MANY PEOPLE ARE MADE TO BELIEVE IN THE CONCEPT OF ORIGINAL SIN AND EVE IS MADE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SIN
RESPONSE
IS EVE(HAWWA) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SIN OF ADAM?Allah says in the Qur’an 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." Then Shaitan (Satan) 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 except that you become angels or become of the immortal." And he swore [by Allah ] to them, "Indeed, I am to you from among the sincere advisors." 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. 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?" DUA: They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers." [ Allah ] said, "Descend, being to one another enemies. And for you on the earth is a place of settlement and enjoyment for a time."Quran Surah Araf 7:19-24 Here, the Glorious Qur’an clearly shows that both Adam and Eve were deceived, and that they both together ate from the tree, not Eve alone being deceived and then deceiving Adam to join in her sin. Satan went to themboth and deceived them both into eating from the tree, and they were both equally guilty. Hence, Both Adam and Eve are equally guilty. Islam in no way indicates that Eve was the weaker of the two, or that she tempted Adam to disobey God. Eating the fruit of the tree was a mistake committed by both Adam and Eve. They bear equal responsibility and are equally guilty. It is neither Eve nor Adam responsible for sin but it was Satan. Satan was there in the Paradise of Adam and Eve and his vow was to misguide and deceive them and their descendents. Satan said: “…surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left…” (Quran Surah araf 7:16-17) Satan is arrogant, and considered himself better then Adam, and thus mankind. He is crafty and cunning, but ultimately understands the weakness of human beings; he recognises their loves and desires.
WHY DID ALLAH SEND ADAM TO EARTH EVEN AFTER FORGIVING ADAM (PEACE BE UPON HIM) FOR APPROACHING THE TREE?There are two ways of looking at this. One way could be to view Adam's (peace be upon him) expulsion from paradise as a punishment. How is that so? Bear in mind that Allah stated that Adam will be sent to earth (ayath 36) before Adam (peace be upon him) repented (ayath37). Being forgiven could either be in relation to a worldly punishment or an afterlife punishment or both. For example, the thief who gets his hand cut off still has to repent to Allah so that he could avoid the punishment in the afterlife. Hence, Adam's (peace be upon him) descending to earth could very well be a worldly punishment for his sin, yet he was forgiven so that he won't endure the punishment of hell in the afterlife.
A second way of looking at this matter is to not interpret Adam's (peace be upon him) expulsion from paradise as a punishment. Several Muslim scholars such as Ar-Razi, Al-Qurtubi, Al-Nisapuri and others have not understood this to imply a punishment. Rather, they see that Adam's expulsion was that of mercy and that of teaching a lesson. They argued that it was that of mercy because now with Adam going to earth he would learn to become a more responsible person and be encouraged to perform more acts of worship. That in and of itself is a great reward. It was also teaching him a lesson so that he could see and contemplate about how that one sin could drive him out of paradise, yet what would a large number of sins do? Hence, this would motivate him and us reading his story to realize the seriousness of sin and how offensive it is to Allah.
It was Allah's plan right from the beginning that Adam (peace be upon him) be stationed on earth. Allah said in Quran Surah Baqrah 2:30 "I am about to place a successive authority(Khalifa)on the earth". Notice that Allah didn't say that He would place a successive authorityin paradise, but on earth.
Allah's placing of Adam (peace be upon him) in paradise initially is a helpful reminder to all of us to remember where our final destination should be and that our enemy Satan would do all he can to keep us away from it permanently.
In conclusion, there is no difficulty in understanding how Allah ordered Adam (peace be upon him) to leave paradise because of his mistake, yet still forgave him for that sin. As Allah said: Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He who is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. Quran Surah Baqrah 2:37
THE PAIN OF WOMEN DURING THE CHILDBIRTH IS HER PUNISHMENT FOR THE SIN.Bible Genesis Chapter 3:17on this pain of women: To Adam he said, Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. (New International Version - UK) According to the Bible, every women is punished by Eve’s sin with ‘pain, sorrow, toil, trouble’ during childbirth. The chidlbearing self is not a curse, but the pain with it is ! So the translation of ‘estev’ into ‘pain/sorrow’ is correct. Almost all english bible translations translate the word ‘estev’ into ‘pain/sorrow’.
