Article Citation: Isa Muhammad Maishanu & Abubakar Bako (2023). Prophet Adam and Eve (Hawwa) in Christianity and Islam: A Comparative Analysis. DEGEL: The Journal of the Faculty of Arts and Islamic Studies, Vol. 20, No. 1 & 2. ISSN 0794-9316
PROPHET
ADAM AND EVE (HAWWA) IN CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
By
Isa M. Maishanu and Abubakar Bako
Introduction
Islam and Christianity are
the two major and most influential religions across the globe today. There are
a lot of common grounds shared by the two religions with regards to their
beliefs, practices and worldviews. Likewise, they have a lot of differences
which made them irreconcilable. Both the Holy Bible and the Glorious Qur’an
gave accounts of the creation of the first man, Adam and his wife, Eve
(Hawa’u). In fact, both the two religions of Christianity and Islam, as well as
the Jewish religion narrated that Adam and Eve were the first humans created,
who sojourned on earth since time immemorial. There is the need felt for
comparing the issues that relate to their creation and roles in the two
religions, with the hope of inferring some insights re4levant to the
understanding of the religious phenomenon.
Prophet Adam and Eve, his
Wife in Christianity
In the Judeo-Christian
tradition, like in the religion of Islam, it is believed that Adam and Eve were
the first humans created by God that lived on earth. They lived in the Garden
of Eden up to the time when they ate from the forbidden tree and then brought
to inhabit the planet, earth.
Creation of Adam and Eve in
the Holy Bible
According to the Holy Bible
Adam was created by God, this can be seen from the book of Genesis where it
reads:
Formed man of the dust of the
ground, and breathed
Into his nostrils the breath
of life; and became a living[1]
Soul.
According to Christians, the
word translated man is the Hebrew word Adam while the word translated dust of
the earth is the Hebrew word Adamah. This shows that the origin of mankind is
the earth. It is further showed by the Bible that mankind is returning back to
where he came from one day i.e., dust as we can see from the following verse in
the book of genesis.
In the sweat of your face you should eat bread
Till you return to the ground, for out of dust you
Were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall
return[2].
Still in the Bible concerning
the origins of mankind from dust, it was said that Abraham realized that his
body was made from the dust, it reads:
Then Abraham answered and
said, indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to
speak to the Lord [3].
In addition to this, the book
of Job also speaks of mankind returning to the dust.
All flesh would perish together and humanity
Would return to dust[4].
Just like what we is known in
Islam, the Bible also testified that the creation of Adam witnessed different
stages or phases. In fact Adam was not only formed from the dust but he has
also witnessed breath of life by God. This can be found in the book of Job
The spirit of God has made
me, and the
Breath of Almighty gives me
life. Truly I am
As your spokesman before God;
I also have been
Formed out of clay[5]
With these quotations we can
see clearly that the Biblical narration confirms the view that Adam was created
from the dust.
While in the case of the
creation of his wife, Eve, the Bible said that while Adam slept, God took one
of his ribs and used it to create Eve. He presented her to Adam and he was
pleased. As we can see in the following verse:
This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman' for she was taken out of man[6].
This is how God created Eve
from the body of her husband, Adam. According to the Christian Scripture
therefore, Adam and Eve were the first man and woman on Earth
created by God. While they lived in the Garden of Eden for a time, they ate from
the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil, and were forced to leave and descend to the earth. This was as the
consequence of their committing the first sin and so became
responsible for the human race's falling. This can be seen in the following
verse of the Bible:
The Lord God took the man and
put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God
commanded the man, saying, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden: but
of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day
that you eat of it you shall die’.[7]
However, Adam was persuaded
or misguided by his wife Eve and the Devil, and they transgressed God’s command
and ate the forbidden tree of knowledge. Both of them were reprimanded by God.
Concerning his wife God said:
I will greatly multiply your pain in child bearing; in
pain you shall
Bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your
husband,
And he shall rule over you[8].
