قَالَ ٱهْبِطَا مِنْهَا جَمِيعًۢا ۖ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ ۖ فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُم مِّنِّى هُدًى فَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ هُدَاىَ فَلَا يَضِلُّ وَلَا يَشْقَىٰ 123
Translations
[Allāh] said, "Descend from it [i.e., Paradise] - all, [your descendants] being enemies to one another. And if there should come to you guidance from Me - then whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray [in the world] nor suffer [in the Hereafter].
Transliteration
Qala ihbita minha jami'an, ba'dukum li-ba'din 'aduwwun, fa-amma ya'tiyannikum minni hudan, famani ittaba'a hudaya fala yadillu wa la yashqa
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands Adam and Eve to descend from Paradise to earth, establishing that their offspring will be enemies to one another, yet promising that whoever follows His guidance will neither go astray nor be miserable. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize this as the divine remedy for human tribulation—that guidance (huda) from Allah serves as the antidote to misguidance and wretchedness, offering both spiritual rectitude and worldly well-being to the believer.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of Adam's story in Surah Taha, occurring after Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree. It is set within the Meccan period and addresses the fundamental human condition: expulsion from Paradise, the reality of moral struggle between good and evil within humanity, and the provision of divine guidance as humanity's means of salvation and happiness.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever Allah wills to do good, He grants him understanding of the religion' (Sahih Bukhari 71). Additionally, the hadith 'guidance and knowledge are what I have been sent with' (Tirmidhi) relates to the centrality of divine guidance mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that despite human weakness and the inevitable trials of earthly life, Allah has provided clear guidance as a complete solution to both spiritual misguidance and existential misery; the believer's responsibility is to earnestly seek and follow this guidance with sincere commitment.
Related Ayahs
فَٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا ۖ وَمِنْ ءَانَآئِ ٱلَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْ وَأَطْرَافَ ٱلنَّهَارِ لَعَلَّكَ تَرْضَىٰ
So be patient over what they say and exalt [Allāh] with praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting; and during periods of the night [exalt Him] and at the ends of the day, that you may be satisfied.
يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّورِ ۚ وَنَحْشُرُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ زُرْقًا
The Day the Horn will be blown. And We will gather the criminals, that Day, blue-eyed.
وَلَوْ أَنَّآ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهُم بِعَذَابٍ مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لَوْلَآ أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًا فَنَتَّبِعَ ءَايَـٰتِكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن نَّذِلَّ وَنَخْزَىٰ
And if We had destroyed them with a punishment before him, they would have said, "Our Lord, why did You not send to us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses [i.e., teachings] before we were humiliated and disgraced?"
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ لَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ
Allāh - there is no deity except Him. To Him belong the best names.