The story of Adam and Eve is common to the Bible and the Quran. According to the Quranic account, God created Adam and his wife, Eve; settled them in Paradise and gave both of them basic directions:
God said. 'O Adam! Live with your wife in Paradise and eat freely from it anywhere you may wish. Yet do not approach this tree lest you become wrongdoers.' (THE QURAN 2:35)
The story goes on, as we all know, and according to the Quranic account: But Satan caused them both to slip through this and thus brought about the loss of their former state. God said, ‘Go down from here as enemies to each other; and on earth you shall have your abode and your livelihood for a while! (THE QURAN 2:36)
Those who follow the voice of conscience will return to paradise, and those who ignore the voice of their conscience will be deprived of paradise forever.
According to another Quranic account, after eating from the forbidden tree, Adam and Eve were deprived of ‘spiritual garments’. Garments, here, are symbolic of the protection of God. People need the constant protection of their Creator. We enjoy this protection as long as we maintain distance from the forbidden tree. Satan is our enemy, and wants us to be deprived of our garments, our protection. This is the real test we face on Earth. The Quran says:
Children of Adam, do not let Satan seduce you, just as he turned your parents out of the Garden: he deprived them of their garments in order to make them aware of their nakedness. He and his forces watch you from where you do not see them! (THE QURAN 7:27)
This Quranic description tells us what the Creation Plan of God with regard to man is. Man was created as a free creature. He was free to do as he pleased, but there was a condition. The condition was that he should refrain from wrongdoing. The forbidden tree of paradise was a symbol of ‘wrongs’. Anyone who follows this guidance and saves himself from wrongdoings, will be awarded paradise for good. And one who disobeys this direction and indulges in wrongdoings will be ousted from paradise. He will be deprived of paradise forever.
Inherent in everyone is the ability to discriminate between right and wrong, through the divine agency that we call our conscience.
What does it mean to stray? To stray is to act contrary to nature. Inherent in everyone is the ability to discriminate between right and wrong, through the divine agency that we call our conscience. Those who follow the voice of conscience will return to paradise, and those who ignore the voice of their conscience will be deprived of paradise forever.
