Humans Fail to Make a Firm Stand*
[20:115] We tested Adam in the past, but he forgot, and we found him indecisive.
[20:116] Recall that we said to the angels, “Fall prostrate before Adam.” They fell prostrate, except Satan; he refused.
[20:117] We then said, “O Adam, this is an enemy of you and your wife. Do not let him evict you from Paradise, lest you become miserable.
[20:118] “You are guaranteed never to hunger therein, nor go unsheltered.
[20:119] “Nor will you thirst therein, nor suffer from any heat.”
[20:120] But the devil whispered to him, saying, “O Adam, let me show you the tree of eternity and unending kingship.”
[20:121] They ate from it, whereupon their bodies became visible to them, and they tried to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise. Adam thus disobeyed his Lord, and fell.
[20:122] Subsequently, his Lord chose him, redeemed him, and guided him.
[20:123] He said, “Go down therefrom, all of you. You are enemies of one another. When guidance comes to you from Me, anyone who follows My guidance will not go astray, nor suffer any misery.
*20:115 When Satan challenged God’s absolute authority (38:69), you and I did not make a firm stand against Satan. God is giving us a chance, on this earth, to redeem ourselves by denouncing Satan and upholding God’s absolute authority (Appendix 7).
Human Fickleness
[39:49] If the human is touched by adversity, he implores us, but as soon as we bestow a blessing upon him, he says, “I attained this because of my cleverness!” Indeed, this is only a test, but most of them do not know.
20:117 shows that if we follow God’s guidance we will have perfect happiness. If we step out of God’s kingdom and listen to Satan then we are guaranteed misery.
The human tendency to want what we have not earned
We want a shortcut to get things rather than doing the hard work to earn it.
Why would Adam make such a mistake when in paradise?
If I had a lottery ticket and I will give it to you that I guarantee will make you rich – would you take it?
Knowing we are being tested is a sign of being blessed by God.
[38:46] We bestowed upon them a great blessing: awareness of the Hereafter.
Is it bad to have doubt?
How do we know that we trust in God?
The Story of Blondin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H-yrfmqmGc
This shows that despite Adam slipping God sends him a lifeline to redeem him
[2:37] Then, Adam received from his Lord words, whereby He redeemed him. He is the Redeemer, Most Merciful.
Where is Eve in this mistake?
Interesting that in the Bible Adam’s slip up is pushed on Eve, but in the Quran Eve is not to be mentioned. Perhaps that is because it is irrelevant. We are each responsible for our own decisions.
The subtitle says “humans” despite the verses being about Adam. Seems like Adam represents all the humans.
The human being is quick to forget
[7:19] “As for you, Adam, dwell with your wife in Paradise, and eat therefrom as you please, but do not approach this one tree, lest you fall in sin.” [7:20] The devil whispered to them, in order to reveal their bodies, which were invisible to them. He said, “Your Lord did not forbid you from this tree, except to prevent you from becoming angels, and from attaining eternal existence.” [7:21] He swore to them, “I am giving you good advice.” [7:22] He thus duped them with lies. As soon as they tasted the tree, their bodies became visible to them, and they tried to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise. Their Lord called upon them: “Did I not enjoin you from that tree, and warn you that the devil is your most ardent enemy?”
[18:63] He said, “Remember when we sat by the rock back there? I paid no attention to the fish. It was the devil who made me forget it, and it found its way back to the river, strangely.”
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