وَقُلْنَا يَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ ٱسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَكُلَا مِنْهَا رَغَدًا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَـٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ 35
Translations
And We said, "O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers."
Transliteration
Wa qulnā yā ādam iskun anta wa zawjuka al-jannata wa kulā minhā raghadan haythu shi'tumā wa lā taqrabā hādhihi ash-shajarata fatakūnā min az-zālimīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commanded Adam and his wife to dwell in Paradise and eat freely from its fruits in abundance, with the sole restriction of avoiding a particular tree. This ayah establishes the test of obedience: Allah granted them immense bounty but set a clear boundary to distinguish the obedient from the disobedient. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this prohibition was a trial of faith and obedience, and that transgressing it constituted injustice (zulm) against themselves.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Medinan surah Al-Baqarah as part of the broader narrative of Adam's creation and fall (2:34-36). It establishes foundational Islamic doctrine about human free will, divine testing, and the consequences of disobedience. The context sets up the cosmic drama of human accountability before Allah.
Related Hadiths
Narrated by Abu Hurairah in Sahih Bukhari: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'When Allah created Adam, He said to him, "Go and greet that group of angels sitting there, and listen to their reply, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your offspring."' This hadith complements the ayah by showing Adam's honored position. Additionally, various ahadith in Tafsir Ibn Kathir discuss the nature of the forbidden tree, though its exact identity remains unclear.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that true obedience to Allah means accepting His boundaries with gratitude, not out of deprivation but as an expression of servitude and trust. It reminds modern believers that every test from Allah contains both mercy (the abundance of Paradise) and responsibility (the prohibition), and that our choices define whether we stand among the righteous or the wrongdoers.
Related Ayahs
إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتُّبِعُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوا۟ وَرَأَوُا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ ٱلْأَسْبَابُ
[And they should consider that] when those who have been followed disassociate themselves from those who followed [them], and they [all] see the punishment, and cut off from them are the ties [of relationship],
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى جَاعِلٌ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً ۖ قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt You with praise and declare Your perfection?" He [Allāh] said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know."
سَلْ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ كَمْ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُم مِّنْ ءَايَةٍۭ بَيِّنَةٍ ۗ وَمَن يُبَدِّلْ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
Ask the Children of Israel how many a sign of evidence We have given them. And whoever exchanges the favor of Allāh [for disbelief] after it has come to him - then indeed, Allāh is severe in penalty.
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَشْرِى نَفْسَهُ ٱبْتِغَآءَ مَرْضَاتِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ رَءُوفٌۢ بِٱلْعِبَادِ
And of the people is he who sells himself, seeking means to the approval of Allāh. And Allāh is Kind to [His] servants.