Surah 20. Taha

---

Verses [Section]: 1-24[1], 25-54 [2], 55-76 [3], 77-89 [4], 90-104 [5], 105-115 [6], 116-128 [7], 129-135 [8]

---

Quran Text of Verse 116-128وَ اِذْAnd whenقُلْنَاWe saidلِلْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِto the AngelsاسْجُدُوْاProstrateلِاٰدَمَto Adamفَسَجَدُوْۤاthen they prostratedاِلَّاۤexceptاِبْلِیْسَ ؕIblisاَبٰی he refused فَقُلْنَاThen We saidیٰۤاٰدَمُO Adam!اِنَّIndeedهٰذَاthisعَدُوٌّ(is) an enemyلَّكَto youوَ لِزَوْجِكَand to your wifeفَلَاSo notیُخْرِجَنَّكُمَا(let) him drive you bothمِنَfromالْجَنَّةِParadiseفَتَشْقٰی so (that) you would suffer اِنَّIndeedلَكَfor youاَلَّاthat notتَجُوْعَyou will be hungryفِیْهَاthereinوَ لَاand notتَعْرٰیۙyou will be unclothed وَ اَنَّكَAnd that youلَاnotتَظْمَؤُاwill suffer from thirstفِیْهَاthereinوَ لَاand notتَضْحٰی exposed to the sun's heat فَوَسْوَسَThen whisperedاِلَیْهِto himالشَّیْطٰنُShaitaanقَالَhe saidیٰۤاٰدَمُO Adam!هَلْShallاَدُلُّكَI direct youعَلٰیtoشَجَرَةِ(the) treeالْخُلْدِ(of) the Eternityوَ مُلْكٍand a kingdomلَّاnotیَبْلٰی (that will) deteriorate فَاَكَلَاThen they both ateمِنْهَاfrom itفَبَدَتْso became apparentلَهُمَاto themسَوْاٰتُهُمَاtheir shameوَ طَفِقَاand they beganیَخْصِفٰنِ(to) fastenعَلَیْهِمَاon themselvesمِنْfromوَّرَقِ(the) leavesالْجَنَّةِ ؗ(of) Paradiseوَ عَصٰۤیAnd Adam disobeyedاٰدَمُAnd Adam disobeyedرَبَّهٗhis Lordفَغَوٰی۪ۖand erred ثُمَّThenاجْتَبٰهُchose himرَبُّهٗhis Lordفَتَابَand turnedعَلَیْهِto himوَ هَدٰی and guided (him) قَالَHe saidاهْبِطَاGo downمِنْهَاfrom itجَمِیْعًۢاallبَعْضُكُمْsome of youلِبَعْضٍto othersعَدُوٌّ ۚ(as) enemyفَاِمَّاThen ifیَاْتِیَنَّكُمْcomes to youمِّنِّیْfrom Meهُدًی ۙ۬guidanceفَمَنِthen whoeverاتَّبَعَfollowsهُدَایَMy guidanceفَلَاthen notیَضِلُّhe will go astrayوَ لَاand notیَشْقٰی suffer وَ مَنْAnd whoeverاَعْرَضَturns awayعَنْfromذِكْرِیْMy remembranceفَاِنَّthen indeedلَهٗfor himمَعِیْشَةً(is) a lifeضَنْكًاstraitenedوَّ نَحْشُرُهٗand We will gather himیَوْمَ(on the) Dayالْقِیٰمَةِ(of) the Resurrectionاَعْمٰی blind قَالَHe will sayرَبِّMy Lord!لِمَWhyحَشَرْتَنِیْۤYou raised meاَعْمٰیblindوَ قَدْwhile [verily]كُنْتُI hadبَصِیْرًا sight 20. Taha Page 321قَالَHe will sayكَذٰلِكَThusاَتَتْكَcame to youاٰیٰتُنَاOur Signsفَنَسِیْتَهَا ۚbut you forgot themوَ كَذٰلِكَand thusالْیَوْمَtodayتُنْسٰی you will be forgotten وَ كَذٰلِكَAnd thusنَجْزِیْWe recompenseمَنْ(he) whoاَسْرَفَtransgressesوَ لَمْand notیُؤْمِنْۢbelievesبِاٰیٰتِin (the) Signsرَبِّهٖ ؕ(of) his Lordوَ لَعَذَابُAnd surely (the) punishmentالْاٰخِرَةِ(of) the Hereafterاَشَدُّ(is) more severeوَ اَبْقٰی and more lasting اَفَلَمْThen has notیَهْدِit guidedلَهُمْ[for] themكَمْhow manyاَهْلَكْنَاWe (have) destroyedقَبْلَهُمْbefore themمِّنَofالْقُرُوْنِthe generationsیَمْشُوْنَ(as) they walkفِیْinمَسٰكِنِهِمْ ؕtheir dwellingsاِنَّIndeedفِیْinذٰلِكَthatلَاٰیٰتٍsurely (are) Signsلِّاُولِیfor possessorsالنُّهٰی۠(of) intelligence

