Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: Prophet Adam (alayhis salam) was forbidden from eating the fruit of a certain tree in Paradise. Satan, through his flattering and deceptive words, enticed Hawwa (alayha as-salam) to follow him. Then she also incited Adam (alayhis salam) and encouraged him to eat from the tree. Her accepting the whispering of Satan and persuading Adam (alayhis salam) to do this act was, in fact, her act of betrayal.

In the Noble Qur’an it is stated:
﴿فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا الشَّيْطَانُ﴾ (“Then Satan whispered to them both”)
﴿وَقَاسَمَهُمَا﴾ (“And he swore to them both repeatedly”)

However, the commentators of hadith, Imam Nawawi rahimahullah and Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah, have written that Hawwa (alayha as-salam) was the first to be affected by Satan’s whispering, even though the effort was made to beguile and mislead both of them. The contemporary commentators have also reported the same. (See: Minhat al-Mun’im fi Sharh Sahih Muslim, vol. 2, p. 427; Takmilat Fath al-Mulhim, vol. 1, p. 126)

And since all women are the descendants of Hawwa (alayha as-salam), this weakness is also present in them: that they are quickly led astray from the right path and try to entice their husbands to follow them as well, and this becomes a cause of harm and corruption. Therefore, instead of becoming angry, the husband should act with prudence and caution, and should control their desires. This is just as mentioned in another hadith.

Adam (alayhis salam), (out of forgetfulness), refused, and now this habit of refusal is also present in his descendants.

Hadith Authentication (Takhrij al-Hadith):
This narration is found in two places in Sahih al-Bukhari:
[3399 من طريق عبدالرزاق]
[3330، من طريق عبدالله بن المبارك كلاهما عن معمر عن همام عن أبي هريره به]
Apart from Sahih al-Bukhari, this narration is also present in the following books:
Sahih Muslim [63؍1468 وترقيم دارالسلام : 3648]
Sahih Ibn Hibban [الاحسان : 4157، نسخة محققه : 4169]
Sharh al-Sunnah by al-Baghawi [9؍164 ح2335 وقال : ”هذا حديث متفق على صحته“]
Al-Mustakhraj ‘ala Sahih Muslim by Abu Nu‘aym al-Isfahani [4؍143 ح3450]
Before Imam al-Bukhari, the following hadith scholars narrated it:
Hammam ibn Munabbih [الصحيفة : 58]
Ahmad ibn Hanbal [المسند 2؍315 ح8155]
Hammam ibn Munabbih is, by consensus, trustworthy (thiqqah), therefore, according to the principles of hadith, this narration is absolutely authentic.
For other supporting evidences (shawahid), see:
Musnad Ishaq ibn Rahwayh [117]
and Musnad Ahmad [2؍304]
and Hilyat al-Awliya’ [8؍389]
and Mustadrak al-Hakim [4؍175]
SA The deniers of hadith, while rejecting this hadith, have written: “Since experience shows that the reason for meat rotting is not the people of Bani Isra’il, but rather germs...”
EA ↰ The response is: Does the meat spoil on its own because of these germs, or is its spoiling subject to the will (mashiyyah) of Allah, and are not these germs themselves created by Him?
To reject an authentic hadith on the basis of so-called experience is the practice of those people who say that the Messenger’s only task was to convey the Qur’an, and he has conveyed it. Now, according to the deniers of hadith, there is no need for the Messenger to understand or act upon the Qur’an!
We request the deniers of hadith to present that verse of the Noble Qur’an in which it is written that even before the existence of Bani Isra’il, meat would rot in the world. If you cannot present evidence from the Qur’an, then invent such a machine by which you can take people back to the era before Bani Isra’il and show them: “Look, this meat is rotting.” And if you cannot do this, then reflect on what will be the fate of those who reject the statement of the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)?
Note (Tanbih): Some scholars have written other explanations of this hadith, for example, see: [مشكلات الأحاديث النبوية وبيانها، ص11]
But salvation lies in having faith in the apparent wording of the Book and the Sunnah—unless there is a sound evidence that serves as a contextual indicator (qarinah sarifah) diverting the apparent meaning to a figurative one. «والحمدلله»

Hadith Commentary:
The meaning is that the habit of hoarding meat originated among the Children of Israel.
As a result, the meat began to rot.
If this habit had not been adopted and the meat had been consumed in a timely manner, the question of it rotting would not have arisen at all.
Similarly, if Hawwa (Eve) had not deceived Adam (alayhis salam), then this trait would not have appeared in their daughters either.
May Allah grant understanding to the deniers of hadith, so that they use sound intellect for the comprehension of hadith.

