Dear brothers, this is lesson number 9 of the interpretation of Surat Al-A'raf, and I will start with the Ayah number 18 where Allah says:
﴾ (Allah) said (to Iblis) "Get out from this (Paradise) disgraced and expelled. Whoever of them (mankind) will follow you, then surely I will fill Hell with you all." ﴿
The Ayat before this Ayah go as follows:
﴾ (Iblis) said: "Allow me respite till the Day they are raised up (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)."* (Allah) said: "You are of those allowed respite."* (Iblis) said: "Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path* Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)."* (Allah) said (to Iblis) "Get out from this (Paradise) disgraced and expelled. Whoever of them (mankind) will follow you, then surely I will fill Hell with you all." ﴿
1- "Verily, your Lord is Ever Watchful (over them)":
Dear brothers, the arrogance of Iblis reached a point that he put a plan and thought that his plan will succeed, and this reminds us of the following Ayah:
﴾ And let not those who disbelieve think that they can outstrip (escape from the punishment). ﴿
This means that those who disbelieve assume that they can do something without Allah's Will or that they can flee from Allah's Punishment.
Dear brothers, the minute you assume that you are able to do whatever you wish (without Allah's Will), you lose your faith. This is the case of Iblis who assumed that he could plan against Adam PBUH to take revenge from him and his offspring after he was disgraced because he refused to prostrate to Adam PBUH. Allah the Almighty said to him:
﴾ (Allah) said (to Iblis) "Get out from this (Paradise) disgraced and expelled. Whoever of them (mankind) will follow you, then surely I will fill Hell with you all." ﴿
What does the following remind us of?
﴾ (Allah) said (to Iblis) "Get out from this (Paradise) disgraced. ﴿
It reminds us that the believer is praised by Allah, by creations and by his own-self, whereas the disbeliever is dispraised by Allah, by creations and by his own-self.
2- Beware from being defeated from within:
Man might be heedless of his inside collapse (that is caused by violating Shari'ah). In fact, man's Fitrah (man's natural disposition) is in harmony with Allah's Method, and this is why when man builds his glory on the wreck of others, he loses his spiritual stability, and he degrades himself thereupon. Furthermore, evil deeds can be sensed by Fitrah, and this brings agony to man.
Those who reconcile with their Fitrah and with their Lord have exalted spirits, because they conquered their own desires. Unlike them, those who build their glory on the wreck of others, who live at the expense of destroying others' life and who secure themselves by intimidating others are defeated from within due to the spiritual instability and self-degradation though one of them might be great, respectful and iconic in the eyes of people.
(Allah) said (to Iblis) "Get out from this (Paradise) disgraced and expelled:
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty said to Iblis:
﴾ (Allah) said (to Iblis) "Get out from this (Paradise) disgraced and expelled. ﴿
Muslims are distinguished by having self-respect and good reputation:
One of the names of the Prophet PBUH is "Mahmoud" (worthy of praise), which means that he is praised by Allah, by people, by his tribe and by his own self. Man's self-respect is priceless, and so belonging to low class people does not count as long as man is righteous, honest, trustworthy and just, and he has dignity, for the one who obeys Allah the Almighty feels a great deal of dignity.
Our Master Al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, once strutted proudly so he was criticized by people since he is the grandson of the Prophet PBUH, to which he responded, "This walk reflects the dignity of obedience to Allah". The believer has a sense of dignity.
Iblis plotted against Adam PBUH and his offspring, so he decided to seduce them out of revenge from Adam, who had nothing to do with Iblis's disgrace, but rather Iblis himself refused to prostrate to Adam when he was ordered to do so, and thus he deserved to be disgraced by Allah. Iblis said as Allah the Almighty narrates:
﴾ Surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path. ﴿
I interpreted this Ayah last lecture.
Introduction:
1-The difference between intelligence and prudence:
Dear brothers, this point leads us to a very delicate concept. Man owns prudence and intelligence, and they are two different things. Although people usually assume that they are the same, it is said, "Not every intelligent man is prudent."
