2.21 Al-Baqarah: Why Prophet Adam Stayed in Paradise Only Briefly

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته !

All praise is to Allah, the Most High, the Most Great. Blessings be upon our Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad ﷺ, and may Allah be pleased with all of the Companions.

Today we are sharing a topic: the wisdom in the fact that, after our Lord (Rabb — Lord and Sustainer) created Adam (peace be upon him), then created his wife, the two of them remained in al-Jannah (Paradise) for only a moment of the daytime. We will offer a brief analysis of this.

Before Entering Paradise

Before Adam (peace be upon him) entered Paradise, our Lord created him and his wife Ḥawwā’ (Eve). In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, we read that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “The best day on which the sun rises is Jumuʿah (Friday): on that day Adam was created, on that day he entered Paradise, and on that day he was expelled from it.” The hadith states that he entered Paradise on Jumuʿah, which means that his creation was before his entry into Paradise. So he was not created directly in Paradise.

As for what the scholar Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Adam (peace be upon him) only remained in Paradise from the ʿAṣr prayer until sunset.” This is found in al-Mustadrak of al-Ḥākim. Al-Ḥākim said: “According to the conditions set by al-Bukhārī and Muslim, this narration may be counted as ṣaḥīḥ (sound), though the two of them did not include it in their collections.”

According to Ibn ʿAbbās, Adam (peace be upon him) remained in Paradise for only a moment of the daytime. In the Tafsīr of al-Ṭabarī and the Tafsīr of Ibn Kathīr, we learn that the exegetes say that before Adam (peace be upon him) entered Paradise, our Lord created Ḥawwā’. Regarding verse 35 of Sūrat al-Baqarah, the commentators, based on reports from Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) and others, transmitted from the People of the Scripture who followed the Tawrāt (Torah) and from other scholars, spoke in detail about how Allah, the Most High and Most Great, created Adam’s wife Ḥawwā’. They explained it in this way: after that, Adam fell into a deep sleep, and Allah took one of his left ribs and placed flesh upon it. But Adam remained asleep and did not awaken. Allah created his wife Ḥawwā’ from that rib, making her a gentle companion upon whom Adam could rely. Only after that did Allah lift his drowsiness. When Adam awoke and saw Ḥawwā’ beside him, he drew close to her. According to what the scholars said, after Adam saw her he said: You are my flesh, my blood, and my wife. When mentioning these narrations, the experts of tafsīr (Qur’anic exegesis) said that Allah, the Most High and Most Great, knows best.

Entering Paradise

The scholars also said that when Allah, the Most High and Most Great, made Ḥawwā’ the wife of Adam and then made Adam feel at rest, He addressed Adam, saying: “O Adam! Live with your wife in Paradise and eat as freely as you please, but do not approach this tree, or else you will be wrongdoers.” This is also verse 35 of Sūrat al-Baqarah:

{وَقُلْنَا يَاآدَمُ اسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَكُلاَ مِنْهَا رَغَداً حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلاَ تَقْرَبَا هَـذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ الْظَّالِمِين}[البقرة:35]

35. We cautioned, “O Adam! Live with your wife in Paradise and eat as freely as you please, but do not approach this tree, or else you will be wrongdoers.”

From the Qur’an, the hadith, and the words of the scholars, we can know that Adam (peace be upon him) was created outside Paradise. Only after the Lord created for Adam his wife Ḥawwā’ did He let the couple enter Paradise to dwell there. In Paradise the Lord gave the two of them one prohibition—all the food in the Garden was lawful, but there was one tree they were not to approach, and of course that tree had fruit upon it. In Sūrat Ṭā Hā we learn that in the end they drew near that tree and also ate from its fruit—that is to say, they ate the forbidden fruit. After that, the Lord made them leave Paradise.

Regarding the Paradise in which Adam (peace be upon him) dwelt, and the Paradise from which he was finally expelled, most scholars hold that it was the heavenly Paradise. But others raised doubts, saying that if it was the heavenly Paradise, then how could Satan have entered it when he had already been cast out for refusing to prostrate to Adam (peace be upon him)? He had already become a creature expelled by the Lord, his decree already fixed, so how could he enter Paradise? Other scholars explained it in this way: that this Paradise was on earth, not that Paradise in heaven.

