وَيَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ ٱسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَكُلَا مِنْ حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَـٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ 19
Translations
And "O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers."
Transliteration
Wa ya Adam, iskun anta wa zaujuka al-jannah, fa kulā min haythu shi'tumā, wa lā taqrabā hādhihi ash-shajarah, fa takūnā mina adh-dhālimīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands Adam and his wife (Eve) to dwell in Paradise and eat freely from its fruits, but strictly forbids them from approaching a particular tree, warning that disobedience would constitute wrongdoing (dhulm). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note that this test was designed to demonstrate obedience and establish the divine law that prohibitions exist even in states of ease and abundance. The ayah illustrates that true servitude to Allah involves restraint and respect for His commands, not merely indulgence in blessings.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the broader Meccan narrative of Surah Al-A'raf that recounts the story of Adam's creation and fall. It provides the historical and spiritual backdrop for understanding human accountability and the consequences of transgressing divine limits—a theme particularly relevant to the pagan Quraysh who were being warned about rejecting Allah's guidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock' (Sahih Bukhari), emphasizing personal accountability that mirrors Adam's responsibility to obey Allah's command. Additionally, the story of Adam's disobedience is referenced in Sahih Muslim hadith where the Prophet discusses the gravity of violating divine prohibitions despite being in favorable circumstances.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true faith requires obedience to Allah's commands even when it involves self-restraint amid abundance and ease. It reminds believers that prohibitions are not arbitrary restrictions but divine wisdom, and that slipping away from one commandment—however seemingly small—can lead to spiritual downfall.
Related Ayahs
مَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَلَا هَادِىَ لَهُۥ ۚ وَيَذَرُهُمْ فِى طُغْيَـٰنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
Whoever Allāh sends astray - there is no guide for him. And He leaves them in their transgression, wandering blindly.
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ أَتَذَرُ مُوسَىٰ وَقَوْمَهُۥ لِيُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَيَذَرَكَ وَءَالِهَتَكَ ۚ قَالَ سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْىِۦ نِسَآءَهُمْ وَإِنَّا فَوْقَهُمْ قَـٰهِرُونَ
And the eminent among the people of Pharaoh said, "Will you leave Moses and his people to cause corruption in the land and abandon you and your gods?" [Pharaoh] said, "We will kill their sons and keep their women alive; and indeed, we are subjugators over them."
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَـٰٓئِفٌ مِّنَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ تَذَكَّرُوا۟ فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ
Indeed, those who fear Allāh - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.
قَالَ أَلْقُوا۟ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَلْقَوْا۟ سَحَرُوٓا۟ أَعْيُنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَٱسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَآءُو بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍ
He said, "Throw," and when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people and struck terror into them, and they presented a great [feat of] magic.