The Accusation of Eve Between the Qur’anic Text and Hadith Narratives and Its Impact on the Differences Among Interpreters

Abstract

This research addresses the issue of accusing Eve of the original sin in light of the Qur’anic text and Prophetic narrations, as well as the impact of this accusation on scholars’ interpretations. It demonstrates that the act of disobedience was shared equally between Adam and Eve, and that repentance was also mutual, with no Qur’anic indication that the woman initiated the sin. Although there is an authentic prophetic hadith on the matter, scholars have interpreted it as describing a general human nature — a primordial element underlying the dynamics of struggle and competition in humanity’s role of building and developing the earth — rather than as a moral or religious accusation.

The research further shows that most the interpreters of the Quran did not rely on this hadith in their explanation of the story, and that the notion of Eve tempting Adam was influenced by Israelite traditions and the cultural environment surrounding the commentators, rather than by Quranic and Prophetic sources.

The research concludes that Islam honored women and established that responsibility for the original sin is a shared human responsibility, without distinction between man and woman.

The research consists of three sections: (First: The First Sin between the Qur’an and Prophetic Narrations. Second: The Impact of Prophetic Narrations on the Trends of the Exegetes. Third: The Optimal Position — The Innocence or Accusation of Eve in Light of the Qur’anic Context.