Scholars have raised different questions and given many different answers about whether this Paradise was heavenly or earthly, and we will not discuss that in depth. What we want to discuss is why Adam (peace be upon him) could remain in Paradise only for a moment of the daytime. Before the Lord placed him and his wife in Paradise, He had already granted him a noble station, had made the angels prostrate to him, and Iblīs—one of the jinn—became one who was expelled because he did not prostrate. We will read some of the wisdom contained in these matters.

The State of Paradise

First, let us look at the condition of the Paradise in which Adam and his wife were, as described in the verses. In verse 118 of Sūrat Ṭā Hā, our Lord tells Adam:

{إِنَّ لَكَ أَلاَّ تَجُوعَ فِيهَا وَلاَ تَعْرَى}[طه:118]

118. Here it is guaranteed that you will never go hungry or unclothed,

{وَأَنَّكَ لاَ تَظْمَأُ فِيهَا وَلاَ تَضْحَى}[طه:119]

119. nor will you ˹ever˺ suffer from thirst or ˹the sun’s˺ heat.”

Adam and his wife had bodies, yet in that Paradise they had no feeling of hunger, no feeling of thirst, no sensation of heat, and especially no sense of nakedness, nor did they feel shame at being unclothed. It was only after they approached that tree that their private parts were exposed, and only then did they discover the shame of nakedness.

From this we can learn that when the Lord told Adam (peace be upon him) about that Paradise, He did not tell him that it was everlasting and immortal. So the one from among the jinn who had fallen and become Satan tempted Adam (peace be upon him), saying: “O Adam! Shall I show you the Tree of Immortality and a kingdom that does not fade away?” As we learn in verse 120 of Sūrat Ṭā Hā:

{فَوَسْوَسَ إِلَيْهِ الشَّيْطَانُ قَالَ يَاآدَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى شَجَرَةِ الْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍ لاَّ يَبْلَى}[طه:120]

120. But Satan whispered to him, saying, “O Adam! Shall I show you the Tree of Immortality and a kingdom that does not fade away?”

This shows that the Lord did not describe to Adam (peace be upon him) the Paradise in which he dwelt as a place of everlasting life and permanence. So when Satan tempted him, he longed for long life and for not perishing. That Satan also tempted the couple by saying: “Your Lord has forbidden this tree to you only to prevent you from becoming angels or immortals.” We learn this in verse 20 of Sūrat al-Aʿrāf:

{فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا الشَّيْطَانُ لِيُبْدِيَ لَهُمَا مَا وُورِيَ عَنْهُمَا مِن سَوْءَاتِهِمَا وَقَالَ مَا نَهَاكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا عَنْ هَـذِهِ الشَّجَرَةِ إِلاَّ أَن تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ أَوْ تَكُونَا مِنَ الْخَالِدِين}[الأعراف:20]

20. Then Satan tempted them in order to expose what was hidden of their nakedness. He said, “Your Lord has forbidden this tree to you only to prevent you from becoming angels or immortals.”

When Adam (peace be upon him) was in Paradise, the Lord told Adam (peace be upon him) about the material ease there: no bodily hunger or thirst, no heat, and no other bodily weariness. But He did not tell Adam that their allotted life would be like that of the angels, remaining until the Last Day before passing away. Precisely because Adam and his wife knew that their own lives could not be prolonged like those of the angels until the Last Day, they underwent the test of temptation. When Satan tempted them, the couple did not withstand the test. They approached that tree and ate the forbidden fruit, and very quickly they were expelled from Paradise.

What Is Exchanged for Paradise

Now we should read: what kind of Paradise has our Lord prepared for the believers? And how are believers to exchange for the eternal Paradise in heaven? Our Lord tells us in verse 111 of Sūrat al-Tawbah: Allah has indeed purchased from the believers their lives and wealth in exchange for Paradise.

