And The Shameful Parts of Man were Disclosed - Mankind and Satan

And The Shameful Parts of Man were Disclosed

The question is why are we offended when our private parts are disclosed? The private parts are the organs of excretion. We are careful to uncover the parts through which we take in food, i.e. the mouth, but at the same time we are very careful to hide the parts through which excrement comes out.

In an attempt to explain this some scholars said: the private parts remind us of disobeying Allah, because when disobedience occurred the private parts appeared. Therefore, we want to cover them because they are a symbol of sin, for sin is a shame that man ever tries to hide and feel shame of, and take pains not to be seen by people. When man has lawful money, he brings it out in front of all people, and fear nothing, but when he has stolen, ill-gotten money he tries to hide it from the whole world. Sin in all its states is a shame that people are careful to hide and conceal.

But how did Satan tempt Adam and Eve? How did he make them fall into sin?

Read the glorious Ayah relating what means:

“He said, ‘Your Lord did not forbid you this tree except that you become angels or become of the immortal.’” (Al-A‘râf, 7: 20)

Satan sneaked to them from the side of what the human soul craves and desires: an eternal life, endless and everlasting, and an eternal kingdom that never decays. Therefore, when Satan wanted to tempt Adam and Eve into eating from the tree, he said to Adam as the Noble Qur’an relates to us (what means): 

“Then Satan whispered to him; he said, ‘O Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of eternity and possession that will not deteriorate?’” (Tâ-Hâ, 20: 120)

Satan is a liar in what he said. Had it truly been the Tree of Eternity, Satan himself would have eaten from it and become immortal. But he asked Allah to keep him alive till the Day of Judgment, for he knew for sure that Allah is the Originator of life, He Alone can keep it or take it.

Here we have to warn against Satan’s art in temptation, he strives to lead man to the misbelief that the Law of Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, harms him and profits him not; that true benefit is in sin. Therefore, Satan said to Adam and Eve that Allah has forbidden them to eat from this tree to prevent them from having an eternal kingdom and an eternal life, for man hates poverty and death. He wants to live forever. Hence, Satan came to them saying, “If you want eternity and sovereignty, you have this tree before you.” He swore to them by Allah as relates the Noble Qur’an saying (what means):

“And he swore [by Allah] to them, ‘Indeed, I am to you from among the sincere advisors.’” (Al-A‘râf, 7: 21)

Satan swore by Allah that he only wished to give them sincere advice, and they believed the satanic oath. They believed that Satan wished them goodness. Therefore, Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, reproached Adam and Eve for believing the Devil’s oath, though Allah, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might, has clearly shown to them that Satan is their enemy who never wishes for them any goodness as relates the Ayah, saying (what means):

“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‘râf, 7: 22)

But Adam and Eve who both felt deep regret, never imagined that one of the creatures of Allah would falsely swear by Allah. Therefore, Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The believer can be deceived by swearing by Allah.” Meaning if you approached a believer in the Name of Allah you could easily deceive him.   

‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar used to manumit the slaves who performed the prayers well, thus whenever the slaves saw him they would start offering the prayers with solemnity and submissiveness. So, people said to ‘Abdullah, “The salves deceive you to manumit them.” ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar replied, “Whoever deceives us in the Name of Allah we would be deceived for him.”

The Truth, all praise and glory is to Him, says (what means):

“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.” (Al-A‘râf, 7: 22) 

Here we must stop and deliberate, none should think that Satan led Adam and Eve into error at one time, but it was preceded by a number of stages. Satan first deceived them to make them draw near the tree, then he adorned in their eyes the beauty of its fruits, their sweetness, their pleasant color and fragrance. Then he lured them into eating! Thus, sin occurred in stages and not at a blow. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) says, “Temptations will be presented to hearts as reed mat (is woven) stick by stick.” Consequently, we must be attentive to the fact that drawing near sin definitely causes us to fall into it. 

Then what happened? Did Adam and Eve repeat the sin and they ate time and again from the tree? Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says, “And when they tasted of the tree”, meaning as soon as they tasted it. There was not persistence in repeating the act of disobedience on their part. Right after tasting the tree the private parts appeared, so they hurried to hide them by leaves of the garden. This means that they needed more than one leaf to hide the private parts.

This shows us the Justice of Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, Who first warned them against violation, and informed them about reward and punishment, so that punishment is then justly earned and deserved. That is why there is no retroactive laws in the Divine Legislation. In Divine Justice there is no incrimination without a proviso, and the proviso was forbidding Adam and Eve to draw near this tree and that Satan was an enemy to them. The interrogative Saying of Allah, “Did I not forbid you from that tree,” signifies that there is only one answer, “ Yes O Lord, You did forbid us.”  