While in the case of the
husband i.e., Adam, God said:
Because you have listened to
the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you,
‘you shall not eat of it’, cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you
shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring
forth to you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. In the sweat of your
face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground for out of it you were
taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return[9].
It is on this basis,
Christians believed that Adam and his wife lost their sanctifying grace, right
of the paradise, subject to death and suffering and finally it is on this
account they were forced out of the paradise. Likewise it is on this Christians
advocate the doctrine of original sin. The Bible stated in the following words:
Therefore as sin came into
the world through one man and death Through sin, and so death spread to all men
because men sinned. Sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but
sin is
Counted where there is no
law. Yet death reign from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not
like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But
the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s
trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free-gift in the grace of
that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many[10].
The above quotations
elaborated more on the doctrine of original sin in the religion of
Christianity.
Role of Adam on Earth in the
Bible
Concerning the role of Adam
on earth the Bible said in the book of Genesis Chapter one:
Then God said, Let us make
man(a) in our image, after
Our likeness. And let them
have dominion over
Over the fish of the sea and
over the birds of the heavens
And over the livestock and
over all the earth and over
Every creeping thing that
creeps on earth[11].
Like the Glorious Qur’an the
Bible testified that Adam was given power over all other creatures,
Adam and Eve in the Qur’an
Prophet Adam (peace be upon
him) the father of the entire mankind was created by Allah (S.W.T) and He
created from him his wife, Hauwa (Eve); then mankind spread all over from the
two. Muslims generally believed that he was first human being on earth and
first Prophet of Allah (Nabiy) to his family members. Islamic texts narrates
that Adam’s creation witnessed the following stages.
Dust (soil)
Allah (S.W.T) made this testimony in the
Glorious Qur’an.
And one of His signs is that
He created you from dust, then lo! You
Are mortals (who) scatter[12].
In addition to this, Allah
(S.W.T) mentioned differences in languages and skin color among the children of
Adam as part of His existence as the most Supreme Being or creator. And He said
And one of His signs is the
creation of heavens and earth and the diversity of your tongues and colors;
most surely there are signs in this for the learned[13].
Soft Clay (Mud)
This is another stage of
Adams creation. Allah (S.W.T) stated that the dust was mixed with water and
became a clay (Mud). This can be seen in the following verse of the Glorious
Qur’an:
Then ask them whether they
are stronger in creation or those (others)
Whom we have created. Surely
we created of firm clay[14].
The clay soil was left for some time until it
became darker in color, and it was later m olded by Allah (S.W.T) into the form
of a human body, which is the body of Adam (peace be upon him). It is after
completing his creation that Allah (S.W.T) blessed him with knowledge and
commanded the angels to prostrate before him all did except Iblis (Satan).
Al-Qur’an narrated this story in different chapters as we can see:
And when we said to the
Angels: make obeisance to Adam they did
Obeisance but Iblis (did it
not).He refused and he was proud, and
He was one of the unbelievers[15].
While in another chapter
Al-Qur’an continues to say concerning Iblis;
He said: I am not such that I
should make obeisance to a mortal
Whom Thou hast created of the
essence of black mud fashioned in shape[16].
Sounding clay:
This is another phase in
Adam’s creation as narrated by the Glorious Qur’an. Adam’s body, which was
until this stage a body of dark soft clay, was left to air dry until it became
sounding clay (like pottery). This can be seen in the following verse:
He created man (Adam) from
sounding clay like the clay of pottery[17]
Soul and flesh:
This is the last stage or
phase in Adam’s creation. Allah (S.W.T) narrated in the Glorious Quran that He
breathed the soul into Adam’s body, and as a result, Adam (peace be upon him)
became a living human being for the first time in history.This can be seen in
the following verse of the Glorious Qur’an:
And when your Lord said to
the angels: Surely, I am going to create a mortal of the essence of black mud
fashioned in shape. So when I made him complete and breathed into him of My
spirit, fall down making obeisance to him[18].