{إِنَّ اللّهَ اشْتَرَى مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الجَنَّةَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالإِنجِيلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ وَمَنْ أَوْفَى بِعَهْدِهِ مِنَ اللّهِ فَاسْتَبْشِرُواْ بِبَيْعِكُمُ الَّذِي بَايَعْتُم بِهِ وَذَلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيم}[التوبة:111]

111. Allah has indeed purchased from the believers their lives and wealth in exchange for Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah and kill or are killed. This is a true promise binding on Him in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran. And whose promise is truer than Allah’s? So rejoice in the exchange you have made with Him. That is ˹truly˺ the ultimate triumph.

This verse speaks of the believers exchanging their lives and wealth for Paradise, doing good with life and wealth to seek the Lord’s pleasure. In many verses we can read that the destination of the God-fearing—people of taqwā, reverent fear and mindfulness of Allah—is Paradise. Let us consider this: Adam and his wife were in Paradise without the suffering of seeking provision, without having to obtain wealth through labor—so how were they to seek the Lord’s pleasure? Second, as for life: when Satan tempted them, they immediately approached the tree and ate from its fruit; they did not have the awareness of using life itself to seek goodness. Moreover, by violating the prohibition and eating the forbidden fruit, they lost the qualities of the God-fearing, and so they left Paradise. In these three respects, they did not exchange wealth for Paradise, they did not think of using life to exchange for Paradise, and they were not yet among the God-fearing. So for these three reasons, it is clear that they could not remain in Paradise for long. But the Lord showed them this Paradise and let them see it, because Adam (peace be upon him) was not only the first prophet and messenger: as the beginning of humanity, there had to be a faith directed toward seeking the reward of Paradise. Adam’s descendants would inevitably receive this information from Adam. The Lord would later reveal it to the prophets and messengers He sent, or explain to them the blessings of Paradise through the Scriptures.

Adam and the Unseen

The Lord let Adam and his wife enter Paradise—though only for a brief moment of the day—yet He thereby let him know the unseen (al-ghayb — the unseen reality). He came to know the angels of the unseen realm, and he knew the reality of the jinn and Satan, and the Lord spoke to him directly. After that he entered Paradise and saw the scene of Paradise. At the same time, when Satan was driven out, he was told that the expelled one would become fuel for Hellfire. And when Iblīs argued back and asked his Lord to grant him respite until the Day of Resurrection, Adam also came to know that there would be a Last Day and a resurrection. All of these belong to the unseen, to what is not seen. Only because Adam possessed what the Lord told him of those unseen matters could he become the first prophet and messenger.

Jumuʿah and Its Sign

Now let us briefly analyze the wisdom contained in Adam being created on Jumuʿah, entering Paradise on Jumuʿah, and leaving Paradise on Jumuʿah. Of course, Jumuʿah is a blessed day for the ummah (the community of believers) of Muhammad ﷺ. It is our festival, the most auspicious day of the week. On this day there is also an important act of worship: men are to attend the congregational Jumuʿah prayer in the mosque.

Jumuʿah is a particularly important sign. Through the activity of the Jumuʿah congregational prayer, it manifests a sign. First, it bears witness that all things will perish and only the Lord Himself remains. Second, it contains a sign by which people may have a blessing in the Hereafter: after being resurrected, they may witness that the Lord allows us to see Him. How should this be understood? Prayer, whether the prayer of Jumuʿah or the regular daily prayers, has a direction. The direction of Jumuʿah, and the ordinance of the five daily prayers, all have one fixed orientation—toward the Sacred Mosque. When a person prays, with a cleansed body and a purified spiritual state, standing, bowing, and prostrating for the Lord, and while glorifying Him and reciting the Scripture, he is receiving the Lord’s teaching and arriving at a true testimony—لا إله إلا الله (lā ilāha illā Allāh — there is no god worthy of worship except Allah): nothing in creation is lord; only Allah. Only Allah, the Most High and Most Great, is the One truly worshipped. This utterance of praise itself contains the meaning of a sign—that all things will perish, and only the Essence of Allah, the Most High and Most Great, is everlasting. On the Last Day, all things will be destroyed, and only the Lord Himself will remain. Through the phenomenon of prayer, the human being does not only utter testimony; he himself becomes a sign.