Islamic view of Pain to women during ChildbirthThis pain has a number of benefits: 1 – It is an expiation for sin. Sahih al-Bukhari 5648 (Vol.7:551) 2 – It raises her in status if she is patient and seeks reward. 3 – The woman understands the extent of the pain suffered by other mothers. 4 – She will appreciate the extent of the blessing of good health that Allaah bestows on her. 5 – It will increase her love towards her child, because the more difficult it is to attain something, the dearer it becomes. If she dies while delivering baby she is treated as martyred, as mentioned in hadith: ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Who is counted as a shaheed among you?” They said, “The one who fights and is killed for the sake of Allaah.” The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Then the shaheeds(martyred) among my ummah would be few. The one who is killed for the sake of Allaah is a shaheed; the one who dies of plague is a shaheed; the one who dies of a stomach disease is a shaheed; the woman who dies with a child in her womb or who dies in pregnancy is a martyr (shaheed).” Sunan an-Nasa'i Vol3:1846, Imaam Ahmad, 5/315, and by Ibn Maajah, and by Ibn Hibbaan in hisSaheeh, who said its isnaad is saheeh.
IS ORIGINAL SIN TAUGHT IN ISLAM?Islam clearly rejects the Christian concept of original sin and the notion that all humans are born sinners due to the actions of Adam. Allah says in the Quran: “And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden.” (Quran 35:18) Every human being is responsible for his or her actions and is born pure and free from sin. Adam and Eve committed a mistake, they repented sincerely and God in His infinite wisdom forgave them as mentioned in Quran Surah 2:37- Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He who is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. The concept of original sin simply does not exist in Islam, and never has. For the Christian readers, the question is not whether the concept of original sin exists in present day, but whether it existed during the period of Christian origins. Specifically, did Jesus teach it? Apparently not. Whoever dreamt up the concept, it certainly wasn’t Jesus, for he reportedly taught, “Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven”(Matthew 19:14) We may well wonder how “for of such” could be “the kingdom of heaven” if the anabaptized are hell‑bound. Children are either born with original sin or are bound for the kingdom of heaven. The church can’t have it both ways. Ezekiel 18:20 records,“The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bears the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” Deuteronomy 24:16repeats the point. The objection may be raised that this is Old Testament, but it’s not older than Adam! If original sin dated from Adam and Eve, one wouldn’t find it disavowed in any scripture of any age! Christians believe that everyone is born a sinner. Everyone is born condemned and the only way to redeem yourself is that you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Is that really fair? Are you born condemned from the beginning? So even a poor innocent baby that is newly born is a sinner. If that baby does not redeem itself by putting its faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and dies then the poor baby is condemned to hell. How can you expect a baby that cannot comprehend or think to accept Jesus as its Lord? What if the poor baby dies before it grows up to become able to rationalize and accept a religion. What about a mentally retarded person that cannot think for himself? He is a sinner by nature and will be doomed to Hell for not recognizing Jesus as Lord and Savior simply because his mind cannot! What about a man who is mentally ill? Is he also a sinner? According to original sin he is. How can God condemn a madman who cannot use his reason and be able to make a rational decision? Truly this is unjust. Islam does not hold these kinds of people accountable. Islam teaches that each person is born in a state of spiritual purity, but upbringing and the allure of worldly pleasures may corrupt us, mentioned in Quran surah 30:30. Nonetheless, sins are not inherited and, for that matter, not even Adam and Eve will be punished for their sins, for God has forgiven them. And how can humankind inherit something that no longer exists? No, islamically speaking, all of us will be judged according to our deeds, for “That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another…man can have nothing but what he strives for” Quran Surah Najm 53:38–39 “Who receives guidance, receives it for his own benefit: who goes astray does so to his own loss: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another ...” Quran Surah Isra17:15 Each person will bear responsibility for his or her actions, but no infant goes to hell for being anabaptized and burdened with sin as a birthright—or should we say a birth wrong? Now, one may argue that it's not fair that we are here on earth because of Adam's (peace be upon him) sin, but there are two things to bear in mind:
