QURAN says, “By the soul and that which breathes into it, its immorality and God consciousness and we are under the influence of both. He is successful, who causes his real self to grow and truly he is lost, who stunts /destroys his personal growth.” The next verse, “We said to Adam, dwell you and your spouse in the garden and eat freely thereof what you wish, but come not near this tree for then you will be among the wrongdoers.” It cannot be that God feels threatened by the possibility of a man eating from the tree. Satan will later on tell him, it is the tree of eternal life. Man already has a rebellious nature and if he eats from this tree, he violates the orders of God. God here is merely warning that if you do this, it will be a wrongful deed.
Next verse, but Satan caused them to slip and got them expelled from the state in which they were and we said, “Go you all down, some of you being the enemies/ adversaries of others and earth will be your dwelling place and provision for a time.” There is no rage, no anger, no words of threat, as I am going to punish you now and you are going to labour and die there. These are not the words of a God, who is extremely upset. Slip only means that for a fraction of a second, you lose your focus and that is what a slip maybe. They did not commit murder, robbery, rape or assault, but only ate a couple of pieces of fruit and they were expelled from the state in which they were.
First, mankind is taught, he is an intellectual being, than a moral being, who has to make choices and then God gives them this choice and he violates it. It is not the greatest sin in the history of humanity; but it is minor by any standards. We saw God originally intended to make man his vicegerent on earth, and there is a period of preparation, where he is growing intellectually, also growing as a moral creature. Then when God finally puts him on earth, mankind is ready to act on its own and God has empowered him to make choices and he is ready to make them and carry them out.
Next verse says, “Then Adan received words from his Lord and God turned to him mercifully for He is oft returning, ever merciful.” God was not enraged, but when Adam turned to Him, He forgave him. Mankind goes to earth is obviously afraid, feels remorse, it is in an unfamiliar environment and God turns to him in mercy like a father turning to an infant or a child and Adam receives words from his Lord, words of hope and consolation telling him not to be scared. Another verse says, “Go down from this state all of you together and truly there will come to you guidance from Me and whoso ever follows My guidance has nothing to fear, nor shall he grieve.” In a way, God is telling them it had to happen, it was a necessary stage for your development and your growth and you must follow my guidance and be true to Me and I will be true to you.
God here is telling us things that play fundamental role in the development of human beings. Human beings have intellect and they are moral creatures. They are subjected to both evil and angelic promptings. They have to choose between them and their growth depends on the right choices. They will also be subjected to sufferings. All religions consider suffering as not a good thing, but Quran says the opposite. It says, you are going to suffer in this life, but it will playa fundamental role in your development. Quran says, “We will try you in something of danger hunger, loss of worldly goods, lives and fruits of your labour, but give happy tidings to those, who when calamity befalls say truly unto God, we belong and truly unto Him we shall return.”
Quran is telling us that intellect, choice and sufferings play a central role in our development, as is guidance, revelation, angelic forces and satanic temptations. Learning also plays a key role in human development and there is due emphasis on this. “Read,” the Quran, says for “God taught us the use of the pen and taught humankind, which it otherwise it could not know.” God teaches humanity directly/ indirectly and the importance of an idea is given by repetitions. In Quran and in cosmos, there are signs and lessons for those who are wise. (21 statements). Quran has been revealed to make things clear (100 times). Knowledge (ilm) appears 854 times.
Quran also lays great emphasis on reason, spiritual quest and choice. It says, “Let there be no compulsion in religion, the right way is henceforth clear from error.” The choice must be freely made and it is a choice between correctness and error, between correctness and falsity. “Do not the believers know that had God willed, He could have guided you all, but He didn’t and it was part of His plan?” Quran says, “Enlightenment comes from your Lord, he who sees, does so to his own good and who is blind, does so to his own hurt. Whoever is guided is only to his own gain and whoever is astray, I am only a warner.” To be continued….Extracts from Professor Jeffery Lang, a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Kansas USA, who converted to Islam after reading Quran and author of book, ‘Struggling to Surrender.’
—The writer is author of various books based in Rawalpindi.
