, subjecting them to severe oppression, especially during time of Harun ar-Rashid, one of the Abbasid kings in the time of Imam Ridha (AS). To ensure the survival of the Abbasid dynasty, Ma’mun, the successor of Harun, attempted to gain favor with the Shias by falsely declaring Imam Ridha (AS) as his successor. This led many people to believe that Imam Ridha (AS) had a good relationship with the cruel Abbasid dynasty, causing them to deny his Imamate.

Imam Ridha (AS) successfully resolved all these three problems during his time as Imam. 

The Problem of Waghifiah 

The beliefs of the Waghifiah were actually against the hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH & HP).

They believed that Imam Kazim (AS) was the last Shiite Imam and the promised Mahdi (AS).

However, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH & HP) had foretold that there would be twelve successors (Imams) after him:

Indeed, this religion will not end until twelve successors [of me] rise among the people. (1)

Based on this and similar hadiths, Imam Ridha (AS) refuted the beliefs of the Waghifiah. 

the Son of Imam Ridha (AS)

After a while, Imam Jawad (AS), the son of Imam Ridha (AS) was born. Now people could see that Imam Ridha (AS) have a legitimate successor, and their doubts were unfounded. About Imam Javad (AS), Imam Ridha (AS) said:

No more blessed child than this boy has been born for the Shias. (2) 

The birth of Imam Javad (AS) served as a proof of  Imam Ridha’s (AS) Imamate. 

The secession of Ma’mun

Ma’muns’ policy concerning Imam Ridha (AS) aimed to deceive the Shias, and it did deceive some of them. However, Imam Ridha (AS) had his own strategy. Initially, he refused Ma’mun’s proposal to become his successor. Still, Ma’mun forced Imam Ridha (AS) to accept it, threatening to kill him otherwise.(3) Therefore, Imam Ridha (AS) accepted under conditions. Imam Ridha (AS) said:

I accept your proposal under the condition that I can’t command or prohibit anyone, I won’t be the Judge, I won’t appoint anyone to be a ruler or to depose one. I won’t change anything. (4)

Ma’mun accepted these conditions, but he didn’t realize that this demonstrated would Imam Ridha’s (AS) disagreement with his plan. By making this condition, accepting Ma’mun’s proposal was no different from rejecting it. After a while, Ma’mun understood that he couldn’t use Imam Ridha (AS) to deceive the Shias, so he decided to kill Imam Ridha (AS), and he did. 

Imam Ridha (AS) was poisoned by Ma’mun on Safar 30th, 203 H (818 AC).

Resources

1. Sahih al-Muslim, Muslim an-Neishaburi, vol.3, pg.1452
2. Al-Kafi, Sheikh Koleini, vol.1, pg.321
3.  I’lal ash-Shara’I, Sheikh Saduq, pg.238
4.  I’lam al-Vara, Sheikh Tabarsi, vol.2, pg.72