Man might be very smart and there are tests now to determine the level of man's intelligence. According to these IQ tests, most people fall within the range of 100, whereas geniuses get 140, and the simple-minded people reach 80. Those with a very high IQ are the ones who become leaders, stars and superiors. Nevertheless, this high IQ does not mean that intelligent people are prudent.
Man might master a domain, discover something, invent something, have an exceptional memory, own perfect perception or have superior reason. Yet, if he does not know Allah, the reason behind his existence and the purpose of his life, and if he does not follow Allah's Orders, try to draw close to Him, consider his destiny in the Hereafter or strive to enter Paradise, he is not prudent. Man is considered prudent when he realizes the purpose of his existence, and if he gets acquainted with his Lord.
2- The diabolic intelligence:
Iblis by the testimony of all books is very smart, since he masters the art of misleading mankind. As for man, the person, who invents a mass destructive weapon, a biological weapon, a chemical weapon and other lethal weapons, is quite intelligent, but he is not prudent, simply because he makes himself a means to destroy societies and to bring about disasters to other human beings. Hence, "Not every smart person is prudent", for the prudent is the one who knows Allah.
((The Prophet PBUH saw a mad man on the road, so he asked: "What is wrong with this man?" They said, "He is a mad man." He asked, "What does that mean?" They answered him. Then he PBUH said, "The mad man is whoever disobeys Almighty Allah.))
The one who disobeys Allah the Almighty is the mad man.
3-"Ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaitan (Satan)":
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (Allah) said (to Iblis) "Get out from this (Paradise) disgraced and expelled. ﴿
Allah the Almighty says in another Ayah:
﴾ Ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaitan (Satan). ﴿
[ An-Nisa', 76
]
Indeed, Iblis does his best to seduce Adam's offspring; however, Allah assures us that Shaitan's plot is weak.
﴾ "Verily! My slaves (i.e the true believers of Islamic Monotheism), you have no authority over them. ﴿
Thus, we should calm down.
﴾ And Shaitan (Satan) will say when the matter has been decided: "Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you, so you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me (Satan) as a partner with Allah (by obeying me in the life of the world). ﴿
Shaitan has no power over us if we are true believers and good servants of Allah, and he will be burnt by these words, "I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaitan".
﴾ And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaitan (Satan) then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower* Verily, those who are Al-Muttaqun (the pious), when an evil thought comes to them from Shaitan (Satan), they remember (Allah). ﴿
[ Al-A'raf, 200-201
]
You are able to say "I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaitan", and the role Shaitan plays will be over. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaitan (Satan). ﴿
[ An-Nisa', 76
]
You should believe that you are powerful with this lethal weapon (Ta'awuth: i.e. saying I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaitan), while Shaitan does not own such a weapon, so you may overcome him.
Dear brothers, Yusuf PBUH said as mentioned in the Quran:
﴾ Certainly mighty is your plot! ﴿
4- "Certainly mighty is your plot!":
Shaitan's plot is weak, while women's plot is great. Women know that men are in need of them, and that men have passion for them, and this is the shortcoming women utilize against men. Unless man frees himself from all desires, he will not be a true believer, and I am not indicating that he should not long for women through marriage, for this is Halal.
(( Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "May he be miserable, the worshipper of the dinar and dirham, and the worshipper of the striped silk cloak. If he is given anything, he is satisfied; but if not, he is unsatisfied". ))
[ Al-Bukhari, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
May he be miserable who worships his desires, but, may he be happy the one who is a true servant of Allah, who conquers his desires and who fulfills them through marriage. Allah will honor such a man with a pious wife who is easy on the eye when he looks at her, who is obedient to him and who guards his honor in his absence, but man should not enslave himself to a woman.
A companion used to love his young and beautiful wife, but once she asked him to buy her something he could not afford, and she insisted on that, so he told her, "You should know that in Paradise there are fair females that the light of their faces surpasses the lights of both the sun and the moon if they show up on earth. Therefore, it is easier to sacrifice you for one of them than to sacrifice the fair female for you."
