Sunday, July 22, 2012

Does the Qur'an havethe story of theFall ofMan as told inthe Bible? Are the storiessimilar or different?

They are similar in a basic outline, but different on a few important points.
First, let us consider the basic outline. Adam and Eve were placed in
a garden in a state of happiness. God instructed them to eat from any
treeexcept one tree. Eventually, they were deceived into eating from
the forbidden tree and their nakedness became apparent to them. God
then expelled them from the garden.
Now, the disagreements.
1. Neither book names thefruit, but the Bible alone calls it the tree
of knowledge of good andevil. The Qur'an does not call it such, but
teaches that humans are already inspired with the knowledge of good
and evil at creation in order toenable them to exercise choice between
good and evil. This knowledge did not come as a result of eating from
a forbidden tree.
2. The Bible says the deceiver was a serpent, but the Qur'an says it was Satan.
3. The Bible says that Adam was not deceived, but only Eve was
deceived; it says that Eve then gave the fruit to Adam and he ate. On
the other hand, more thanone Qur'anic passages mention that they were
both deceived. One passage specifically says that Satan approached
Adam and deceived him. The Qur'an does not singleout Eve for blame in
any passage.
4. The Bible says that when the couple heard thesound of God walking
in the garden in the cool of the day, they hid from him among the
trees. So God called out to Adam asking where he was, andasking if he
ate from the forbidden tree. On the other hand the Qur'an does not
depict God in limited human form. The Qur'an and the Bible both teach
that God knows everything always.
5. According to the Bible, when the couple was confronted with their
mistake, they blamed eachother, and Adam even blamed God becauseGod
gave him the womanwho gave him the fruit. According to the Qur'an they
did not pass the blame. Instead, both repented.
6. According to the Bible, God cursed them. According to the Qur'an,
God forgave them and guided them.
7. According to the Bible, they were driven out of the garden/

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