15. Adam and Eve

While mentioning the first human beings—Adam and Eve—the Quran states: “To Adam He said, ‘You and your wife, dwell in the Garden and eat and drink there from wherever you wish, but do not approach this tree, lest you become wrongdoers.’ But Satan tempted them so that he might reveal to them their nakedness which had been hidden from them. He said, ‘Your Lord has forbidden you to approach this tree lest you should become angels or become of the immortals,’ and he swore to them, ‘Surely, I am your well-wisher.’ Thus he cunningly seduced them. When they tasted the tree’s fruit, their nakedness became exposed to them and they started covering themselves with the leaves of the garden. Their Lord called out to them, ‘Did I not forbid you to approach that tree, and did I not say to you that Satan was surely your open enemy?’ They replied, ‘Our Lord, we have wronged our souls: if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we shall be among the lost.’ (Quran, 7:19-23)

In this account, the dual form (used for two persons) appears repeatedly throughout the Arabic text, and this is highly significant. This contrasts with the Biblical narrative, which suggests that Eve misled Adam, causing him to disobey God’s command regarding the forbidden tree. The Quran, however, refutes this notion. By consistently employing dual expressions, it clarifies that Satan, not Eve, was the deceiver. Satan tempted both simultaneously, and both succumbed to his deception.

The Quranic narrative clearly demonstrates that men and women possess equal moral responsibility: both committed the same error, repented together, and received God’s mercy.