I repeat the Ayah:
﴾ Ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaitan (Satan). ﴿
On the other hand, the plot of women is mighty:
﴾ Certainly mighty is your plot! ﴿
"And O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise":
Allah the Almighty then says:
﴾ "And O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise, and eat thereof as you both wish, but approach not this tree otherwise you both will be of the Zalimun (unjust and wrong-doers)." ﴿
1- Which Paradise does Allah refer to in the Ayah?
Which Paradise is this? This is not the Paradise of the Hereafter, for one of its qualities is that whoever enters it shall never get out of it, and the proof is in the following Ayah:
﴾ Nor shall they (ever) be asked to leave it." ﴿
In addition, the Paradise of the Hereafter is to where man is admitted after he fulfills his mission he is assigned to by Allah not before that. "Jannah" (Paradise) is an Arabic word which means "hidden or covered."
﴾ When the night covered him. ﴿
The word "Mijann" (shield, which is a cover, in one way or another) is derived from the word Jannah. Also Jannah is the place where no one from outside can see what it contains inside. Accordingly, the beautiful place that is fenced can be called Jannah.
Most of the scholars of the Noble Quran agreed upon the point that the Jannah Adam PBUH resided was on earth. Keep in mind that believing that Adam's sin was committed because of Eve (his wife) who was accused of seducing him to eat the apple from the forbidden tree causing their departure from Jannah is ridiculous. Allah the almighty says:
﴾ "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth." ﴿
You as a human being is created on earth, and Adam PBUH dwelled in Paradise once, so that he and his offspring might learn a moral lesson that is mentioned in the following Ayah:
﴾ Surely, Shaitan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. ﴿
The lesson Adam PBUH learned the hard way is that there will be lying on earth, for Shaitan swore by Allah, and he was lying:
﴾ "Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both." ﴿
He lied, so Adam PBUH realized that Shaitan is the enemy of man, and this is the first lesson he learned. The second lesson was that there will be lying on earth because Shaitan lied.
2- The earth is the land of trial:
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty brought Adam PBUH to earth so that he might be tried upon being provided with orders and bans, dos and don'ts. The mission of Shaitan is to whisper to you, to seduce you in order to commit the bans and to tempt you to disobey the orders.
In concise, the mission of Shaitan is to drive you away from Allah, to bring you closer to sins, to endear the vanity of the worldly life to you, to alienate you from the Hereafter, to encourage you to take a path other than Allah's and to free yourself from the set of values decreed by Allah for you.
Some may wonder about the meaning of the following Ayah:
﴾ On the Day when We will say to Hell: "Are you filled?" It will say: "Are there any more (to come)?" ﴿
Some scholars of the interpretation of the Noble Quran said, "Paradise is enough for all mankind if they all believe, and Hell-Fire is enough for all mankind if they disbelieve." If someone intends to invite 100 people, but he prepares the place to welcome only 90, because he is sure that some of them will not come, he may be surprised that the 100 guest come, while he is not prepared for that.
Allah the Almighty assures us that Paradise is enough for all mankind if they know Allah, and that Hell-Fire is enough for all mankind if they turn away from Allah.
An order and a ban for Adam and his wife Eve:
1- The order is "And eat thereof as you both wish":
Dear brothers, what draws the attention is the Divine Order "And eat thereof as you both wish". This means, "O Adam and Eve you can eat from this Jannah."
This indicates that there are countless kinds of fruit in this Jannah.
﴾ And eat thereof as you both wish, ﴿
2- The ban is "But approach not this tree":
Among all these countless kinds of fruits, only one kind is banned:
﴾ But approach not this tree ﴿
[ Al-A'raf, 19 ]
This makes the ratio of the forbidden matters to the permitted matters is close to 1 to millions. There are more than 100 kinds of drinks, and only wine is forbidden. How many kinds of Halal meat are there? There are hundreds of kinds, but only swine is forbidden. Hence, the ratio of the forbidden matters to the permitted matters is one to hundreds, thousands and sometimes millions. Well, we are tested by Allah through the forbidden things (just as Adam PBUH was tested by the forbidden fruit).