The above quoted verses of
the Glorious Qur’an in a very precise language narrated the journey of Prophet
Adam’s creation from a mere dust soil to a complete living human being. This
process was the original creation of the first human being on earth. No
technology or scientific explanation can be given here to explain how this
journey of Adam’s creation took place. The only explanation that can be given
is sayings of Allah (S.W.T) which can be seen as follows.
Verily! Our Word unto a thing
when we intend it, is only that We say unto it: Be! and it is[19].
Adam (peace be upon him), As
the Best Fashioned Human Being
Allah (S.W.T) narrated in the
Glorious Quran that He created mankind in the best stature, including the
creation Adam (peace be upon him), the first human being: This can be seen in
the following verse of the Qur’an:
Verily, We created man in the
best stature (mould)[20]
The word "Insan"
has been used by the Glorious Qur’an which means “man.” In English language,
the word "Insan" is referring to both male and female human beings. Furthermore,
Allah (S.W.T) stated in another verse that He told the Angels about creating
Adam (peace be upon him) as a man and not as an ape or an ape-descendant:
(Remember) when your Lord
said to the angels: Truly I am going to create man from clay[21]
(Quran 38: 71).
Allah (S.W.T) stated that He honored mankind
and preferred them above all of the other creatures:
And indeed We have honoured
the Children of Adam, and We have carried them on land and sea, and have
provided them with lawful good things, and have preferred them above many of
those whom We have created with a marked preferment[22]
(Quran 17: 70).
Allah (S.W.T) taught Adam (peace be upon him)
how to speak and communicate:
He
created man. He taught him eloquent speech[23]
(Quran 55: 3-4).
He also taught Adam (peace be
upon him) the name and purpose of everything so he would lead a successful life
on earth:
And He taught Adam all the
names (of everything), then He showed them to the angels and said, Tell Me the
names of these if you are truthful[24]
Allah (S.W.T) mentioned that Adam (peace be
upon him) was able to learn the names of everything, refuting any doubt that
Adam’s brain was not able to retain and process the information that he had
learned:
He said: O Adam! Inform them
of their names, and when he had informed them of their names, He said: Did I
not tell you that I know the Unseen in the heavens and the earth, and I know
what you reveal and what you have been concealing?[25]
Moreover, Adam (peace be upon him) was chosen
by Allah (S.W.T) to be a prophet, and accordingly, he and his family worshiped
Allah (S.W.T):
Allah did choose Adam and
Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of 'Imran above all people[26]
While in another verse Allah
says:
O mankind! We have created
you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you
may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that
(believer) who has At‑Taqwa [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqoon (the pious)][27]
While in another chapter
Allah (S.W.T) said:
O mankind! Be dutiful to your
Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He
created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and
women[28].
The traditions of the Noble
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) shows that his wife Hawwa (Eve) was
created while Adam (Peace be upon him) was sleeping from his shortest rib left
rib and that, after sometime she was clothed with flesh. Prophet Muhammad (Peace
be upon him) used the story Hawwa’s creation from Adam’s rib as the basis of
the women weakness and he was quoted to have said in one of his traditions:
O Muslims! I advise you to be
gentle with women for they are created from a rib, and the most crooked portion
of the rib is its upper part. If you try to straighten it, it will break, and
if you leave it, it will remain crooked; so I urge you to take care of the
women[29].
This clearly shows that
Hawwa’u (Eve) the wife of Adam was created by Allah from the body of Adam (peace
be upon him). It is after that, the rest of the mankind were created through
them as husband and wife. Many scholars have stated that Allah (S.W.T) ordained
that Adam (peace be upon him) should marry his daughters to his sons, so he
would marry the female from one pregnancy to the male from another pregnancy.