---

Translation of Verse 116-128

116. And when We had said to the angels : “Prostrate yourselves before Adam,” they all prostrated themselves except Ibless, he refused. ¹⁴¹

117. Thereon We said: “O Adam! This is an enemy of yours and your wife’s. Let him not turn you out of the Paradise and you be distressed.

118. “Here you will not be hungry or be naked,

119. “You will not be thirsty, or will not suffer the sun’s heat.”¹⁴²

120. But Satan temptingly whispered ¹⁴³ to him, saying: “O Adam! May I show you the tree of immortality and the kingdom which will never decay.”¹⁴⁴

121. So the two of them (Adam and Hawwa) ate its fruit, consequently their nakedness became apparent to them, and they began to cover themselves with the leaves of the Paradise.¹⁴⁵ Adam disobeyed his Lord ¹⁴⁶ and erred.¹⁴⁷

122. Then his Lord granted him mercy, accepted his repentance, and rightly guided him.¹⁴⁸

123. He said: “Go hence both of you, you are enemy of one another,¹⁴⁹ Then if there come to you guidance from Me, ¹⁵⁰ so whoever follows my guidance, he will not go astray nor will be distressed.¹⁵¹

124. “And whoever turns away from remembrance of Me, his will be a straitened life,¹⁵² and I will raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.”¹⁵³

125. He will say: “My Lord! Why have you raised me up blind, while I have been a seer.”

126. He will answer: “Thus Our revelations reached you and you forgot them. Similarly you are forgotten this Day.”¹⁵⁴

127. And thus We reward the transgressor ¹⁵⁵ and who had denied the revelations of his Lord, and the punishment of the Hereafter is terrible and everlasting.

128. Did not this fact give them any guidance as to how many generations We destroyed before them, in whose dwellings they go about? ¹⁵⁶ Surely in this there are signs¹⁵⁷ for men of understanding.

---

Commentary

141. This has been explained in Surah Baqarah Note Nos. 47 and 48.

142. The Paradise where Adam and mother Hawwa (Eve) were kept had a characteristic that they did not feel hunger or thirst, inspite of this, provisions for eating and drinking were amply made, so that they might eat and drink to their hearts’ content. Similarly they were draped in such raiment’s that were to last for ever, and they could never feel that they were naked. This was a temporary Paradise in which Prophet Adam and Mother Hawwa (Eve) were kept. As regards the question as to where this Paradise was, the Qur’an has not mentioned anything about it, for the purpose in view did not need these details to be mentioned.

143. This has been explained in Surah A’raf Note. No.25.

144. Satan said various things to Adam to tempt him. Some time he said that he has been forbidden to eat that fruit so that he might not become an angel (Surah A’raf, ayah No.20), and sometime he said that if he ate the fruit of that tree, it would make him immortal and he would become the king of an everlasting kingdom.