"But approach not this tree otherwise you both will be of the Zalimun (unjust and wrong-doers)":
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "And O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise, and eat thereof as you both wish, but approach not this tree otherwise you both will be of the Zalimun (unjust and wrong-doers)." ﴿
One may assume that they (Adam and Eve) are not allowed to eat from the tree, but this is not the way Allah the Almighty means it, for He says:
This means that one should leave a safe zone between him and sins.
﴾ And come not near to the unlawful sexual intercourse. ﴿
In addition to making Zina (fornication) forbidden, Allah the Almighty has made the causes which lead to it, such as wandering around where indecent things happen, staring at women, chatting about women and befriending bad people forbidden. Other means are neglecting the separation between boys and daughters in their sleep, going places where there are mixing between males and females, reading obscene stories and watching pornography. All these are causes that lead to Zina. The Islamic rule goes, "What leads to Haram is Haram unto itself, and what leads to sins is a sin unto itself."
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And come not near to the unlawful sexual intercourse. ﴿
As you see Allah the Almighty forbade Adam PBUH from approaching the tree (for his own safety), and this is exactly the case when the minister of power leaves signs far enough from the high voltage power lines writing on them "Keep out, high voltage". The signs are far from the high voltage lines, because in the nearby range that is close to the power lines man will be gravitated and will burn instantly. Therefore, the signs should be put far enough from the high voltage power lines saying "Look out", and they should not be close to the power lines saying "Do not touch".
2- The righteous flees from the causes of sins:
Allah the Almighty said to Adam and Eve:
[ Al-A'raf, 19
]
Who is the submissive person? He is not the one who avoids sins, but he is the one who keeps away from the causes which lead to sins. For instance, he does not attend an assembly which does not befit him, he does not go for picnics where dissoluteness prevails, he does not attend parties, he does not mingle with women, he does not speak indecently, he does not wear exposing outfits and he does not involve himself in suspicious bargains. If you take a business partner who is not religious, this might bring you ill-gotten earnings.
Allah the Almighty urges you to leave a safe zone between you and sins. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ These are the limits (set) by Allah, so approach them not. ﴿
It is a must to leave a safe zone between you and sins. Sins are like a very deep river each of its banks has a slant and slippery zone and next to it there is a dry and straight zone, so which is safer? Is it walking by the slippery slant zone or by the dray one? Of course walking by the dry zone is safer, because man who walks by the slippery zone might fall into the river.
﴾ "And O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise, and eat thereof as you both wish, but approach not this tree otherwise you both will be of the Zalimun (unjust and wrong-doers)." ﴿
Man should keep away from the causes which lead to sins by leaving a safe zone between him and errors.
3- Man should avoid being involved in doubtful matters:
The believer also avoids Shubuhaat (doubtful unclear matters):
(( What is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear, but between them are certain doubtful things which many people do not know. ))
[ Agreed upon, on the authority of An-Nu'man bin Bashir ]
Man fortifies himself by leaving the doubtful things, given he who commits doubtful things will be as if he sinned.
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty said to Adam PBUH:
﴾ "And O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise, and eat thereof as you both wish, but approach not this tree otherwise you both will be of the Zalimun (unjust and wrong-doers)." ﴿
Allah the Almighty also says:
﴾ So shun the abomination (worshipping) of idol ﴿
In case you are in contact with people who have deviated ideologies, and you cannot convince them, put forth sound evidence to refute all their false claims, while they offer their ideologies, deviation, corruption and disbelief, you should stay away from them. This situation is like rope pulling and you can be your own judge, so if you are confident of your spiritual power, reasonable proofs and religious evidence with which you can make them believe, be then in contact with them. On the other hand, if you are too weak to convince them, and there is a possibility to be convinced by them, then stay away from them.
