7:190 Al-A'raaf (The Heights)

تفسير الآيتين 190 و191:ـ فَلَمَّا آتَاهُمَا صَالِحًا على وفق ما طلبا، وتمت عليهما النعمة فيه جَعَلا لَهُ شُرَكَاءَ فِيمَا آتَاهُمَا أي: جعلا للّه شركاء في ذلك الولد الذي انفرد اللّه بإيجاده والنعمة به، وأقرَّ به أعين والديه، فَعَبَّدَاه لغير اللّه. إما أن يسمياه بعبد غير اللّه كـ \"عبد الحارث\" و \"عبد العزيز\" و \"عبد الكعبة\" ونحو ذلك، أو يشركا باللّه في العبادة، بعدما منَّ اللّه عليهما بما منَّ من النعم التي لا يحصيها أحد من العباد. وهذا انتقال من النوع إلى الجنس، فإن أول الكلام في آدم وحواء، ثم انتقل إلى الكلام في الجنس، ولا شك أن هذا موجود في الذرية كثيرا، فلذلك قررهم اللّه على بطلان الشرك، وأنهم في ذلك ظالمون أشد الظلم، سواء كان الشرك في الأقوال، أم في الأفعال، فإن الخالق لهم من نفس واحدة، الذي خلق منها زوجها وجعل لهم من أنفسهم أزواجا، ثم جعل بينهم من المودة والرحمة ما يسكن بعضهم إلى بعض، ويألفه ويلتذ به، ثم هداهم إلى ما به تحصل الشهوة واللذة والأولاد والنسل. ثم أوجد الذرية في بطون الأمهات، وقتا موقوتا، تتشوف إليه نفوسهم، ويدعون اللّه أن يخرجه سويا صحيحا، فأتم اللّه عليهم النعمة وأنالهم مطلوبهم. أفلا يستحق أن يعبدوه، ولا يشركوا به في عبادته أحدا، ويخلصوا له الدين. ولكن الأمر جاء على العكس، فأشركوا باللّه من لا يَخْلُقُ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ .

فذلك قول الله تعالى "فلما آتاهما صالحا جعلا له شركاء فيما آتاهما" الآية وقال عبدالله بن المبارك عن شرك عن خصيف عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس في قوله "فلما آتاهما صالحا جعلا له شركاء فيما آتاهما" قال: قال الله تعالى "هو الذي خلقكم من نفس واحدة وجعل منها زوجها ليسكن إليها فلما تغشاها" آدم "حملت" أتاهما إبليس لعنه الله فقال إنى صاحبكما الذي أخرجتكما من الجنة لتطيعاني أو لأجعلن له قرني إبل فيخرج من بطنك فيشقه ولأفعلن ولأفعلن يخوفهما فسمياه عبدالحارث فأبيا أن يطيعاه فخرج ميتا ثم حملت يعني الثاني فأتاهما أيضا فقال أنا صاحبكما الذي فعلت ما فعلت لتفعلن أو لأفعلن - يخوفهما - فأبيا أن يطيعاه فخرج ميتا ثم حملت الثالثة فأتاهما أيضا فذكر لهما فأدركهما حب الولد فسمياه عبدالحارث فذلك قوله تعالى "جعلا له شركاء فيما آتاهما" رواه ابن أبي حاتم. وقد تلقى هذا الأثر عن ابن عباس من أصحابه كمجاهد وسعيد بن جبير وعكرمة ومن الطبقة الثانية قتادة والسدي وغير واحد من السلف وجماعة من الخلف ومن المفسرين من المتأخرين جماعات لا يحصون كثرة وكأنه والله أعلم أصله مأخوذ من أهل الكتاب فإن ابن عباس رواه عن أبي بن كعب كما رواه ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا أبي حدثنا أبو الجماهر حدثنا سعيد يعني ابن بشير عن عقبة عن قتادة عن مجاهد عن ابن عباس عن أبي بن كعب قال: لما حملت حواء أتاها الشيطان فقال لها أتطيعيني ويسلم لك ولدك: سميه عبدالحارث فلم تفعل فولدت فمات ثم حملت فقال لها مثل ذلك فلم تفعل ثم حملت الثالثة فجاءها فقال إن تطيعيني يسلم وإلا فإنه يكون بهيمة فهيبهما فأطاعا. وهذه الآثار يظهر عليها والله أعلم أنها من آثار أهل الكتاب وقد صح الحديث عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال "إذا حدثكم أهل الكتاب فلا تصدقوهم ولا تكذبوهم" ثم أخبارهم على ثلاثه أقسام فمنها ما علمنا صحته بما دل عليه الدليل من كتاب الله أو سنة رسوله ومنها ما علمنا كذبه بما دل على خلافه من الكتاب والسنة أيضا ومنها ما هو مسكوت عنه فهو المأذون في روايته بقوله عليه السلام "حدثوا عن بني إسرائيل ولا حرج" وهو الذي لا يصدق ولا يكذب لقوله "فلا تصدقوهم ولا تكذبوهم" وهذا الأثر هو القسم الثاني أو الثالث فيه نظر فأما من حدث به من صحابي أو تابعي فإنه يراه من القسم الثالث وأما نحن فعلى مذهب الحسن البصري رحمه الله في هذا وأنه ليس المراد من هذا السياق آدم وحواء وإنما المراد من ذلك المشركون من ذريته ولهذا قال الله "فتعالى الله عما يشركون" ثم قال فذكر آدم وحواء أولا كالتوطئة لما بعدهما من الوالدين وهو كالاستطراد من ذكر الشخص إلى الجنس كقوله "ولقد زينا السماء الدنيا بمصابيح" الآية ومعلوم أن المصابيح وهى النجوم التي زينت بها السماء ليست هي التي يرمي بها وإنما هذا استطراد من شخص المصابيح إلى جنسها ولهذا نظائر في القرآن والله أعلم.

