سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 35
وَقُلْنَا يَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ ٱسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَكُلَا مِنْهَا رَغَدًا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَـٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ﴿35﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And We said: "O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight, of things therein as wherever you will, but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Zâlimûn (wrong-doers)."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَقُلْنَا
waqul'nā
And We said
يَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ
yāādamu
O Adam
ٱسْكُنْ
us'kun
Dwell
أَنتَ
anta
you
وَزَوْجُكَ
wazawjuka
and your spouse
ٱلْجَنَّةَ
l-janata
(in) Paradise
وَكُلَا
wakulā
and [you both] eat
مِنْهَا
min'hā
from it
رَغَدًا
raghadan
freely
حَيْثُ
ḥaythu
(from) wherever
شِئْتُمَا
shi'tumā
you [both] wish
وَلَا
walā
But do not
تَقْرَبَا
taqrabā
[you two] approach
هَـٰذِهِ
hādhihi
this
ٱلشَّجَرَةَ
l-shajarata
[the] tree
فَتَكُونَا
fatakūnā
lest you [both] be
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
l-ẓālimīna
the wrongdoers
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
35. Then We said, "O Adam [48], dwell, you and your wife [49], in Paradise [50], and eat freely from wherever you wish. But do not approach this tree [51], or else you both [52] will be among the wrongdoers."
[48]
Adam (peace be upon him) and the Theory of Evolution:
It should be clear that Adam (peace be upon him) is not a link in the chain of evolution, as nowadays Darwin's theory of evolution is taught in colleges, etc., that man is a descendant of the monkey or its cousin. Whereas the figure of Adam (peace be upon him) was made by Allah Almighty with His own hand [38: 75] then He breathed into him from His own spirit [15: 19، 38: 72]. It is from this infusion of the spirit that understanding, the power of will, choice, discernment, and deduction were created in man, which are not found in any other creature.
[49]
An Objection Regarding the Creation of Hawwa (Eve) and Its Answer:
Sayyidah Hawwa, who was created from the rib of Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him). Some people, who wish to prove "equality of men and women" from the Shariah, say that Sayyidah Hawwa was also created from the same clay or substance from which Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) was created, and they argue that in ﴿خَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا﴾ the pronoun "haa" is feminine. If Hawwa had been created from Adam (peace be upon him), the pronoun should have been masculine. This argument is wrong for two reasons. First, because the pronoun "haa" refers to ﴿نَفْسٍ وَّاحِدَةٍ﴾, which is feminine, and second, because: It is explicitly mentioned in the ahadith that Sayyidah Hawwa was created from the rib. Therefore, do not try to straighten her, otherwise you will break her. So treat her with kindness. [بخاري۔ كتاب الانبياء باب خلق آدم و ذريته] ﴿و قول اللّٰه تعالىٰ وَاِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَليِٰٕكَةِ اِنِّيْ جَاعِلٌ فِي الْاَرْضِ خَلِيْفَةً﴾
[50]
Is the Paradise Earthly or Heavenly? This debate also continues as to whether this paradise was earthly or heavenly. Some people consider it earthly and place its location in Aden or Palestine. But in our opinion, this "al-jannah" is the same as is well-known among Muslims, and according to the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah, it has already been created. Adam (peace be upon him) and Hawwa were commanded to dwell in this paradise so that they would know that their real abode is this. However, by settling them here, it was also intended to test to what extent Adam (and likewise his progeny) obey Allah in the face of satanic temptations.
[51]
For this test, a tree in paradise was chosen, that you must not go near this tree. Apart from this, you may eat the fruits of all the trees in paradise. Was this forbidden tree wheat, or grape, or something else? This debate is fruitless, and in view of the intended purpose, there was no need to mention it.
[52]
The Literal Meaning of Zulm (Wrongdoing):
The literal meaning of zulm is to unjustly remove something from its original place and put it elsewhere, and this word is used in a very broad sense. That is, any act of injustice, whether it relates to the rights of Allah or the rights of people, is zulm. In other words, the word zulm can be applied to every sin, and the word zalim (wrongdoer) to every sinner. In this verse, zulm refers both to disobedience to Allah, the Lord of Glory, and to excess against oneself, because of which they had to leave paradise.
[48]
Adam (peace be upon him) and the Theory of Evolution:
It should be clear that Adam (peace be upon him) is not a link in the chain of evolution, as nowadays Darwin's theory of evolution is taught in colleges, etc., that man is a descendant of the monkey or its cousin. Whereas the figure of Adam (peace be upon him) was made by Allah Almighty with His own hand [38: 75] then He breathed into him from His own spirit [15: 19، 38: 72]. It is from this infusion of the spirit that understanding, the power of will, choice, discernment, and deduction were created in man, which are not found in any other creature.
[49]
An Objection Regarding the Creation of Hawwa (Eve) and Its Answer:
Sayyidah Hawwa, who was created from the rib of Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him). Some people, who wish to prove "equality of men and women" from the Shariah, say that Sayyidah Hawwa was also created from the same clay or substance from which Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) was created, and they argue that in ﴿خَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا﴾ the pronoun "haa" is feminine. If Hawwa had been created from Adam (peace be upon him), the pronoun should have been masculine. This argument is wrong for two reasons. First, because the pronoun "haa" refers to ﴿نَفْسٍ وَّاحِدَةٍ﴾, which is feminine, and second, because: It is explicitly mentioned in the ahadith that Sayyidah Hawwa was created from the rib. Therefore, do not try to straighten her, otherwise you will break her. So treat her with kindness. [بخاري۔ كتاب الانبياء باب خلق آدم و ذريته] ﴿و قول اللّٰه تعالىٰ وَاِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَليِٰٕكَةِ اِنِّيْ جَاعِلٌ فِي الْاَرْضِ خَلِيْفَةً﴾
[50]
Is the Paradise Earthly or Heavenly? This debate also continues as to whether this paradise was earthly or heavenly. Some people consider it earthly and place its location in Aden or Palestine. But in our opinion, this "al-jannah" is the same as is well-known among Muslims, and according to the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah, it has already been created. Adam (peace be upon him) and Hawwa were commanded to dwell in this paradise so that they would know that their real abode is this. However, by settling them here, it was also intended to test to what extent Adam (and likewise his progeny) obey Allah in the face of satanic temptations.
[51]
For this test, a tree in paradise was chosen, that you must not go near this tree. Apart from this, you may eat the fruits of all the trees in paradise. Was this forbidden tree wheat, or grape, or something else? This debate is fruitless, and in view of the intended purpose, there was no need to mention it.
[52]
The Literal Meaning of Zulm (Wrongdoing):
The literal meaning of zulm is to unjustly remove something from its original place and put it elsewhere, and this word is used in a very broad sense. That is, any act of injustice, whether it relates to the rights of Allah or the rights of people, is zulm. In other words, the word zulm can be applied to every sin, and the word zalim (wrongdoer) to every sinner. In this verse, zulm refers both to disobedience to Allah, the Lord of Glory, and to excess against oneself, because of which they had to leave paradise.