The believer needs protection when he fears that doubts might overtake his Aqidah, and when he fears that desires might affect his behavior. Doubts have power over Aqidah, while desires have power over the behavior.
Adam learned a moral lesson from his Lord, and this lesson teaches us many things; first, we should know that the permissible matters are countless, whereas the forbidden matters are very few. The second thing is that man's beliefs are the most crucial part of his life, so if he is unable to put forth reasonable proofs and religious evidences and he lacks the spiritual power, he should stay away from Batil (falsehood) until he becomes stronger.
As I have mentioned earlier, man should consider his debates with others as rope pulling game. This game is like a standard according to which he can evaluate a relationship with others; if the believer is able to pull them to faith, he keeps this relation, but if there is a possibility that they are able to pull him to disbelief, he should stay away from them.
The Paradise where Adam and Eve were is not the Paradise of the Hereafter:
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "And O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise ﴿
[ Al-A'raf, 19
]
This Paradise was on earth, but it was of a special nature, for the happiness in it comes effortlessly from the spirit of man when the latter was greater than his body. To elaborate this concept, happiness in such a place (Jannah) comes, for example, from mere looking at an apple, but in real life, you have to buy this apple, wash it, peal it, cut it and have a bite of it. After that, you chew it and your taste buds sense its taste, and then you swallow it. Once, it is inside your stomach, it becomes a burden on you (the process of digesting it and getting rid of it).
In other words, when man eats more than he needs, or when he eats unhealthy food, eating will not be a pleasant experience. On the other hand, in Jannah (Paradise) the soul surrounds the body, just like the flame surrounds the candle wick. You may eat a million apples and a million feasts without getting satiated, simply because the soul coats the body, and it establishes its contact with these pleasant kinds of food, so it rejoices them without even having a digesting system, wastes, urine or any other worldly problems of eating process.
The other evidence that the Jannah in which Adam PBUH resided is not the Jannah of the Hereafter is that Iblis was in it. It is then impossible that it is the Jannah of the Hereafter, because there is no place for Iblis in it. The third evidence is that the Jannah of the Hereafter is a reward for fulfilling the Divine Assignment. The fourth proof is that the one who enters the Jannah of the Hereafter never gets out of it.
﴾ Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered suggestions to them both in order to uncover that which was hidden from them of their private parts (before); he said: "Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels or become of the immortals." ﴿
"Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered suggestions to them both":
1- The meaning of whispering:
Dear brothers, the Arabic word "Waswasa" means to whisper for the purpose of seducing others. One of us will not whisper to another to encourage him to study, because his encouraging words are said loudly, and there is no need for whispering. On the other hand, when someone intends to take what does not belong to him or to earn unlawful money, and he has a partner, he just wink to his partner upon seeing an open register, simply because unlawful things are done secretly not publically. This is the meaning of "Waswasa"; it is whispering in someone's ear with a very low voice in order to seduce him to do something evil. So, the purpose is always evil.
2- Man swings between the enlightening of angels and the whispering of Shaitan:
It is commonly known that the angel inspires man while Shaitan whispers to him. In fact, you have the freedom of choice whether to listen to the inspiration of the angel and go to the Masjid, for instance, or to listen to the whispering of Shaitan and go to the nightclub instead. Thus, your movement is your own choice, and the angel and Shaitan in this case are only means to make you take your next move. When a student goes blank and could not answer the exam questions, he is asked by the supervisor either to write the answers or to leave the class, so the student is in a very hard situation. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Therein he will neither die nor live. ﴿
Shaitan whispers to man, seducing him to commit sins and evil things. Accordingly, Eve has nothing to do with driving Adam out of Jannah, given most people accuse her of being the reason. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered suggestions to them both ﴿
Adam's wife is a victim of Shaitan's whispers (just like Adam PBUH).
﴾ Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered ﴿
She did not ask him to eat the apple.
﴾ Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered suggestions to them both ﴿
This Ayah is quite clear and it exonerates Eve from this false accusation.
