Al-A'raf 7:19–22
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
7:19
وَيَٰٓـَٔادَمُ ٱسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَكُلَا مِنْ حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
And "O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers."
7:20
فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ لِيُبْدِىَ لَهُمَا مَا وُۥرِىَ عَنْهُمَا مِن سَوْءَٰتِهِمَا وَقَالَ مَا نَهَىٰكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا عَنْ هَٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ أَوْ تَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلْخَٰلِدِينَ
But Satan whispered to them to make apparent to them that which was concealed from them of their private parts. He said, "Your Lord did not forbid you this tree except that you become angels or become of the immortal."
7:21
وَقَاسَمَهُمَآ إِنِّى لَكُمَا لَمِنَ ٱلنَّٰصِحِينَ
And he swore [by Allah] to them, "Indeed, I am to you from among the sincere advisors."
7:22
فَدَلَّىٰهُمَا بِغُرُورٍۢ ۚ فَلَمَّا ذَاقَا ٱلشَّجَرَةَ بَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْءَٰتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَقِ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ۖ وَنَادَىٰهُمَا رَبُّهُمَآ أَلَمْ أَنْهَكُمَا عَن تِلْكُمَا ٱلشَّجَرَةِ وَأَقُل لَّكُمَآ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ لَكُمَا عَدُوٌّۭ مُّبِينٌۭ
So he made them fall, through deception. And when they tasted of the tree, their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten together over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. And their Lord called to them, "Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you that Satan is to you a clear enemy?"
Al-A'raf 7:23–25
7:23
قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ
They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers."
7:24
قَالَ ٱهْبِطُوا۟ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّۭ ۖ وَلَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّۭ وَمَتَٰعٌ إِلَىٰ حِينٍۢ
[Allah] said, "Descend, being to one another enemies. And for you on the earth is a place of settlement and enjoyment for a time."
7:25
قَالَ فِيهَا تَحْيَوْنَ وَفِيهَا تَمُوتُونَ وَمِنْهَا تُخْرَجُونَ
He said, "Therein you will live, and therein you will die, and from it you will be brought forth."
Three questions
Q1
Iblis never says the tree is good. He tells them why Allah really forbade it, and the reason he invents is flattering. What benefit does he promise, and what makes his claim persuasive?
Q2
They do not explain themselves. They do not blame the one who deceived them. Instead: Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. What do Adam and his wife acknowledge, and what do they ask for?
Q3
The word Iblis uses for himself in ayah 21 is nāṣiḥīn — the word behind Indonesian nasihat. He claims to be giving advice, and swears by Allah as he says it. Leaving this passage aside for a moment: in ordinary life, how do you tell advice that is for you from advice that is for the person giving it?
Four words
فَوَسْوَسَ fawaswasa he whispered (7:20) · ٱلنَّـٰصِحِينَ an-nāṣiḥīn the sincere advisers (7:21) · سَوْءَٰتِهِمَا sawʾātihimā / sawʾātuhumā what shames them (7:20 / 7:22) · فَدَلَّىٰهُمَا fadallāhumā he brought them down (7:22)
One thing to carry
One thing I have been explaining away is ……… One plain sentence I will say about it to Allah this week is ………
