Ala-Maududi
(20:124) But whosoever turns away from this Admonition from Me shall have a straitened
life;[105] We shall raise him blind on the Day of Resurrection,”[106]
105. “A life of hardship” does not mean a life of poverty. It means that such a one shall be
deprived of the peace of mind, even though he may be a millionaire or the ruler of a vast
empire. For, the one who will turn away from the admonition will win all the worldly successes
by unlawful means and, therefore, will always be suffering from pangs of a guilty conscience and
deprived of the peace of mind and real happiness.
106. Here the story of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) ends. In the light of this part of the
story which has been related here and at other places in the Quran, I have come to the
conclusion (and correct knowledge is with Allah alone) that the vicegerency of the earth was the
same as was initially bestowed on Adam in the Garden, which might have been created in the
heavens or on this earth. Anyhow the vicegerent of Allah was supplied gratis with all the
necessities of life and the angels were placed under his command for service. This was to enable
him to discharge the high and noble obligations of vicegerency, without any worry about the
procurement of the necessities of life. But in order to make him permanent in this office, it
was necessary to put him to a test so that all his capabilities, excellences and weaknesses
might be known. Accordingly, he had to take his test in which some of his weaknesses came to the
surface. He was prone to be seduced by greed and temptation. He did not remain firm in
obedience. He was capable of forgetfulness. That is why he was given the vicegerency as a trial
on the earth for a fixed term up to the Day of Judgment. During this period of trial, he had
himself to make arrangements for the necessities of life though he was allowed to exploit all
the resources of the earth and to rule over other creatures. The trial is this: does he or does
he not obey his Lord in spite of having the power to obey or not to obey. And if he forgets or
is seduced by greed, does he or does he not repent through warning and admonition, when he
realizes his error. At the same time, his Lord has warned him that a full and perfect record of
all his deeds and misdeeds is being kept, and that he shall be judged on the Day of Reckoning in
accordance with it. Those who will come out successful will be given permanent vicegerency and
that eternal life and everlasting kingdom by which Satan seduced him. The righteous servants
will become the heirs to the Garden, if they had obeyed their Lord or repented after
forgetfulness. It should also be noted well that life in the Garden will not merely be to eat,
drink and be merry, but there will be such higher things to achieve as no human being can
conceive in this world. That is why only those blessings of the Garden have been mentioned in
the Quran which can be comprehended by human beings in this world.
It will be worthwhile to make a comparative study of the account of Adam and Eve as given in the
Quran with that given in the Bible. According to Genesis:
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and
there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every
tree, the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And the Lord God commanded
the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden thou mayst freely eat: But of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and
brought her unto the man. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
(2:725). Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had
made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the
garden. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in
the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good
and evil. She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her
and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and
they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord
God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and wife hid themselves from the
presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and
said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid,
because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said, who told thee that thou west naked? Hast
thou eaten, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman
whom thou gayest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the woman said, the
serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast
done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every blast of the field. Upon thy belly
shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception,
in sorrow thou shall bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall
rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife,
and hast eaten of the tree, of which 1 commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed
is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. In the
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make
coats of skins, and clothed them. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us,
to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life,
and eat, and live forever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to
till the ground from whence he was taken. (3 :1-23).
It is obvious that the Bible has not done justice to Adam and Eve, nay, even to God Himself. On
the other hand, the account given in the Quran is itself a clear proof that the stories given in
it have not been copied from the Bible; for the Quran not only corroborates those parts of the
Bible which have remained un-tampered but also corrects its wrong statements.
