Title: Adam (pbuh) & 'Al-Jannah' - Al-Baqarah 2: 36 Question: Surah Al-Baqarah 2:36. "But Satan lured them into a fall and [thus] succeeded in getting them expelled from the [happy] state that they were both in. And We said: 'Get down from here. You are enemies, one to the other. And your dwelling and sustenance shall be in the earth, for an appointed time'." I read your preference of tafseer by Ameen Ahsen Islahi of 'Jannah' , certainly it was very interesting i.e. Adam being on earth in a garden. But I have few questions those making me not fully accept your preference: If Adam was told of his progeny then why God has forbidden him from that tree i.e. sexual relation. How could he have a progeny without having a sexual relation? Why God used the word 'earth'? If Adam was not in heaven then he must have known that he is on earth; after all he was also taught the name of his progeny as you stated. No one will have a progeny in heaven. So why is the word earth used? Why God used the phrase "appointed time"? If Adam was not in heaven he must have an appointed time already because he was on the earth. Satan deceived him by enticing him to become immortal. Does this mean that Adam was living an eternal life on this earth? Humans will only live an eternal life in heaven. Thanks. Jazzakallah khairun Nauman Ilyas Answer: Firstly, it should be kept in mind that, as a corollary of the preferred interpretation, the events relating to the period during which Adam (pbuh) and Eve were stationed in "Al-Jannah" were, in fact, a kind of a training phase for the father and the mother of the humankind, during which they and, through them, their progeny was practically taught a lesson regarding Satan's unending enmity and hatred for them. Secondly, the fact that a person would be bestowed with progeny at some future time, does not, by itself, allow that person to have sexual intercourse with another person, at the present time. For instance, we know that it is through sexual intercourse that man has made provisions for the perpetuation of his species on this earth. Nevertheless, even this awareness does not provide man the license for freely indulging in sexual intercourse with another person. Adam's fault was not to taste from 'the tree of eternity', per se. On the contrary, Adam's fault, in fact, was to taste from the 'tree of eternity' at a time, when God had prohibited him to do so. As for your second observation, the word 'earth' is used for the earth, in general [1] . In the initial 'training phase', Adam (pbuh) and Eve were resided in a blessed garden, where they neither had to work to gather the provisions of their life nor worry for their future. However, after this phase, the two were told to go and live in the earth, as humans were meant to live. In this context, the usage of the word 'earth' does not necessarily imply that prior to the referred incident Adam (pbuh) and Eve were residing in Paradise. As for your last observation, it seems that it was at this stage that Adam (pbuh) and Eve were given the complete information about the overall Divine scheme of testing man for 'an appointed time'. The phrase 'appointed time' is used specially with reference to the information that was given to Adam and Eve, regarding this scheme. I thank you for your comments and hope that my foregoing explanation will help. Regards, Moiz Amjad May 6, 2002 [1] As we would say: "We freed the goldfish in the water". The word 'water' over here does not imply that the goldfish was kept in a waterless jar, on the contrary, the word 'water' over here refers to 'open waters'.