145. For explanation, please see Surah A’raf Notes Nos. 26, 29 and 30.

146. Prophet Adam had committed disobedience, but this disobedience was not intentional, it was the result of forgetfulness, and it had no element of rebellion in it, which has been mentioned by the Qur’an itself. He was penalised for this forgetfulness because he did not try to take care to remember the emphatic command of God that a particular tree was out of bounds for him and his spouse. As regards the question: How could Adam be considered guilty of disobedience when he was a prophet, as a prophet is not supposed to commit any sinful act. Firstly this event took place before the grant of prophethood to Adam, secondly it took place in the temporary Paradise which was their abode and which was made for the very purpose of making such a test. Thirdly there is a different grades of sins. This sin was an unintentional error, which was the result of falling a prey to the Devil’s temptation.

147. In the text the word ‘Ghawa’ is used, which means straying, as well as deviating under the pressure of desires or on account of ignorance. Accordingly in Surah Qasas, ayah, No.18, the statement of Prophet Moosa has been narrated as ‘You are an obviously foolish man.’

Prophet Adam had not been guilty of any laxity in belief or he had not adopted a rebellious attitude, but this wrong step was taken by him under temptation from Satan, and this wrong step has been termed in the Qur’an as ‘ghawa’.

148. When the raiment of Paradise had come off from the body of Prophet Adam, he realised that he has defaulted, and for this he became sorry .Seeing him full of regrets and repentant, Allah accepted his repentance and showered His blessings on him. He was blessed by being guided to repent and Allah accepted it.

There is a lesson for everyone in this event, that if a sin is committed by man, and he feels sorry and offers repentance to his Lord, the Lord grants him mercy and answers his prayer and elevates him spiritually.

This ayah also makes it clear that Adam was prophet and it has been mentioned that by accepting his repentance he was rightly guided. By this right guidance is meant the path of faith and good and righteous conduct by treading on which Allah’s pleasure can be sought and lasting success can be achieved. Thus the first man that came on earth was a rightly guided person, and since this right guidance was received by him from Allah direct, he was a prophet.

149. Its explanation has been given in Surah A’raf Note No. 33.

150. For explanation, please see Surah Baqarah Note No.56.

151. By not coming to grief is meant not to be subjected to the punishment of Hell-fire. A similar statement is made in the Surah Baqarah :

“They will neither have fear, nor will they come to grief ”.

152. By straitened life is meant that narrowness of the heart and soul which causes spiritual suffocation. However much wealth and property a man may have, or however plentiful their means of pleasure seeking may be, but by deviating from the remembrance of Allah and not following His right guidance, the heart does not get peace nor the soul gets the desired tranquillity. Such a person is always found to be suffering from a psychological disease, and that is anxiety and restlessness.

Today, when the world has become too wide for its worshippers, the condition of many of these people is such that inspite of having earned tons of money and enjoyed every conceivable pleasure, they find the peace of mind and heart elusive. Anxiety is apparent from their faces and a number of them invite unnatural death, being fed up of this life. The reality is that man can find a life of peace, satisfaction and tranquillity only when he establishes a relationship of devotion with his Lord, remembers Him, and derives benefit from the Reminder (Qur’an) sent by Him.

153. For explanation, please see Surah Bani Israil, Note No.102.

154. You are being totally neglected. The sight of mercy will not be turned towards you.

155. That is: Who had transgressed the limits of slavery and obedience to God, and who had considered himself as independent.

156. Means the destroyed township of Thamud and Madyan, etc., which were situated on the highways and by which the caravans of the Arabs used to pass. (for further explanation, please see Surah Hijr, Note No.78).

157. Signs of the fact that the world is not a haphazardly created place, but that it is a place which is being administered in an orderly manner by the Most Astute Administrator with justice and fair play, and before His limitless power everybody else is helpless. He sends down messengers for the guidance of mankind and their dawah is truthful. The nation which opposes the Divine messenger receives due punishment in this world itself.