All Mankind are the Offspring of Adam

Allah states that He has created all mankind from Adam, peace be upon him, and from Adam, He created his wife, Hawwa' and from them, people started to spread. Allah said in another Ayah,

يأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنْثَى وَجَعَلْنَـكُمْ شُعُوباً وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَـرَفُواْ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عَندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَـكُمْ

(O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has Taqwa) 49:13, and,

يَـأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا

(O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord, Who created you from a single person, and from him He created his wife.)4:1 In this honorable Ayah, Allah said;

وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا

(And (then) He has created from him his wife, in order that he might enjoy the pleasure of living with her.) so that he is intimate and compassionate with her. Allah said in another Ayah,

وَمِنْ ءايَـتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَجاً لِّتَسْكُنُواْ إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً

(And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives (spouses) from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy.) 30:21 Indeed, there is no intimacy between two souls like that between the spouses. This is why Allah mentioned that the sorcerer might be able with his trick to separate between a man and his wife thus indicating the difficulty of separating them in normal circumstances. Allah said next,

فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّاهَا

(When he covered her) meaning had sexual intercourses with her.

حَمَلَتْ حَمْلاً خَفِيفًا

(she became pregnant and she carried it about lightly) in reference to the first stage of pregnancy when the woman does not feel pain, for at that time, the fetus will be just a Nutfah (the mixture of the male and female discharge), then becomes an `Alaqah (a piece of thick coagulated blood) and then a Mudghah (a small lump of flesh). Allah said next,

فَمَرَّتْ بِهِ

(and she carried it about), she continued the pregnancy, according to Mujahid. It was reported that Al-Hasan, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i and As-Suddi said similarly. Maymun bin Mahran reported that his father said, "She found the pregnancy unnoticeable." Ayyub said, "I asked Al-Hasan about the Ayah,

فَمَرَّتْ بِهِ

(and she carried it about) and he said, `Had you been an Arab, you would know what it means! It means that she continued the pregnancy through its various stages."' Qatadah said,

فَمَرَّتْ بِهِ

(and she carried it about (lightly).), means, it became clear that she was pregnant. Ibn Jarir commented, "This Ayah means that the liquid remained, whether she stood up or sat down." Al-`Awfi recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "The semen remained in, but she was unsure if she became pregnant or not,

فَلَمَّآ أَثْقَلَت

(Then when it became heavy), she became heavier with the fetus", As-Suddi said, "The fetus grew in her womb."

دَّعَوَا اللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَئِنْ ءَاتَيْتَنَا صَـلِحاً

(they both invoked Allah, their Lord (saying): "If You give us a Salih child,) if he is born human in every respect. Ad-Dahhak said that Ibn `Abbas commented, "They feared that their child might be born in the shape of an animal!" while Abu Al-Bakhtri and Abu Malik commented, "They feared that their newborn might not be human." Al-Hasan Al-Basri also commented, "If You (Allah) give us a boy."

لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّـكِرِينَ

فَلَمَّآ ءَاتَـهُمَا صَـلِحاً جَعَلاَ لَهُ شُرَكَآءَ فِيمَآ ءَاتَـهُمَا فَتَعَـلَى اللَّهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

(we shall indeed be among the grateful. But when He gave them a Salih child, they ascribed partners to Him (Allah) in that which He has given to them. High be Allah, Exalted above all that they ascribe as partners to Him.) 7:189-190 Ibn Jarir recorded that Al-Hasan commented on this part of the Ayah,

جَعَلاَ لَهُ شُرَكَآءَ فِيمَآ ءَاتَـهُمَا

(they ascribed partners to Him (Allah) in that which He has given to them) "This occurred by followers of some religion, not from Adam or Hawwa'." Al-Hasan also said, "This Ayah refers to those among the offspring of Adam who fell into Shirk,

جَعَلاَ لَهُ شُرَكَآءَ فِيمَآ ءَاتَـهُمَا

(they ascribed partners to Him (Allah) in that which He has given to them.)" Qatadah said, "Al-Hasan used to say that it refers to the Jews and Christians. Allah gave them children, and they turned them into Jews and Christians." The explanations from Al-Hasan have authentic chains of narration leading to him, and certainly, it is one of the best interpretations. This Ayah should therefore be understood this way, for it is apparent that it does not refer to Adam and Hawa', but about the idolators among their offspring. Allah mentioned the person first Adam and Hawwa' and then continued to mention the species mankind, many of whom committed Shirk. There are similar cases in the Qur'an. For cases, Allah said

وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَآءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَـبِيحَ

(And indeed We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps) It is well-known that the stars that were made as lamps in the sky are not the same as the shooting missiles that are thrown at the devils mentioned later in the Ayah. There are similar instances in the Qur'an. Allah knows best.

