Listen to this post as a Friday Sermon:
The story of Adam and Eve is recounted a number of times in Islamic scripture. It is a warning of the deadly long game of Satan. After God created Adam and breathed into him of His Spirit, God commanded everyone in Heaven to prostrate themselves before Adam.
Satan refused.
“I am better than he,” Satan said. “You created me from fire and created him from mud.”
God then expelled Satan from Heaven, citing his arrogant refusal to obey the command to bow before Adam. Satan then told God, “Because You have thwarted me, I will mislead all of them. If I am going down, they are going down with me. All I ask is that You give me respite until the Day of Judgment.” God granted respite to Satan.
God then told Adam to dwell in the Garden with his wife, Eve, and enjoy all that it has to offer. The only thing he needed to do was to avoid a specific tree. Satan started his work.
“Peace be with you Adam!” said Satan. “This is nice! All of this is yours? Wow! That’s fantastic man. Enjoy! You truly deserve it.”
He then came back and said, “How are things? Loving this life, eh? You know…never mind, never mind. I will see you later.”
Later on, Satan said, “You know, Adam…I can’t help it. I wasn’t supposed to tell you this, but I really like you and your wife, and I think you guys should know this. That tree that God said not to approach? I was there when you were created. I know all about this tree. It is the tree of Everlasting Life. Eat from its fruits, and you will either live forever or even become angels! Isn’t this amazing? Wouldn’t you want to be here forever?”
“I swear by God, Adam! I am giving you sincere advice. Like I said, I like you and Eve! You guys deserve only the best!”
So, both Adam and Eve ate of the fruits of that tree. Immediately, the garments of light which they were wearing were torn off, and they became aware of their nakedness. They then began to cover themselves with the leaves of the trees of Paradise.
God then called out to Adam, “Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you that Satan is a manifest enemy unto you?”
Adam was quite aggrieved, and he didn’t know what to do or say. But God taught him what to say: “Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If Thou dost not forgive us and have Mercy upon us, we shall surely be among the losers.”
God, then, forgave them.
Yet, it was too late. Adam and Eve had to go down to earth and live out the rest of their lives there, returning back to God only upon death. I can only imagine how stressful that must have been for our father Adam to endure. And Satan was likely laughing at Adam, basking in his deception of Adam and its consequences.
Again, this story is recounted as a warning for all of humanity: “O Children of Adam! Let not Satan tempt you, as he caused your parents to go forth from the Garden, stripping them of their raiment to show them their nakedness. Surely he sees you—he and his tribe—whence you see them not. We have indeed made the satans the friends of those who do not believe.”
We need to be ever vigilant against the deadly long game of Satan. We need to be ever cautious against his machinations. We need to be ever wary of his sneaky deceptions. Else, we will fall prey to his tricks and then fall into utter ruin.