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
إِذْ رَءَا نَارًا فَقَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ ٱمْكُثُوٓا۟ إِنِّىٓ ءَانَسْتُ نَارًا لَّعَلِّىٓ ءَاتِيكُم مِّنْهَا بِقَبَسٍ أَوْ أَجِدُ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ هُدًى
When he saw a fire and said to his family, "Stay here; indeed, I have perceived a fire; perhaps I can bring you a torch or find at the fire some guidance."
كُلُوا۟ وَٱرْعَوْا۟ أَنْعَـٰمَكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلنُّهَىٰ
Eat [therefrom] and pasture your livestock. Indeed in that are signs for those of intelligence.
فَتَنَـٰزَعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ وَأَسَرُّوا۟ ٱلنَّجْوَىٰ
So they disputed over their affair among themselves and concealed their private conversation.
إِذْ تَمْشِىٓ أُخْتُكَ فَتَقُولُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ مَن يَكْفُلُهُۥ ۖ فَرَجَعْنَـٰكَ إِلَىٰٓ أُمِّكَ كَىْ تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا وَلَا تَحْزَنَ ۚ وَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا فَنَجَّيْنَـٰكَ مِنَ ٱلْغَمِّ وَفَتَنَّـٰكَ فُتُونًا ۚ فَلَبِثْتَ سِنِينَ فِىٓ أَهْلِ مَدْيَنَ ثُمَّ جِئْتَ عَلَىٰ قَدَرٍ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ
[And We favored you] when your sister went and said, 'Shall I direct you to someone who will be responsible for him?' So We restored you to your mother that she might be content and not grieve. And you killed someone, but We saved you from retaliation and tried you with a [severe] trial. And you remained [some] years among the people of Madyan. Then you came [here] at the decreed time, O Moses.