But when He gave them a sound one a sound child they ascribed to Him associates shurakā’a a variant reading has shirkan meaning sharīkan ‘an associate’ in that which He had given them by naming it ‘Abd al-Hārith ‘servant of al-Hārith’ when it is not right to be a ‘servant’ ‘abd of any one but ‘God’ sc. ‘Abd Allāh but this namesake ‘Abd is not an association of another with God in terms of servitude for Adam was immune from a sin such as associating others in worship with God. Samura b. Jundub reported that the Prophet s said ‘On one occasion when Eve gave birth — all the children she bore had failed to survive — Satan visited her and said to her “Name it the child ‘Abd al-Hārith and it will live.” She named it so and it lived. This affair was the result of Satan’s inspiration and his doings’ reported by al-Hākim who deemed it the report ‘sound’ sahīh and also reported by al-Tirmidhī who considered it ‘fair-uncommon’ hasan gharīb; but exalted is God above what they the people of Mecca associate in the way of idols this sentence is consequent a supplement to the one beginning with khalaqakum ‘He created you’ so that what comes between the two is a parenthetical statement.

In short, all the above acts or beliefs are different forms of 'Shirk' ~,. and the worst kind of ungratefulness to Allah, their Lord. The last sentence of this verse confirms misguidance of such people by saying:

فَتَعَالَى اللَّـهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِ‌كُونَ

"So far beyond is Allah than what they associate with Him."

The above interpretation of this verse has made it clear that by referring to the Prophet 'Adam and Hawwa' (Eve) (علیہما السلام) in the first sentence of this verse, the children of 'Adam have been asked to follow him and show their gratefulness to Allah, while the rest of the verse speaks of the misguidance and perversion of their descendants who, instead of being grateful to their Lord ascribed partners to Him.

This makes it clear that the Prophet 'Adam and Hawwa' (علیہما السلام) have nothing to do with those who ascribed partners with Allah. The verse refers to the generations coming after them who were ungrateful to Allah and involved themselves in Shirk. We have adopted this interpretation on the authority of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ reported by Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Abi Hatim, in Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthur. The story related by Tirmidhi and Hakim about 'Adam and Hawwa' being deceived by Shaitan has been taken by some scholars as an unauthentic Israelite report which is liable to be rejected. Many Mulhaddithin, the scholars in Hadith have, on the other hand, confirmed it. The above interpretation, however, clears away any possible doubt even if the story is taken to be authentic.

The above verse has provided us with the following points of significant value.

1. The men and women have been created in the same species in order that they may have a natural affinity and perfect understanding with each other, and discharge their duties towards the construction of a good society.

Havoc caused by immodesty

2. The rights and obligations assigned to the married couple basically aim at providing a peaceful environment at home. There are many social behaviours of modern age that are directly opposed to the above objective of creating a peaceful atmosphere. For example, the so called freedom of woman has caused havoc to social peace. The alarming number of divorces and serious altercations are mostly the result of free mixing of men and women in society. By experience we know that the growth of immodest practices in society is proportional to the destruction of social values and deprives man of peace at home and in the society.

3. The third point refers to the naming of one's children. It is prohibited to give names to the children like ` Abdul Shams (The slave of the Sun) or ` Abd al ` Uzza (The slave of ` Uzza) which purport to assign them to entities other than Allah. Giving such names is prohibited even if parents do not really mean it. This practice is a great sin in Islam.

4. The best way of offering our gratitude to Allah is to name our children after the good names of Allah and His Messenger. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has, therefore, recommended the names like ` Abd ur Raliman, and ` Abdullah etc.

It is a pity that, one by one, we are depriving ourselves of all the Islamic manners and values. Firstly, we give our children non Islamic names simply following the fashion of the non-Islamic cultures. In addition, we find that most of the parents abbreviate the names of their children into English initials which makes it all the more difficult to distinguish them as Muslims. specially so, when we have worn the appearance of the non-Muslims, altogether. May Allah favour us with the real understanding of Islam and Islamic values.

(He it is Who did create you from a single soul�) [7:189] up to (� but are themselves created) [7:191]. Said Mujahid: �Initially, all the children of Adam and Eve died in their infancy. And so, Satan whispered to them: 'If a boy is born to you, call him 'Abd al-Harith [the slave of al-Harith]'. The name of Satan was, prior to that, al-Harith. Adam and Eve did as he asked them to do, hence the words of Allah, exalted is He: (But when He gave unto them aright, they ascribed to Him partners in respect of that which He had given them�)�.