Because when a person prays, he is already within such a state: it is only worship of the Lord and remembrance of Him. Created things fade away and are not worshipped. Even when one reads and recites in the Scripture the signs concerning created things, that too is the Lord’s speech. Through His speech we receive instruction, remember the Lord, magnify Him, praise Him, and extol Him. So this sign makes people bear witness that all things will perish and only the Essence of the Lord remains; and in one’s actions one is also bearing witness—لا إله إلا الله: nothing in creation is lord; only Allah. And the Jumuʿah prayer is a collective prayer. As for men, in Sūrat al-Jumuʿah the Lord says that on Jumuʿah day you are to attend the collective prayer. This is an important obligatory act of worship the Lord has given to men.

When we speak of collective prayer, there must be one who leads it in prayer. Of course, the greatest prayer leader among humanity is Muhammad ﷺ, the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers sent by the Lord. For the Lord has also given us an important blessing: He not only creates this world and destroys this world; when He recreates this world, He can show Himself to His creation, so that the creatures who worship Him may see Him. The Lord has His Essence; nothing in creation is like Him. But He also has His beautiful qualities, attributes, and names. He created all things, and all things became signs of His attributes, virtues, and names. The human being is an important sign, because in the unseen he knows Him, in the unseen he worships Him, and he bears witness—witnessing that He alone is worthy of worship. Human beings must have the three aspects of tawḥīd (affirming Allah’s oneness): to know that He is the only Lord who nurtures and sustains; to bear witness that He alone is worshipped; and to bear witness that His attributes, virtues, and names admit of no partner. Thus humanity becomes a sign.

Precisely because the human being was created with a body, yet to know Him and worship Him in the unseen, He sent us prophets and messengers. Adam (peace be upon him) became the first prophet and messenger. The Lord created him from clay, then created his wife from his left rib, and from within Paradise He tested their appetite and bodily desire. When they violated the prohibition, their shameful parts were exposed. This shows that the human being was created to know the Lord and worship the Lord in the unseen. Of course, this “in the unseen” means that one cannot directly see the true reality of Paradise. Even Adam (peace be upon him) was there only for a very short time and then left. How then are later generations to know the true reality? The Lord therefore sent us prophets and messengers. Among the descendants of Adam (peace be upon him), that Seal Prophet and Messenger ﷺ and his followers received the blessing of Jumuʿah, which the Lord in His mercy gave to humankind. For this Seal Prophet ﷺ is a sign of the Lord’s mercy to all the worlds. Outwardly, this appears in the performance of Jumuʿah prayer, becoming a displayed blessing through which the pleasure of the Lord is sought. Because it was our Muhammad ﷺ who guided people to begin performing the congregational Jumuʿah prayer. In reality, he became a manifestation of the Lord’s mercy to all the worlds: in this world, appearing as one who leads people in doing good and seeking the Lord’s pleasure; and in the Hereafter, leading people to the highest reward of Paradise—seeing the Lord.

In Sūrat al-Jumuʿah, our Lord tells us that when the call is made for prayer on the Day of Congregation, we should go to the remembrance of the Lord; when the prayer has ended, we may seek His bounty in the land; and we are to remember Him much so that we may succeed. In the last verse it also speaks of how, while our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was leading people in the prayer of the Day of Congregation, some were preoccupied with their trade and carelessly left the prayer. At that time, the Lord said that what is with Him is better than amusement and trade, for He is the Best Provider. This shows that we are not only to seek the provision our human nature needs and the blessings of this world, but also the reward of Paradise in the Hereafter. And the higher and greater pursuit is to seek to see the Lord. This is also the true meaning of the Lord’s rewarding us with Paradise.