IS THERE SOME HADITH WHICH SHOW THAT ORIGINAL SIN IS TAUGHT IN ISLAM?Saheeh Bukhari Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "But for the Israelis, meat would not decay and but for Eve, wives would never betray their husbands." Volume 4, Book 55, Number 547: Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Were it not for Bani Israel, meat would not decay; and were it not for Eve, no woman would ever betray her husband." Volume 4, Book 55, Number 611: Narrated Abu Huraira:The Prophet said, "Adam and Moses argued with each other. Moses said to Adam. 'O Adam! You are our father who disappointed us and turned us out of Paradise.' Then Adam said to him, 'O Moses! Allah favored you with His talk (talked to you directly) and He wrote (the Torah) for you with His Own Hand. Do you blame me for action which Allah had written in my fate forty years before my creation?' So Adam got better of Moses," the Prophet added, repeating the Statement three times. Volume 8, Book 77, Number 611 (6614) and Sahih Muslim 2652:
Saheeh Muslim Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Had it not been for Eve, woman would have never acted unfaithfully towards her husband. Book 008, Number 3471 Hammam b. Munabbih said: These are some of the ahadith which Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) narrated to us from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), and one of these (this one): Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Had it not been for Bani Isra'il, food would not have become stale, and meal would not have gone bad; and had it not been for Eve, a woman would never have acted unfaithfully toward her husband. Book 008, Number 3472:
Malik Muwatta Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Adam and Musa argued and Adam got the better of Musa. Musa rebuked Adam, 'You are Adam who led people astray and brought them out of the Garden.' Adam said to him, 'You are Musa to whom Allah gave knowledge of everything and whom he chose above people with His message.' He said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Do you then censure me for a matter which was decreed for me before I was created?' " Book 46, Number 46.1.1
When one reads the Hadith he might get the impression that the Prophet was putting the blame on Adam and Eve for us becoming sinners. In the book "Divine Will(Al-Qadar) and Predestination: In The Light of the Quran and Sunnah" Page Number:115-116 Umar S. al-Ashqar said: “There is no evidence in the hadith to support those who use predestination as an excuse for evil actions and sins. Adam did not use the Divine Will and Predestination (Qadaa' wal-Qadar) as an excuse to justify his sin, and Moosa did not blame his father Adam for a sin from which he had repented and Allah has forgiven him, and subsequently chosen him and guided him. What Moosa was blaming for, was the disaster which had led Adam and his progeny to be expelled from Paradise. Adam cited predestination as the cause of the calamity, not the sin, because predestination is an acceptable explanation for callamities, but it is not a reasonable justification for sins. (Sharh at-Tahaawiyah, p. 154. This was also the response of Shaykh al-Islam. See Shifaa' al-'Aleel, p. 35) Shaikh Ibn Tahmiyyah(May Allah have Mercy on him) responded on chapter ‘Adam and Musa argued with each other in front of Allah’in this Prophet Adam took witness of divine will(Al-Qadar). And divine Will is in troubles but not in sins. Allah ordered us for patience(Sabr) and Piety(Taqwa), ant it is in patience but not in Piety. Allah said in Surah Gafir, ayath 55: “So be patient, [O Muhammad]. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And ask forgiveness for your sin and exalt [ Allah ] with praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning.” So Allah ordered us to be patient in the times of trouble but not at the time of sin. And ordered to seek forgiveness at the time of sin. Majmua Fatwa http://majles.alukah.net/t51340/#ixzz2vMnZskgU
Ibn al-Qayyim (May Allah have Mercy on him) responded differently to those who misunderstood the hadith about Adam defeating Moosa in argument. He said: "Using predestination as a reason for sin is useful in some cases and is harmful in others. It is useful when it is cited after one has fallen into sin then repented and given up the sin, as Adam did. In such cases, mentioning predestination is part of Tawheed and acknowledging the names and attributes of Allah in a manner that benefits both the one who mentions them and the one who hears them, because predestination should not be used as an excuse to cancel out a command or a prohibition, or to cancel out shari'ah, it should be mentioned as pure truth and to demonstrate the concept of Tawheed, and to show that one has no power and strength of one's own. What makes this clear is that fact that Adam said to Moosa: "Are you blaming me for doing something that Allah had decreed I would do before I was created?" If a man commits a sin, and then repents, and the matter is settled as if it never happened, then someone blames him for that, it is acceptable in such case to cite predestination as a reason and say, "This is something which was decreed before I was created," because here he is not using predestination to cancel out the rulings of Allah or as a justification for falsehood or wrongdoing. (Shifaa' al-'Aleel, p. 35)” However, when Adam rebuked Moses for blaming him, he said: “Are you blaming me for doing something that Allah had decreed”? Adam already had repented from his sin.
PRACTICAL ILLS OF ORIGINAL SINEverybody is practically a sinner in the concept of original sin but if the concept is analyzed, it says that everybody is innocent as the sin is not their own. This concept is nowhere in the Bible. The only places where such a thing is mentioned, it speaks of worldly punishment and nothing else. Other than the reason that it is not mentioned in the Bible and is an innovation, there are practical reasons why it should be banned.
