The Consequences Of Tasting The Tree
Selections from the Book The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (82)
Allah Almighty said: {So he made them fall, through deception. And when they tasted of the tree, their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten together over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. And their Lord called to them, "Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you that Satan is to you a clear enemy?"} [Al-A'raf: 22].
And Allah Almighty said: {And they [i.e., Adam and his wife] ate of it, and their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred.} [Taha: 121].
As soon as Adam and Eve tasted the tree, their private parts became apparent, but they did not repeat the act of eating. The moment their nakedness was revealed, they realized that they had committed a sin. Therefore, when each saw the other's nakedness, they were overcome by shame. They quickly rushed to the leaves of the trees in Paradise, instinctively and swiftly, each one cutting the leaves before them and attaching them to their bodies to cover themselves, making sure to hide their private parts so that the other would not see them, nor would anyone else. They felt a deep sense of shame and embarrassment at the exposure of their nakedness and immediately sought to cover it. Before the sin, Adam and Eve had not seen each other's nakedness; both were concealed from one another.
Scholars have offered various opinions regarding the covering that concealed Adam and Eve's nakedness. Among these is a narration from Wahb ibn Munabbih, relayed by Amr from his father, stating that they were surrounded by a light that prevented them from seeing their nakedness. Another opinion suggests that the covering was long hair that reached their feet and served to hide their private parts until it was removed due to the sin.
Sheikh Muhammad Metwally Al-Sharawi remarked that scholars have exhausted themselves trying to explain how the nakedness of Adam and Eve was concealed. Allah Almighty was capable of covering their nakedness in any way He wished. Whether Allah covered their private parts with garments, hair, or light from Himself, what matters is that their nakedness was concealed from their own sight. As for the leaves they used to cover themselves after their nakedness was revealed, the Holy Quran does not specify the type of tree from which Adam and Eve took the leaves to cover their private parts.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him, pp. 598-599.
- Biography of Adam, peace be upon him, Al-Khalidi, p. 126.
- Adam, peace be upon him, between Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Ahmed Jaber, p. 104.
- Biography of Adam, peace be upon him, Al-Khalidi, p. 104.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