Allah (S.W.T) said concerning the two sons of Adam (peace be upon him)
And (O Muhammad ) recite to
them (the Jews) the story of the two sons of Adam (Haabeel and Qaabeel - Abel
and Cain) in truth; when each offered a sacrifice (to Allah), it was accepted
from the one but not from the other. The latter said to the former: ‘I will
surely, kill you.’ The former said: ‘Verily, Allah accepts only from those who
are Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)[30]’
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have
mercy on him) said:
It was narrated concerning
them, as quoted by more than one of the earlier and later scholars, that Allah
prescribed that Adam (peace be upon him) should marry his daughters to his sons
as a matter of necessity. But they said: A male and female were born from each
pregnancy, so he would marry the female from one pregnancy to the male from
another. The sister of Habeel was ugly and the sister of Qabeel was beautiful.
Qabeel wanted to keep her for himself and not give her to his brother, but Adam
insisted that they should offer sacrifices and whichever brother’s sacrifice
was accepted by Allah would win her hand. So they offered sacrifices and it was
accepted from Habeel but it was not accepted from Qabeel. And their story was
told by Allah in His Book[31].
Ibn Abi Hatim narrated:
It was forbidden for a woman
to marry her twin brother, and he was commanded to give her in marriage to a
brother from another pregnancy. And from each pregnancy one boy and one girl
were born. Whilst they were like that, a beautiful girl was born to him, and
another was born who was ugly. The twin brother of the ugly one said to his
brother: Give me your twin sister in marriage and I will give you my twin
sister in marriage. He said: I have more right to my twin sister. So they
offered sacrifices, and the sacrifice of the one who offered a ram was accepted
but the sacrifice of the one who offered crops was not accepted, so he killed
him[32].
It is through the marriage
between Adam’s children that all other men were created despite the differences
we have in race, tribe, and so on. However, it is good to know that after the
creation of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) and his wife Hawa’u (Eve) they
were placed by Allah (S.W.T) in the garden:
And we said; O Adam! Dwell
you and your wife in the garden and eat from it a plenteous (food) wherever you
wish and do not approach this free, for then you will be of the unjust[33].
But Adam and his wife were
misguided by the Devil and ended up disobeying Allah (S.W.T) by eating the
fruit of the forbidden tree. In this respect Allah (S.W.T) said in His final
Revelation to man:
But the Shaitan made them
both fall from it, and caused them to depart from that (state) in which they
were; and we said: Get forth, some of you being the enemies of others, and
there is for you on the earth an abode and a provision for a time[34].
It is a result of eating from
the forbidden tree by both Adam and his wife they were sent out of the garden
of the paradise. Allah (S.W.T) continued by saying:
Then Adam received (some) words from his
Lord, so He turned to him mercifully; surely
He is oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful[35].
Adam (peace be upon him) repented to Allah for
the mistake he committed and he was forgiven by Allah (S.W.T). With this, it is
clear that there is nothing like inheriting original or non-original sin in the
religion of Islam. For this and other issues the researches will now analyse
the two narratives using the comparative method, so as gain some useful insight
in this matter.
Adam as a Vicegerent of Allah
on Earth
Man was created for a supreme
purpose to act as Allah’s vicegerent on earth. He came to the world to fulfil
this mission. Concerning role of Allah’s vicegerents Allah (S.W.T) said in the
Glorious Qur’an:
He it is who appointed you
vicegerents upon the
Earth and raised some of you
by degrees above
Others, that He may try you
in that which He
has given you[36].
The word ‘Khala’if’ which
appeared in this very verse is the plural form of the word ‘khalifah’ which in
Arabic language means representatives or successors. The first khalifah on
earth was Prophet Adam (peace be upon him). Allah (S.W.T) said in the Glorious
Qur’an:
And when your Lord said to
the angels, I am
Going to place in the earth a
Khalif, they said
What! Wilt Thou place in it
such as shall make
Mischief in it and shed
blood, and we celebrate
Thy praise and extol Thy
holiness?
He said surely, I know what
you do not know[37].
As Adam represents mankind,
all humans can be understood to be Allah’s vicegerents on earth.