It blames God which is blasphemyAs per the concept, the main one responsible for the whole of original sin is God. This is a blasphemy towards God. It attempts to degrade God by attributing Him a status of being cruel or being helpless, as He has no power to remove it. Christians believe that sacrifice and blood is required to remove this curse. This belief states that God cannot take away what He had done wrong. No wonder Christians are leaving their religion. This belief also explains the growth of Satanism as they consider Satan to be a competitor to God.
It degrades Prophet AdamProphet Adam (peace be upon him) is a man loved and respected by Muslims. He is the first man on earth and the father of all human beings. Attributing to him our sins is disrespect for our father. This concept makes him the worst man on earth and Jesus to be his complete opposite. This is also blasphemy as it insults the father of mankind and indirectly is disrespect of God.
It degrades womenOriginal sin gives all the blame of the incident of the fruit to the mother of mankind. It degrades not only her but also all women as it blames womankind for such desires. Original sin also degrades women in other ways such as calling motherhood a curse. In Islam, motherhood is a blessing from Allah but as per the original sin, it is a curse upon women.
It takes away the blame from the culprit and makes him a victimChristians have a saying that is to hate the sin, love the sinner. This is against humanity. A rapist, killer, holocaust believer and performer etc are all taken as innocent people who have inherited the tendency to sin. Instead of hating them, they are loved. Another blasphemy towards God and the laws of God. The law of God says that such people should be killed. In the USA, the punishment for rape is 7 years in prison which is gross injustice to the rape victim. When Islam declares death to the rapist, the anti-God ones find it very cruel and barbaric.
It encourages other man-made concepts – One lie leads to the otherSince this concept is not to be found in the Bible, it’s followers make up lies to keep it alive and to stay away from exposing themselves. The concept is an innovation of Paul spread around by Churches. This false concept has led to other false concepts such as describing the mission of Jesus. Jesus himself says that he has come for Israel only but Paul says that his mission is to take away the sins of mankind caused by Adam. No such thing has been described in the Old Testament but one lie leads to another. This makes the Bible to be a book full of lies.
It promotes a culture of blasphemy and complacencyIn the western world, we see pictures, idols, statues, movies and cartoons of religious personalities shown in a negative manner. In many pictures and movies, Adam and Eve are degraded by being shown naked, Jesus is degraded and this makes them consider their blasphemies to be freedom and art and culture. The westerners expect others to adhere to their blasphemies and when they make silly portraits of the last Prophet, they expect others to accept it as freedom. Man-made concepts of forgiveness of sins have been invented. They make the person complacent as they can sin everyday of their life and come to Church once a week and get themselves all clean, the meter goes back to zero. A totally pathetic culture is encouraged by original sin.
ConclusionEve was not responsible for the sin of Adam rather they both were equally responsible for the sin.The pain of women during the childbirth is not a punishment for the Sin of Eve. The concept of Original sin is not found in the bible but it was a later day theory. And according to Bible also the burden is not carried or transferred from father to son or to any one. Islam does not teach that we are born condemned sinners. We are supposed to learn that it is human nature to sin and that the devil is going to try and trick us into committing sin just like how he did with our fore parents. Then after we sin we do like our fore parents did and then turn to God in sincere repentance. So this is a lesson of original forgiveness and not original sin. If we sin, then it is our fault and not our fore parents fault. God does not create us as sinners. He creates us pure and then it is us who sin and make ourselves responsible.
Referenceshttp://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1193/ http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1776/ http://www.call-to-monotheism.com/why_was_adam_sent_to_earth_after_being_forgiven_ http://www.answering-christianity.com/karim/women_are_cursed_in_bible.htm http://www.answering-christianity.com/bassam_zawadi/original_sin_in_islam.htm http://muslim-responses.com/Allah_Adam_and_the_angels_/Allah_Adam_and_the_angels_ http://www.answering-christianity.com/sami_zaatri/adam_eve_downfall.htm http://www.answering-christianity.com/hell_bible.htm http://www.answering-christianity.com/treatment.htm http://www.answering-christianity.com/adeel_khan/Practical_Ills_of_Original_Sin.htm http://www.answering-christianity.com/abdullah_smith/women_in_bible2_rebuttal_1.htm http://www.answering-christianity.com/karim/women_are_cursed_in_bible.htm
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