﴾ Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered suggestions to them both in order to uncover that which was hidden from them of their private parts (before); ﴿
3- The consequences of committing sins:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered suggestions to them both ﴿
Eating that apple, meant entering it into the mouth of Adam and Eve, and in order to digest it, they need to have esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine and defecating, and this means unpleasant smells will be smelt and man needs a bathroom. It is totally a different situation from the one Adam and Eve used to be in before eating that apple; they were enjoying the pleasures of this Paradise without paying any effort or bearing any burden, but the minute they ate that apple, their soul became inside their bodies, while their bodies coated their souls.
Man is between the nature of life on earth and the nature of life in the Hereafter:
If we assume that all spots on the earth are covered by Paradise (like the one of the Hereafter) and someone lives here in Damascus, while his son lives in the United States, he can visit his son from Damascus whenever he wants. On the other hand, when the soul is inside the body (like in real life on earth), this man needs to take a visa which might take one or two months, he needs to take a flight and he needs to go through the troubles of traveling. This happens because the body overcomes the soul, whereas in Jannah the soul overcomes the body. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "Verily, I had a companion (in the world), ﴿
﴾ So he looked down and saw him in the midst of the Fire. ﴿
[ As-Saffaat, 55
]
You can see everything in Jannah, because you are all eyes, ears, emotions and sentiments. In Jannah you eat as much as you wish without any digesting troubles.
﴾ Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered suggestions to them both ﴿
When Shaitan convinced Adam and Eve to eat the apple, and after the apple went inside their body, the soul became coated with the body, and eating became a troublesome process which needs striving.
In Jannah man never gets hungry:
﴾ Nor from the sun's heat. ﴿
In the worldly life, man gets hungry and longs to eat, which obliges him, to get out of his house early in the morning, to head to work and to strive in the company or the institution he works for, and if he is tardy, he will be punished. Thus, in order to eat, to buy a house and to get married, you have to work about 8 hours every day. Jannah, on the other hand, has a different system:
﴾ There they will have all that they desire ﴿
﴾ And the bunches of fruit thereof will hang low within their reach. ﴿
Everything in Jannah is reachable. Better yet, man gets whatever crosses his mind.
﴾ There they will have all that they desire, and We have more (for them ) ﴿
The situation of man in the worldly life is mentioned in the following Ayah:
﴾ O man! Verily, you are returning towards your Lord with your deeds and actions (good or bad), a sure returning, so you will meet (i.e. the results of your deeds which you did). ﴿
Al-Inshiqaq, 18
You will not own a key of a house of your own where there is a wife and children unless you work for 40 years; after you spend half of your life studying, you can afford a 50 square meter apartment to which the sun might not enter. Hence, the worldly life entails striving and working hard. Adam PBUH in the Jannah of the worldly life was like the people of the Jannah of the Hereafter with regard to his body, but after he ate the apple, he turned into someone who belongs to the worldly life after he learned the valuable lesson from that bad experience, which is; Shaitan is the fiercest enemy of man.
"In order to uncover that which was hidden from them of their private parts":
Dear brothers, there is no private parts in Jannah (of the Hereafter), because no one of the people of Jannah go against Allah's Method. In contrast, there are private parts in the worldly life, and the private part manifests an entire system which is different from the system of Jannah.
Shaitan's cunning in whispering:
Bear in mind that Shaitan used his cunning when he seduced Adam PBUH, and he whispered to him:
﴾ In order to uncover that which was hidden from them of their private parts (before); he said: "Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels or become of the immortals." ﴿
He whispered to Adam: If you want to become an angel, if you want to become immortal in this Paradise, then eat this apple. Adam PBUH did not have any previous experience of meeting someone who could lie, and he bought the lies of Shaitan, because Adam PBUH never doubted that someone would swore by Allah the Almighty on lies. This makes Shaitan the first liar in man's history, and his oath was the first forged oath ever.
