:sl:
Continuation...
So it is evident that Iblees was included in this address of speech and that he was amongst those commanded to Descend. So if this is confirmed then Allah Subhanahu has mentioned the Descent a second instance with His statement:
“ We said : Get down all of you from this place, then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve” [Al-Baqarah 38]
And what is apparent (from this verse) is that this descent was a second one other than the first one, it was a descent from the sky to the earth, and the first one was a descent from the Garden, so this would mean that the Garden from which he was first expelled was in the sky; the Garden of Eternity.
And Az-Zamakhshari has understood that the statement of Allah “Get down all of you from this place” was in address to Adam and Hawa’ only, and that Allah uttered His words (to them) using the plural form (in indication to their coming offspring) as their offspring will succeed them.
He (Az-Zamakhshari) said:
“And the proof for this opinion is the statement of Allah “He (Allah) said: Get you down both of you together, one of you is an enemy to the other” [Surah Taha: 123]
He (Az-Zamakhshari) also said:
“And what supports this also is Allahs statement ‘...Then whoever follows My Guidance there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve. But those who disbelieve and belie our Ayaat, such are the dwellers of the Fire. They shall abide therein forever” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 38-39]
And (this verse) is nothing but a verdict encompassing all mankind. And the meaning of Allahs statement “One of you is an enemy to the other” [Surah Taha: 123]” is referring to that which is practiced amongst the people from hostility and oppression and misguiding of one another.”
And this (opinion) which he (Az-Zamakhshari) chose is the weakest of all the opinions concerning the verse, for verily the enmity which was mentioned by Allah was (the enmity) between Adam and Iblees and their offspring, as how Allah says:
“Surely Shaytaan is an enemy to you, so take him as an enemy….” [Faatir: 6].
And Allah Subhanahu has already confirmed the matter of enmity between Shaytaan and mankind and He has repeated and scattered its mention throughout the Qur’an due to the pressing need of cautioning from this enemy. As for Adam and his wife then verily He has only mentioned in His book that He created her so that he (Adam) may find comfort in her and Allah made between them love and mercy. So the love and mercy is between the man and his wife, and the Enmity is between Mankind and Shaytaan.
And Adam and his wife and Iblees have been fore mentioned and they are three, so why then should the pronoun (the plural pronoun) be directed to only some of those mentioned - along with the fact that this would be in disagreement to the (correct) method of speech- excluding others? Also the fact that the expression used and the meaning both imply it (to be plural). So, Az-Zamakhshari has not accomplished anything.
As for the Statement of Allah in Surah Taha:
“He (Allah) said: Get you down both of you together, one of you is an enemy to the other” [Surah Taha: 123]
This was in address to Adam and Hawwa, and He (Allah) has made them both enemies to each other. So the pronoun in the statement “: Get you down both” Is either directed to Adam and His wife or to Adam and Iblees without mention of the wife because (it is understood that) she would follow him. And building upon this (conclusion) the enmity mentioned is intended for those two who are being commanded with Descent and they are Adam and Iblees…and so the matter is clear.
As for the first verse, then here the verse has encompassed two matters. The first of them being the Order of Allah to Adam and His wife to Descend, And the Second of them being His informing of the enmity between Adam and his wife, and Iblees. And it is for this reason that the pronoun was mentioned as plural form in the second verse and was not mentioned (as plural) in the first. And it is certain that Iblees was included in this verdict of enmity without doubt, as how Allah has said “Verily this is an enemy to you and to your wife” [Surah Taha: 117]
And He said addressing the offspring (of Adam) “Surely Shaytaan is an enemy to you so take him as an enemy” [Surah Faatir: 6]
So ponder the fact that the places (in the Qur’an) in which there was mentioned Enmity were all in the plural form, and not dual form, but as for the Descent, then at times Allah mentions it in the plural form and at times He mentions it in the dual form and at times in the singular form, for example His statement in Surah al-A’raaf “ He (Allah) said : Get down from here” [Al-A’raaf: 13] And likewise in Surah Saad and this (singular form) would be in address to Iblees alone, and wherever it is mentioned in the plural form, then it would be in address to Adam and His wife and Iblees as the Story revolves around them (three) and wherever it is mentioned in the dual form, then it is either in address to Adam and His wife, as they were the ones who hastened towards eating the from the tree, and they were the ones who preceded with Ma’siyah, or it is either in regards to Adam and Iblees as they are the fathers of the two races; Human and Jinn and the roots of the offspring.
So He (Allah) mentions their situations and the outcome of their actions so that it may be a warning and a lesson to their children, and I have already related the two opinions concerning that, and what becomes clear is that the pronoun in the saying of Allah “Get you down both of you together,” is address to Adam and Iblees.
Verily when Allah mentioned the Sin, He singled out Adam without mention of his wife, and so said:
“Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, so he went astray” [Surah Taha: 121]
And this is evidence that the one being addressed with (commandment) of descent is Adam; the one to whom Ma’siyah appeared attractive, and (it is understood that) the wife will follow him (in Descent).
Verily the objective of this is that Allah informs both Human and Jinn about that which befell their Fathers from the calamity of Ma’siyah and disobedience of orders, For the mention of the fathers (of both Jinkind and Mankind) leaves a more lasting impression than the mention of the parents of Mankind only.
And He Subhanahu has informed (us) concerning the Wife, that she ate with Adam.
