Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 189

(Ayah 190,189) ➊ {هُوَ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَكُمْ مِّنْ نَّفْسٍ وَّاحِدَةٍ … :} From a single soul, that is, Adam (peace be upon him). For further details, see the first verse of Surah An-Nisa.
➋ {لِيَسْكُنَ اِلَيْهَا فَلَمَّا تَغَشّٰىهَا …:} It is understood that the real comfort and tranquility of the relationship between husband and wife is this. See Surah Ar-Rum (21) {’’ فَلَمَّا تَغَشّٰىهَا ‘‘} For the purpose for which the Quran has used these words, the reality is that it is difficult to find words that express that meaning with more respect, modesty, veiling, and purity. {’’ صَالِحًا ‘‘} That is, a sound and healthy child, in whom there is no physical defect.
The correct interpretation of this verse, which Hafiz Ibn Kathir and other researchers have adopted, is the one that is proven with an authentic chain from Hasan Basri (may Allah have mercy on him), that indeed, in the beginning, by way of introduction, the mention is of Adam and Hawwa (peace be upon them), but after {’’ فَلَمَّا تَغَشّٰىهَا ‘‘} the discourse shifts to the polytheists from among their descendants, and there are examples of this in the Quran in which the discourse shifts from the mention of an individual to the whole kind. This is also supported by the fact that later on, in «{ فَتَعٰلَى اللّٰهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُوْنَ }» and so on, that is, in all the verses till the end, plural words are used, from which it is understood that the kind of Adam is meant. How could Adam (peace be upon him), being a prophet of Allah, commit shirk? Many commentators have taken them to mean Adam and Hawwa (peace be upon them), and their basis is the narration which is reported from Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) in Tirmidhi and Hakim, etc., that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Hawwa gave birth to a child, Iblis came to them, and none of their boys survived. Iblis said: 'Name him Abd al-Harith, and he will survive.' So they named the child Abd al-Harith, and he survived. All this was at the suggestion of Satan." But Hafiz Ibn Kathir has declared this narration weak and derived from Isra'iliyat, and he has mentioned three reasons for its weakness, especially because in it, shirk is attributed to Allah's chosen prophet Adam (peace be upon him). Shaykh Nasir al-Din al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) has also called this narration weak in Silsilah Da'ifah (342). In the chain of this narration, one narrator, Hasan Basri (may Allah have mercy on him), has given the interpretation mentioned above, and with an authentic chain, it is reported from him in Tafsir Tabari, etc. If he had considered this narration authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he would never have interpreted it contrary to it. Therefore, that is the correct interpretation. Our teacher, Shaykh Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him), writes with reference to Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him), etc., that even if this whole story is accepted as being about Adam and Hawwa (peace be upon them), we can say that in {’’ جَعَلَا لَهٗ شُرَكَآءَ ‘‘} there is an interrogative of denial, that is, when Allah granted them a healthy child, did Adam and Hawwa commit shirk? As the polytheists of Arabia attribute shirk to them, that is, no. This interpretation is also correct, because up to this point, the pronouns are dual, and ahead, with plural forms, there is a refutation of the polytheists.
➌ { فَتَعٰلَى اللّٰهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُوْنَ:} By consensus, this refers to the disbelievers of Arabia, as is proven from the following verses, that is, when there is hope for offspring, the polytheists pray to Allah to grant them healthy children and promise to be grateful, but when healthy and sound children are granted, they attribute it to others besides Allah. Some call him Abd al-Uzza, some Abd al-Muttalib, some Abd Wudd, and some Abd Yaghuth, or they make vows and offerings in the name of some deceased person, or to express gratitude, they take the child to some grave and make him touch his forehead there, saying that it is due to the intercession of their elders that this child was given. All these are forms of associating partners with Allah, which were not only among the polytheists of Arabia but are still common among many people who call themselves Muslims. Thus, according to the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), instead of giving the most beloved names to Allah, such as Abdullah or Abdur Rahman, or similar names or names free from shirk, they name their children Nabi Bakhsh, Husain Bakhsh, Piranditta, Abd al-Nabi, Abd al-Rasul, Banda Ali, etc. Then they make someone a devotee of some shrine, someone a caretaker of some grave. Someone names himself Sag Darbar Ghawthiya, someone Sag Rasul or Sag Madinah. [ إِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَ إِنَّا إِلَیْہِ رَاجِعُوْنَ ]

189. 1 The beginning, that is, from Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him). That is why he is called the first human and the father of mankind.

189. 2 By this is meant Hazrat Hawwa (Eve), who became the wife of Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him). Her creation was from Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him), as indicated by the pronoun in منھا, which refers back to نفس واحدۃ and is clear (see further the footnote of Surah Nisa).

189. 3 That is, so that he may find comfort and tranquility from her. Because one kind can truly become familiar and close only with its own kind, which is necessary for attaining tranquility. Without closeness, this is not possible. In another place, Allah Almighty has said: (وَمِنْ اٰيٰتِهٖٓ اَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِّنْ اَنْفُسِكُمْ اَزْوَاجًا لِّتَسْكُنُوْٓا اِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَّوَدَّةً وَّرَحْمَةً) 30. Ar-Rum:21) Among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves (or from your own kind), so that you may find tranquility in them, and He placed love and affection in your hearts. That is, Allah has placed feelings and attraction for each other in both man and woman; these natural needs are fulfilled by becoming a pair, and they gain closeness and intimacy with each other. Thus, it is a fact that the mutual love between husband and wife is not found with anyone else in the world.

189. 4 That is, this is how the human race increased, and later, when one of them, that is, husband and wife, became close to each other. تَغشَّاھَا means to have intercourse with the wife, that is, to cover for the purpose of intercourse.

189. 5 That is, in the early days of pregnancy, until the drop becomes a clot and the clot becomes a lump of flesh, the pregnancy remains light, it is not felt, and the woman does not feel much heaviness.

189. 6 By becoming heavy is meant that when the child grows in the womb, as the time of birth approaches, fears and apprehensions arise in the hearts of the parents (especially when the woman has the disease of uthra). It is human nature that in times of danger, one turns to Allah, so both of them pray to Allah and make a vow of gratitude.

The tafsir of this ayah is included with the following verse(s).