وَيَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ ٱسْكُنْ أَنتَ
وَزَوْجُكَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَكُلَا
مِنْ حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا
تَقْرَبَا هَـٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةَ
فَتَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ
لِيُبْدِىَ لَهُمَا مَا وُۥرِىَ
عَنْهُمَا مِن سَوْءَٰتِهِمَا وَقَالَ
مَا نَهَىٰكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا عَنْ هَـٰذِهِ
ٱلشَّجَرَةِ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَا
مَلَكَيْنِ أَوْ تَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰلِدِينَ
وَقَاسَمَهُمَآ إِنِّى لَكُمَا
لَمِنَ ٱلنَّـٰصِحِينَ
“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 wrongdoers. Then
Shaytan 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.”
And he Qasamahuma:
“Verily, I am one of
the sincere well-wishers
for you both.”
Shaytan’s Deceit with Adam and Hawwa’ and Their eating from the Forbidden Tree
Allah states that He allowed Adam and his wife to dwell in Paradise and to eat from all of its fruits, except one tree. We have already discussed this in Surat Al-Baqarah. Thus, Shaytan envied them and plotted deceitfully, whispering and suggesting treachery. He wished to rid them of the various favors and nice clothes that they were enjoying.
وَقَالَ
He (Shaytan) said
uttering lies and falsehood,
مَا نَهَـكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا
عَنْ هَـذِهِ الشَّجَرَةِ
إِلاَ أَن تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ
“Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels…”
meaning, so that you do not become angels or dwell here for eternity. Surely, if you eat from this tree, you will attain both, he said. In another Ayat,
قَالَ يـَادَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ
عَلَى شَجَرَةِ الْخُلْدِ
وَمُلْكٍ لاَّ يَبْلَى
Shaytan whispered to him, saying: “O Adam! Shall I lead you to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that will never waste away”(Taha 120)
Here, the wording is similar, so it means, `so that you do not become angels’ as in;
يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ أَن تَضِلُّواْ
(Thus) does Allah make clear to you (His Law) lest you go astray. (An-Nisa 176)
meaning, so that you do not go astray, and,
وَأَلْقَى فِى الاٌّرْضِ
رَوَاسِىَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ
And He has affixed into the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you (An-Nahl 15)
that is, so that the earth does not shake with you.
وَقَاسَمَهُمَآ
And he Qasamahuma
swore to them both by Allah, saying,
إِنِّي لَكُمَا لَمِنَ النَّـصِحِينَ
“Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both.”
for I was here before you and thus have better knowledge of this place. It is a fact that the believer in Allah might sometimes become the victim of deceit. Qatadah commented on this Ayat, “Shaytan swore by Allah, saying, `I was created before you, and I have better knowledge than you. Therefore, follow me and I will direct you.”’