Paradise, al-nafs, and the rūḥ

As human beings, in terms of our human nature, we are bodily beings and we have spirit and emotions that seek fulfillment, so we pursue the reward of Paradise. But as for Adam being ennobled by the Lord’s infusing spirit into him, he possessed the spirit the Lord had infused into him. The Lord also made the angels prostrate to him and created for him a companion, so that they might continually increase in doing good. Because the Lord possesses His attributes, virtues, and names, humanity—if it is to become His sign—must pursue goodness. Human beings have relative attributes and virtues that can be manifested so as to attain good. At that point humanity can receive the blessing of seeing Him. Therefore, human beings are first rewarded with being able to have Paradise. For example, Adam (peace be upon him): the Lord had mercy on his spirit, causing him to become a human being, and only after that did He place him in Paradise. Paradise is only a means by which the human being sees the Lord. What the human being is truly meant to attain is the reward of seeing the Lord.

Paradise corresponds to our human nature, to our al-nafs (the self / human nature), which has spiritual desires and material desires. The human al-nafs needs the reward of Paradise to realize itself. But as for the rūḥ (spirit) that a person possesses—for example Adam—the Lord infused into him a rūḥ ascribed to Him. That rūḥ seeks return; it seeks to see the Lord. How are we to understand return? Whatever is ascribed to the Lord in its essential attribution returns to Him. All created things will perish. Yet the human being can possess a spirit ascribed to the Lord—for example, the Lord infused spirit into Adam (peace be upon him). When humanity is resurrected, that spirit seeks to see the Lord. What is contained in its life seeks eternity. This is why, after the Lord created Adam (peace be upon him) and infused spirit into him, He did not place him in Paradise at once. Rather, He placed him in Paradise only when He wished to test his human nature. For the material desires and spiritual desires of human nature must be tested. One must become one of the God-fearing, and with one’s material wealth and spiritual wealth do good, so as to gain the reward of Paradise. Then that rūḥ—that is, that which can show forth holiness—what does the Lord give it? Everlasting life, never dying again, and also the greatest reward of all: being able to see the Lord. This is the wisdom in why, after creating Adam, the Lord only then placed him in Paradise. This is also why he was created on Jumuʿah, entered Paradise on Jumuʿah, and had to leave Paradise on Jumuʿah. For among his descendants there would be the Seal Prophet and Messenger ﷺ who would receive the blessing of Jumuʿah, along with his followers, and they would become a manifestation: the Lord is supremely good and supremely merciful, the Lord of universal mercy and special mercy; He possesses many beautiful attributes and virtues; and the human being, becoming His sign, can pursue the good of both worlds. All of those beautiful righteous people follow our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and he is the supreme guide who reached the station of iḥsān (spiritual excellence). What is iḥsān? To worship the Lord as though you see Him; and though you do not see Him, He sees you. The servant who reaches this state becomes a general guide. Those who pray behind him and stand in rows behind him can of course all reach this state. These righteous people are bearing witness that Allah, the Most High and Most Great, possesses attributes and virtues, and that He is the Lord who is wholly good and supremely good. At that time humanity in the Hereafter will have a reward—to witness that the Lord truly is wholly good and supremely good, and that He allows these righteous people, His servants, to see Him. So in this matter of Jumuʿah, our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ became the general guide among humankind. In this world he leads people in the Jumuʿah prayer, and those followers behind him continue fulfilling the path of following him, completing the acts of Jumuʿah worship and seeking the Lord’s pleasure. In the Hereafter they will follow him into Paradise and see the Lord. This too is the wisdom in Adam (peace be upon him) staying in Paradise for only a moment of the daytime. In that, he was bearing witness that among later people there would be such a person.

Closing Supplication

In the end, we ask the Lord to grant us the good of this world and the Hereafter, and to make us among the people blessed in both worlds.

We will share only this much today. For any slips of the tongue or anything not explained clearly, we ask Allah, the Most High and Most Great, to forgive us. Readers, please pardon us. Thank you all for sharing.

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته !

Qur’an translation source: The Clear Qur’an — Dr. Mustafa Khattab.

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