Sahih al-Bukhari 3461
Book 60, Hadith 128
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Convey from me, even if it is one verse. And narrate from the Children of Israel — there is no harm. And whoever deliberately lies about me, let him take his seat in the Fire.”
🌿 The Story of Adam and Hawwa
In the beginning, before there were nations, before there were prophets, before there were even children of men upon the earth, there was one man. His name was Adam, and from him the story of humanity begins.
The traditions all agree that God created him — but each one tells the moment differently.
In the Bible, Adam is formed from the dust of the ground. God shapes him with His hands and breathes life into his nostrils, and Adam becomes a living soul. In Jewish tradition, the story grows richer: some say Adam was made from dust gathered from every corner of the earth — red and black, rich and barren — so that all peoples would be his children. Others imagined him first as a mighty giant stretching from earth to heaven until God made him smaller, closer to the form we know. And in the Qur’an, Adam is described as being created from clay, from soil shaped like pottery. Hadith add that Allah took dust from different kinds of earth — soft and hard, dark and light — and from that, Adam was formed, explaining why his children are so varied in color and character. Allah shaped him, breathed into him from His spirit, and honored him above the angels. All were commanded to bow in respect. They did — all except Iblīs, who refused out of arrogance and became Adam’s enemy until the end of time.
Yet even with this honor, Adam was alone. In the garden, he had everything he needed, but he had no companion to share his days. Here the stories diverge again.
The Bible says that God caused Adam to sleep and took one of his ribs. From it, He fashioned a woman, bringing her to Adam as his partner. Adam saw her and said, “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” She was called woman, and later she would be called Eve, the “mother of all living.”
Jewish traditions add something striking: they say Adam had another wife before Eve, a woman named Lilith, made from the same dust as him. But Lilith would not accept Adam’s authority and left him. Only then, the stories say, did God create Eve from Adam’s side so that she would be bound to him more closely. This is not in the Torah itself but became part of Jewish folklore.
In Islam, the story is gentler. Hawwa — Eve — was created from Adam, but she was not a second attempt, nor a rebellious rival. She was his partner, honored as the mother of humanity. Hadith describe her being made from a “rib,” not as a mark of weakness, but as a lesson: women are delicate and must be treated with care and kindness. She was not made to be beneath him, nor above him, but beside him.
Together Adam and Hawwa lived in the garden. The Bible says they were naked and unashamed. The Qur’an says Allah gave them every blessing, every tree, every fruit — except for one tree, from which they were forbidden to eat. And Allah warned them: “This Shayṭān, this enemy, will try to mislead you. Beware of him.”
But the enemy did not stop. In the Bible, the serpent speaks only to Eve. It tells her, “You will not die. If you eat, your eyes will be opened. You will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve listens, eats, and gives the fruit to Adam. When God confronts them, Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent. Punishments follow: the serpent is cursed to crawl; Eve is told she will suffer in childbirth and live under her husband’s rule; Adam must toil in the earth to eat. They are clothed in garments of skin and cast out of Eden. From their disobedience comes the doctrine of Original Sin — the idea that all their children are born guilty, carrying the stain of their parents’ mistake, in need of salvation.
Jewish traditions expand the story in many ways. Some tie the serpent to Samael, a fallen angel, giving the temptation a darker power. Some say Adam and Eve repented with fasting and ashes, others tell how they wept outside the gates of Eden. But in many of these teachings, suspicion lingers around Eve — sometimes seen as the one who failed, the one who brought death into the world.
The Qur’an’s telling is different, softer, and more balanced. Shayṭān whispers not just to Eve, but to both of them. He promises them immortality, a kingdom that will never fade. Both Adam and Hawwa listen. Both slip. Both eat. And then, realizing their mistake, both are ashamed and cover themselves with leaves from the garden.
But when God calls to them, there is no blaming, no finger-pointing. Instead, they turn together in humility and say: “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.” (Qur’an 7:23)
And Allah forgives them. They are sent down to earth, yes, but not as cursed beings. This was always part of Allah’s plan: to make them caretakers of the earth, to build and to live, to have children and be guided by prophets. In Islam there is no Original Sin. The sin ended with them. Their repentance was accepted. Their children are born pure, free of guilt, each soul beginning fresh.
From Adam and Hawwa come all of us. The Bible says Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years, fathering many children before he died. Jewish traditions speak of Adam and Eve being buried in the Cave of Machpelah, the same place later tied to Abraham. In Islam, Adam is the first prophet, teaching his children to worship Allah. Hawwa remains by his side, not shamed, not cursed, but honored as the mother of humanity.
And so the stories walk side by side. In the Bible, Eve is the first to fall, cursed with pain and subordination, and humanity bears her sin. In Jewish traditions, her story is stretched with legends of Lilith and Samael, and blame is often heavy on her shoulders. But in the Qur’an, the story shines brighter: Adam and Hawwa walk together, make the mistake together, repent together, and are forgiven together.
In this telling, women are not cursed, not seen as the doorway of sin. They are equal partners in human dignity. And Adam and Hawwa’s story ends not in shame, but in mercy — a reminder that even when we fall, if we turn back to Allah, forgiveness awaits.