Hadith Commentary:
The habit of storing meat developed among the Children of Israel.
At that time, the meat became spoiled.
If they had not adopted this habit, the occasion for it to spoil would never have arisen.
Although the potential for it to spoil existed before as well, it had never actually spoiled.
Similarly, if Hawwa (Eve) had not acted treacherously towards her husband Adam (alayhis salam), this habit would not have developed among their daughters.
Here, "treachery" does not mean immorality, rather it refers to encouraging him to eat the fruit.
The deniers of hadith do not use sound intellect for understanding hadith.
They object merely for the sake of objecting, as they have expressed their inner malice regarding this hadith.

Benefits and Issues:
This narration is also found in the following books:
[صحيح مسلم:1468، دارالسلام:3648]
[مسند احمد:315/2،ح8170]
[صحيفه همام بن منبه:57]
[صحيح ابن حبان:الاحسان:4157، 4169]
[شرح السنة للبغوي:164/9، ح2325، وقال:ھذا حدیث متفق علٰی صحتہ]
In this hadith, the meaning of "betrayal" is that Hawwa (alayha as-salam) encouraged Adam (alayhi as-salam) to eat from the tree whose fruit Allah, the Exalted, had forbidden. That is, if the fruit of that tree had not been eaten, Adam (alayhi as-salam) would not have been sent down from Paradise, and these betrayals in the world would not have manifested. See: [مشکلات الاحادیث النبویہ اللقصیمی:ص12،11]
In this hadith, "betrayal" does not mean the committing of immoral acts (fawahish), but only that Hawwa, having inadvertently accepted the whispering of Iblis, presented it before Adam (alayhi as-salam), and then the act occurred due to which they had to leave Paradise. See: [فتح الباری:368/6 ح3330]
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah neither called Hawwa (alayha as-salam) a betrayer nor defamed her, but merely narrated an authentic hadith which existed in the world before her creation.

Chapter of Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number: 3330: «بَابُ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: {وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلاَئِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً} :» – The Relevance Between the Chapter Heading and the Hadith:
The apparent connection between the chapter heading and the hadith is quite difficult, because the chapter mentions the creation of Adam alayhis salam and his progeny, while the noble hadith mentions the shrinking of meat and the deception of women.

However, if one examines closely, the relevance of the hadith to the chapter can become apparent. Divide the hadith into two parts: the first part, “If it were not for the Children of Israel...,” is related to the chapter heading in that the Children of Israel are also from the progeny of Adam alayhis salam, meaning that in this part of the hadith, the offspring of Adam alayhis salam are mentioned. The second part is related to the chapter heading in that it says, “If it were not for Hawwa (Eve) alayha salam...,” in reality, Hawwa is in a genitive relationship (mudaf ilayh) to Adam alayhis salam.

Allamah Abdul Haqq al-Hashimi rahimahullah says:
«مطابقة للترجمة يمكن أن تكون من حيث أن خلق حواء مضاف إلى خلق آدم عليه السلام.» (1)
The relevance of the hadith to the chapter heading is as follows: it is possible that Hawwa is in a possessive relationship (mudaf) to the creation of Adam alayhis salam.
That is, just as all the rest of the progeny are from Adam alayhis salam, in exactly the same way, all the progeny are also from our mother Hawwa alayha salam.
Therefore, from here, the creation of Adam alayhis salam is established, which is clearly relevant to the chapter heading.

An Objection and Its Answer:
An objection arises regarding the mentioned hadith: Are all women’s acts of deception the responsibility of Hawwa alayha salam? From the text of the hadith, it appears that deception among the daughters of Adam alayhis salam originated due to Hawwa alayha salam.