"And he [Shaitan (Satan)] swore by Allah to them both (saying): "Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both":
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And he [Shaitan (Satan)] swore by Allah to them both (saying): "Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both." ﴿
Shaitan swore by Allah the Almighty to Adam and Eve that they would become immortal in this Jannah upon eating from the tree.
﴾ Save you should become angels or become of the immortals." And he [Shaitan (Satan)] swore by Allah to them both (saying): "Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both." ﴿
There are devils among human beings, and they are those who whisper to people to commit sins and to enjoy life since it is temporary. The poet referred to this point in the following lines:
If you cannot prevent my death
Let me enjoy spending my wealth
Shaitan whispered to Adam PBUH:
﴾ "Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both." ﴿
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ So he misled them with deception. Then when they tasted of the tree, that which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became manifest to them and they began to stick together the leaves of Paradise over themselves (in order to cover their shame). And their Lord called out to them (saying): "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you: Verily, Shaitan (Satan) is an open enemy unto you?" ﴿
"So he misled them with deception":
1- The meaning of "misled them":
The Arabic word "Dallahuma' (misled them) literally means dangling something, and in this Ayah it means that Shaitan caused Adam PBUH to fall into sins.
Before I go one with the Ayah, if you ask the one who commits a sin about how he feels, he will tell you that he is depressed. This is indicated in the following Ayah:
﴾ "But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur'an nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection." ﴿
[ Ta-Ha, 124
]
"
﴾ Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both."* So he misled them with deception. ﴿
He misled them to commit that sin (disobeying Allah the Almighty by eating the forbidden apple).
"…With deception" means that Shaitan whispered over and over again until Adam PBUH responded to his whispers. Bear in mind that all sins start with whispering, insisting, endearing sins, seducing and inciting.
"Then when they tasted of the tree, that which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became manifest to them":
﴾ Then when they tasted of the tree, that which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became manifest to them ﴿
As I have mentioned earlier, when Adam and Eve were in Jannah, their bodies had a different system which was similar to the system of the bodies of people of Jannah (of the Hereafter), but upon eating the apple, their bodies became like our bodies in the worldly life.
1- What is "As-Saw'ah" (their awful part)?
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾That which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became manifest to them ﴿
As-Saw'ah is an Arabic word which means (unpleasant thing), and it is called so, because the private parts are embarrassing and humiliating to man if they are uncovered in public. Such incidents took place in Iraq in Abu Ghraib prison where some American soldiers tortured Iraqi people by undressing them.
2- The believer tends to cover his Awrah whereas the Kafir tends to show it:
The believers are always keen on covering their Awrah, whereas disbelievers tend to expose it. Showing the body is the act of disbelievers while covering it is the act of the true believers.
﴾ That which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became manifest to them ﴿
After their private parts were revealed, Adam and Eve had to cover them by anything, because it is improper to have one's private parts uncovered and exposed to others.
They began to cover them as mentioned in the following Ayah:
﴾ And they began to stick together the leaves of Paradise over themselves (in order to cover their shame). ﴿
And their Lord called out to them (saying): "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you: Verify, Shaitan (Satan) is an open enemy unto you?":
Then Allah the Almighty addressed them:
﴾ And their Lord called out to them (saying): "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you: Verily, Shaitan (Satan) is an open enemy unto you?" ﴿
The ever-learned lesson and the ever-lasting rule:
"Verily, Shaitan (Satan) is an open enemy unto you?" is the moral lesson to all mankind till the Day of Resurrection. You are subject of Shaitan's whispers and angel's inspiration. The angel encourages you to obey Allah's Orders and to avoid His Bans, whereas Shaitan whispers to you to disobey Allah the Almighty, to commit sins, to abandon Salah and to watch TV at the time when you are supposed to be in the Masjid, attending a religious lesson. This is the mission of Shaitan.
Allah reproached Adam and Eve by saying:
﴾ "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you: Verily, Shaitan (Satan) is an open enemy unto you?" ﴿
[ Al-A'raf, 22
]
﴾ They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers." ﴿