The aim from this practical trial was that Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, protects Adam, Eve and their offspring from Satan, and make them learn well that he is a liar in all his promises. That he wishes for them evil even if he pretended to be a well-wisher.  And that the mission of Satan is to use all his wiles to entice Adam and his offspring into sin and cause them to fall into what Allah has forbidden. 

But has the battle ended? It did not…it continued and would continue till the Last Hour.

Source: (Book) Mankind and Satan

It is not The Paradise of Eternity - Mankind and Satan

It is not The Paradise of Eternity

If we search the Noble Qur’an we will find that the Noble Qur’an has used the word Jannah for more than one meaning. The Noble Qur’an used it with its linguistic meaning of Satir [veil, screen, cover, shelter…] and with its religious meaning of the Paradise of Eternity. We find many Ayat holding these two meanings as the Saying of Allah, all praise and glory is to Him:

“And present to them an example of two men: We granted to one of them two gardens of grapevines, and We bordered them with palm trees and placed between them [fields of] crops.” (Al-Kahf, 18: 32)

And the Ayah in which Allah says:

“Would one of you like to have a garden of palm trees and grapevines underneath which rivers flow in which he has from every fruit?” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 266)

And the Ayah in which Allah says:

“There was for [the tribe of] Saba’ in their dwelling place a sign: two [fields of] gardens on the right and on the left. [They were told], ‘Eat from the provisions of your Lord and be grateful to Him. A good land [have you], and a forgiving Lord.’” (Saba’, 34: 15)

In all these glorious Ayat Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, used the word “Jannah” to refer to a worldly garden or paradise.   

Some scholars said that Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, differentiated between the paradises or gardens of worldly life and the Paradise of the Hereafter by using the definitive form [Al-Jannah] to designate the Paradise of the Hereafter alone and the indefinite word [Jannah] without “ Al" (Al: equivalent to the definite article the) to designate worldly paradises or gardens, which is incorrect, based on the fact that a worldly garden is also referred to with the definite article “Al” as in the Ayah in which Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says:

“Verily, We have tried them as We tried the people of the garden, when they swore to pluck the fruits of the (garden) in the morning. Without saying: Inshâ' Allâh (If Allah will).” (Al-Qalam, 68: 17-18)

The speech in the two aforesaid Ayahs is about a paradise or a garden from the gardens of this world. Thus, the two definite letters Alf-Lam “Al” do not mark the word Jannah and serve to make it only designate the Paradise of Eternity. And here we must pause a little to discuss some opinions that claim that Adam and Eve used to live in the Paradise of Eternity and when they disobeyed Allah, He expelled them from paradise and send them down to live in misery on the earth!

We reply by saying that such opinions are absolutely untrue, because Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, before creating Adam has already assigned his mission in life. Please read the Ayah in which Allah, The Most Exalted and Ever-Majestic, says what means:

“And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.’” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 30)

Thus, before creating Adam the purpose of creating him was his living on the earth and making it a prosperous place and filling it with life.

The second important issue is that if Adam was expelled from paradise because he disobeyed what is our guilt to inherit sin and misery? That would disagree with the Justice of Allah embodied in His Saying, all glory is to Him, which means:

“And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.” (Fâtir, 35: 18)

Each person is hold accountable only for his own deeds and will never be questioned about what his parents did, nor his forefathers nor his children, because every man bears only his own good or bad deeds. Hence, it is impossible that Adam lived in the Paradise of Eternity then he was expelled from it because he disobeyed and we bore the consequences of that sin. It is impossible that we inherited that sin and are tortured by it through our expulsion from paradise, because (according to that logic) had not Adam sinned we would have been living in paradise. To such claimers we say that this opinion opposes the Justice of Allah Who never allows that sin should be inherited.

But why did Allah made Adam and Eve live in a paradise after creating them? 

We say that there is wisdom behind that, for Adam was created to receive from Allah the Law of ‘Do and Do not do.’ Only through this Law life thrives on the earth. Anything that Allah commands to be done if not done the earth would be corrupted and anything that Allah forbids if done the earth would be corrupted. 

Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, placed Adam and Eve in that paradise to put them through a practical experience in applying the Divine Law and to give them a practical warning against Satan mission’s of distorting the Divine Law. Satan’s mission is to push Adam and his offspring towards committing what Allah has forbidden and turn them away from doing what Allah has commanded. 

Thus, if Allah says:“Do not drink intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks)” the devil will beautify to mankind drinking intoxicants, and if Allah says: “Perform Salah” the devil will beautify to them abandoning Salah.

Truly, an experience simple in carrying out but is indeed great in its meaning and significance. It was a practice to Adam on what will happen to him when he obeys Allah and what will happen to him when he obeys Satan. Therefore, Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, brought Adam and provided him with all the means of living in a place called “Jannah” and He said to Adam (what means):

“And ‘O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.’ (Al-A‘râf, 7: 19)

Source: (Book) Mankind and Satan