Answer:
This objection can be answered in several ways. In reality, Hawwa alayha salam is the mother of all women, meaning that in terms of creation and habits/dispositions, women take after their mother.
Allamah al-Qasimi rahimahullah says that Allamah Muhammad Bahjat al-Baytar writes in his book:
«أن طبيعة النساء واحدة، و استعدادهن واحد فى الخلقة والقابلية، لا فرق بين حواء وغيرها من اللائي جئن بعدها.» (2)
“That is, in nature, aptitude, creation, and capability, all women are alike; there is no difference in these matters between Hawwa alayha salam and the women who came after her.”
From the statement of the scholar, the meaning of “deception” becomes clear. Therefore, by “deception” is never meant that if a woman commits an immoral act, its origin is from Hawwa alayha salam. Addressing this objection, Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah says:
«فيه اشارة إلى ما وقع من حواء فى تذيينها لآدم عليه السلام الأكل من الشجرة حتى وقع فى ذالك، فمعنى خيانتها انها قبلت ما زين لها إبليس حتى زينته لآدم عليه السلام . . . . . وليس المراد بالخيانة هنا ارتكاب الفواحش و حاشا كلا، ولكن لما مالت إلى شهوة النفس من أكل الشجرة و حسنت ذالك لآدم عليه السلام عد ذالك خيانة له، و أما من جاء بعدها من النساء فخيانة كل واحدة منهن بحسبها.» (1)
“In this hadith, there is an indication that Hawwa alayha salam adorned the act of eating from the tree for Adam alayhis salam, so Adam alayhis salam (at her suggestion) ate from the tree. Thus, the words of ‘deception’ in the hadith mean that Iblis adorned the act of eating from the tree for Hawwa alayha salam, until she adorned this act for Adam alayhis salam (this is what is meant by ‘deception’)... And by ‘deception’ is never meant lust; rather, Hawwa alayha salam’s soul was inclined, she liked it, and she encouraged Adam alayhis salam towards it, and he too proceeded in that direction. And the women who came after Hawwa alayha salam also participated in this deception in their own ways.”
By reflecting on the statements of Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah, it becomes clear that the “deception” mentioned in the hadith refers to a natural inclination, i.e., offspring follow the ways and habits of their parents. In the same way, since Hawwa alayha salam is the mother of all women, all women are similar to Hawwa alayha salam in habit and nature; this is the meaning of the hadith.

«قلت:» – This humble and insignificant servant says that the simplest answer to this objection is that if one reflects on the text of the hadith, the answer is found within the text itself. Consider: the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, “If it were not for Hawwa, no woman would deceive her husband.”
That is, if Hawwa alayha salam herself had not existed, then from where would women have come? Because Hawwa alayha salam is the mother of all women; if she herself had not existed, how could there be any other woman? Therefore, the hadith never means that Hawwa alayha salam taught women to commit acts of deception; rather, it simply means that if Hawwa alayha salam had not been created, women would not have deceived their husbands.

Hadith Commentary:
The Children of Israel used to receive manna and quails as a divine favor, and they were forbidden from storing it, but they began to collect it nonetheless. As a punishment, the meat of the quails was made to rot. This is what is alluded to in the hadith.
Similarly, it was first Hawwa (Eve) who, due to the plotting of Shaytan (Satan), encouraged Adam (alayhis salam) to eat from the tree in Paradise.
This same habit developed among her descendants as well.
This is what is meant by betrayal.
Now, the general unfaithfulness found among women is a result of this very nature.
She was created from a crooked rib, as is mentioned in the following hadith.

Hadith Commentary:
The meaning of this hadith is by no means that the property of meat spoiling came into existence only after the Children of Israel. Rather, this property existed before as well, but its manifestation occurred due to the action of the Children of Israel when they began to hoard manna and quails. They were forbidden from doing so, but they did not desist, so they were punished such that their food and meat would rot and decay. Before them, no one had ever hoarded meat, nor had this characteristic of meat been manifested.

Similarly, Hawwa (alayha as-salam) was influenced by the flattering words of Shaytan and persuaded Adam (alayhis-salam) to eat from the forbidden tree. Since she is the mother of the daughters of Adam, her daughters became similar to her due to childbirth. They too present matters in an embellished and adorned manner before their husbands. This is proven by experience: there is no woman who, through her words and actions, does not persuade her husband to accept her point. This is what is meant by her "betrayal." By betrayal here is not meant immodesty or shamelessness, but rather giving such advice that is harmful to the husband. Because this has entered into the nature and habit of women, it is present in all the daughters of Hawwa.
(Fath al-Bari: 6/444)

Hadith Commentary:
Benefits and Issues:
Among the people before the Children of Israel (Banu Isra'il), there was no custom of storing food or preserving meat.
Therefore, food would not spoil, nor would meat develop a foul odor. However, the Children of Israel began to store food and also started preserving meat, and this habit spread to the subsequent nations and became common practice.
As a result, food now spoils and meat develops a bad smell.
But now, due to new inventions, wealthy people have started to avoid this.