And (then) He informed (us) that he ordered him (Adam) to descend and expelled him from Jannah as the result of that action of eating, and so from this it is known that the verdict of the wife was likewise, and that her outcome was like the outcome of Adam. And the need of mentioning the condition of (both) the Fathers of the Human and Jinn was more imperative than the mention (only) the Father of the Human race and their Mother, so ponder upon this.
So overall, His (Allahs) statement “Get you down, all, with enmity between yourselves.” is evidently plural, so it cannot justified that it be assumed that it is dual as in His statement “Get down you both” without any reason.
They said:
And also, Jannah has been stated as Ma’rifah (Definite noun) adorned with Laam At-Ta’reef in all of the places (it has been mentioned), for example His statement “Dwell you and your wife in Al-Jannah (The Garden)” and it’s like. And there is no other garden which is better known by those addressed, nor is there any other (Garden) that is familiar to them other than the Garden of Eternity which has been promised by The Merciful for His servants. This noun (The Garden/Al Jannah) has become symbolic of (Paradise) as the words The Star and The House and The Book and their like (are symbolic of what is intended by them). So whenever this word comes in Ma’rifah (Definite Noun) form it is understood that it is in reference to the well known Garden, the Garden which is known to the hearts of the believers.
And if a garden other than it is intended, then verily (the word Al Jannah) will come in the form of a Nakirah (Indefinite Noun) or it will be restricted with Al-Idhaafah (genitive construction) or the context will contain something which indicates that it is a garden on this earth.
As for the first one (Indefinite Noun) that it is like Allahs statement “Two Gardens of Grapes” [Surah Al-Kahf: 32]
And as for the second one (Restricted by Genitive Construction) it is like Allahs statement “It was better for you, when you entered Your Garden” [Al-Kahf: 39]
And as for the third one (a Garden on this Earth) it is like Allahs statement “Verily we have tried them as we tried the people of the Garden” [Surah Nuun: 17]
And they say:
And from that which further proves that the Garden inhabited by Adam was the Garden of Eternity is what has been reported by Howdhah bin Khalifah, from ‘Awf, from Qasaamah bin Zuhair, from Abi Musa al-Ash’ari He said: “Verily when Allah Ta’aala expelled Adam from Jannah, He supplied for him as provisions some of the fruit of Jannah and He taught him the workmanship of everything,
So this fruit of yours is from the fruit of Jannah except that (these fruits) spoil and those ones do not spoil”
They said:
And Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala promised and guaranteed him (Adam) that if he makes Tawbah and turns unto him, He will return him to it (Paradise), as how it has been reported by Al-Minhaal from Sa’eed ibn Jubair, from Ibn Abbas concerning the statement of Allah “Then Adam received from his Lord words, and his Lord pardoned him” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 37] He (Adam) said: O My Lord! Did you not create me with your hands? He said “Indeed (I did)”
He said “O Lord! Did you not blow into me of your soul? He said “Indeed (I did)”
He said “O Lord! Did you not let me to live in your Garden? He said “Indeed (I did)” He said “O Lord! Does not your Mercy precede your Anger? He said Indeed (it does)”
He (Ibn Abbas) then said: so this is the (meaning of the) verse ““Then Adam received from his Lord words, and his Lord pardoned him”
And He (Al-Minhaal) has other narrations from Ibn Abbaas and in some of them: “Adam said to his Lord after he disobeyed Him ‘My Lord! And if I do Tawbah and better myself?” And so His Lord said to him “Verily (if you do that) I will return you to Jannah”
So this is from some of which was used as evidence by the Holders of the Opinion that it was the Garden of Eternity, and we shall state the Evidences of the others (of the other opinion).
Chapter Four :
Quoting of the Evidences of the Groups who says that it was not the Garden of Eternity, but was a Garden on the Earth
They said:
This is an opinion for which the Evidences are many that obligate us to hold such an opinion.
We shall mention some of those evidences.
They said:
Allah Subhanahu has mentioned upon the tongues of all of His messengers, that entrance into the Garden of Eternity shall only be on Yaum al-Qiyamah, and there will not be another time for its entry. And Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has already described for us in His book it’s characteristics, and there is absolutely no way that Allah subhanahu will describe something with certain descriptions only for that thing to be other than what was described.
They said:
And we have found that Allah has described the Jannah which is promised unto the Muttaqeen (God-fearing) to be Daarul Muqaamah, (Dwelling of Forevermore) so whoever enters it will stay within it, but Adam did not remain in the Garden which he entered.
And He has described it as a Garden of Eternity, but Adam did not dwell in it for Eternity.
He described it as a Dwelling of Rewards and Compensation, not a Dwelling of Burden, and commands and Prohibitions.
He described it as a Dwelling of Complete Safety, not a Dwelling of Tests and Tribulations, and Adam was tested within it with the Greatest of Trials.
He described it as a Dwelling in which Allah is never disobeyed and Adam had Disobeyed His Lord in the Garden which he entered.
He described it as a Dwelling in which there is neither fear nor Sadness, and there befell the Parents within it from Fear and Sadness, that which has befallen them.
He named it Daar As-Salaam (Dwelling of Safety) but the Parents were not safe within it from Fitnah, and (he named it) Daar al-Qaraar, but they did not stay within it.
He said concerning those who enter it “Maa Hum minhaa bi mukhrijeen” “And from it They will not be made to leave”, but the Parents were expelled from it.
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