Comparison of the Two
Narratives
The story of the creation of
the Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) and his wife Hawwa (Eve) are found in both
the Holy Bible and the Glorious Qur’an in different chapters. Both Christianity
and Islam agreed that Prophet Adam was created from the dust. In addition, both
the Holy Scriptures testified that Adam was given life by God breathing into
him the spirit. Likewise, they shared same opinion concerning the creation of
his wife (Eve) from his rib. Both the two religions believed that after the
creation of Adam and his wife they were placed in the garden of Paradise until
when they ate from the forbidden tree, as a result of which, they were sent out
of the garden.
Similarly, both Islam and Christianity
believed that Adam was placed in a position of great responsibility. Both
religions believe that Adam was the first man and therefore the common ancestor
of all men. He was created superior to all other earthly creatures and he was
charged with the responsibility of taking care of all creation, as Allah’s
Vicegerent or Khalifah.
However, they differed with
regard to the mistake of the eating from the forbidden tree. Muslims believed
that Adam committed the mistake by eating the forbidden tree, but he repented
and he was forgiven by Allah as indicated by the Glorious Qur’an. Unlike
Christians who believed that on the account of Adam’s sin, all human beings are
born deprived of sanctifying grace and they inherit his punishment. This is the
basis for the doctrine of Original Sin in Christianity.
Still concerning the eating
from the forbidden tree, according to the Bible, the Devil came to Eve in the
form of a serpent and tempted her to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge.
Eve having eaten of the fruit gave it to Adam. This according to the Bible is
how sin entered the world. This is contrary to the narrations in Islam, which
attributed the act to both Adam and Eve. Christianity squarely put the blame of
eating the forbidden tree on Eve alone. Islam places equal blame on both of
them.
Conclusion
The similarities in the two
scriptures of the Bible and the Quran in respect to the creation of Adam and
Eve show that Christianity and Islam are related to some extent, as having
originated from the Divine Source. There exist also major differences, which
show that the two religions will continue to maintain their own beliefs and practices that seem to be irreconcilable.
References
-Bilal .A,(1996),The True
Message of Islam of Jesus Christ,Hamzat International Islamic Publishing
House,Lagos.
-K.Muhsin,(1986),Sahih Al
Bukhari, Kazi Publications,Lahore,
Ibn Kathir, (Nd),Tafsir Al-Qur’an,np.
Muhsin.A, (1415),Let the
Bible Speak,Dammam,K.S.A.
M.A.Laylah,(2005)The Qur’an
and Gospel AComparative study,Al falah Publications,Np.
-N.Zakir,(N.D)Concept of God
in Major Religions,Islamic Research Publication,Np.
[1] Genesis 2:7
[2] Genesis 3:19
[3] Genesis 18:27
[4] Job 34:15
[5] Job33:46
[6] Genesis 2:23
[7] Genesis
2:15-16
[8] Genesis 3:16
[9] Genesis
3:17-19
[10] Roman 5:12-15
[11] Genesis
1:26
[12] .Al-Qur’an
30:20
[13] Al-Qur’an
30:22
[14] Al-Qur’an
37:11
[15] Al-Qur’an 2:34
[16] Al-Qur’an
15:34
[17] Al-Qur’an
55:14
[18] .Al-Qur’an 15:
28-29.
[19] . Al-Qur’an
16: 40
[20] Al-Quran 95:
4.
[21] AL-. Quran 38:
71
[22].AL- Quran 17:
70
[23] AL-Quran 55:
3-4
[24] AL-Quran 2: 31
[25] AL-Quran 2: 33
[26] AL-Quran 3: 33
[27] AL-Qur’an
49:13
[28] AL-Qur’an 4:1
[29] Hadith(Sahih)
[30] AL-Quran5:27
[31] Ibn Kathir,
Tafsir Al-Qur’an,np,nd.
[32] A. Hassan,Tafsir,
Np, 1423.
[33] AL-Qur’an 2:35
[34] AL-Qur’an 2:36
 in Christianity and Islam: A Comparative Analysis){kind=link}
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