سورة الأعراف

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Jahm said: I was present in the gathering of al-Ma'mun, and Imam Rida (peace be upon him) was with him. Al-Ma'mun said to him: "O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), do you not hold that the prophets (peace be upon them) are infallible?" He said: "Yes." He said: "Then what is the meaning of the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: فَلَمَّا آتاهُما صالِحاً جَعَلا لَهُ شُرَکاءَ فِیما آتاهُما [But when He gave them a sound one, they set up with Him associates in what He had given them]?" Imam Rida (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, Hawwa bore five hundred pregnancies for Adam (peace be upon him), in each pregnancy a boy and a girl, and Adam and Hawwa (peace be upon them) made a covenant with Allah and supplicated to Him, that if He granted them righteous, sound-formed offspring, they would renounce the world and material things. Allah gave them two kinds of children, male and female, and those two groups and two kinds became associates in the blessings which Allah had bestowed upon them, and they did not give thanks to Allah as their parents had done. And Allah is high above the shirk (associating partners) which they committed." Al-Ma'mun said: "I bear witness that you are truly the son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurara narrates from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): I heard him say regarding the verse: فَلَمَّا آتاهُما صالِحاً جَعَلا لَهُ شُرَکاءَ فِیما آتاهُما [But when He gave them a sound one, they set up with Him associates in what He had given them]: "They are Adam and Hawwa (peace be upon them), and their shirk was shirk of obedience, not shirk of worship."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): When Hawwa became pregnant by Adam (peace be upon him) and their child moved in Hawwa's womb, Hawwa said to Adam (peace be upon him): "Something is moving in my belly." Adam said to her: "What is in your belly is a drop of fluid from me that has settled in your womb, and Allah creates from it a creature by which He tests us." Iblis came to her and said: "O Hawwa, how are you?" Hawwa said to him: "I am pregnant, and in my belly is a child from Adam (peace be upon him) that sometimes moves." Iblis said to her: "If you intend to name him Abd al-Harith, you will give birth to a boy and he will live and survive. But if you do not intend to name him Abd al-Harith, six days after you give birth to him he will die." From what Iblis said, a feeling arose within Hawwa. She informed Adam of what Iblis had said to her. Adam said: "That evil one has come to you; do not accept his word. I hope this child will remain, and the opposite of what Iblis told you will occur." From the speech of that evil one, the same feeling arose in Adam as had arisen in Hawwa. When Hawwa gave birth to him, that child lived only six days and then died. Hawwa said to Adam (peace be upon him): "What al-Harith (Satan) told us about him has come to pass." And from the speech of that evil one something entered into them that cast them into doubt. It was not long before Hawwa became pregnant again. Iblis came to her and said: "O Hawwa, how are you?" Hawwa said to him: "I gave birth to a boy, but he died on the sixth day." That evil one said to her: "If you had intended to name him Abd al-Harith, he would have lived and remained. And what is now in your belly is like what is in the bellies of these livestock that are around you — either a camel, or a cow, or a sheep, or a goat." From this speech of Iblis, a feeling arose in her heart that inclined her to affirm his words, and she gained assurance in the report he had given her earlier about the first pregnancy. She informed Adam of Iblis's speech. In the heart of Adam (peace be upon him), from the speech of that evil one, the same feeling arose as was in Hawwa's heart. فَلَمَّا أَثْقَلَتْ دَعَوَا اللهَ رَبَّهُما لَئِنْ آتَیْتَنا صالِحاً لَنَکُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّاکِرِینَ فَلَمَّا آتاهُما صالِحاً [And when she grew heavy, they both prayed to Allah, their Lord: "If You give us a sound child, we will surely be among the grateful." But when He gave them a sound child…] — that is, Hawwa did not give birth to a camel, a cow, or a sheep. Iblis came to her and said: "How are you?" Hawwa said: "I have grown heavy and the time of delivery has drawn near." Iblis said: "But you will certainly regret it, and you will see in what is in your belly something that displeases you, and Adam will wish, on account of you and what you have borne, that it had been that camel, sheep, or goat." He incited her to obey him and accept his words. Then he said to her: "O Hawwa, know that if you intend to name him Abd al-Harith, and you both grant me a share in him, you will give birth to a sound and healthy boy who will remain with you and live." Hawwa said: "I have intended to grant you a share in my child." That evil one said to Hawwa: "Will you not ask Adam to make the same intention as yours, and to grant me a share in your child, and to name him Abd al-Harith?" Hawwa said: "Yes!" and she turned to Adam (peace be upon him) and informed him of what al-Harith had said and of what he had told her. And from the speech of Iblis a fear fell into the heart of Adam (peace be upon him) that caused him to rely on Iblis's word. And Hawwa said to Adam: "If you do not intend to name him Abd al-Harith and grant Iblis a share in him, I will not let you approach me or lie with me, and there will be no affection between me and you." When Adam heard this from her, he said: "You were the cause of that first sin and disobedience as well, and he is drawing you on with delusion. I will follow you and say that we grant Iblis a share in our child, or that I name him Abd al-Harith." And between themselves they secretly made this intention. When Hawwa gave birth to her child sound and healthy, they were both delighted at this, and were relieved of the fear that their child might have been in the shape of a camel, cow, sheep, or goat, and they wished that this child would live for them and not die on the sixth day. When the seventh day arrived, they named him Abd al-Harith.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Fudayl said: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said regarding the verse: فَلَمَّا آتاهُما صالِحاً جَعَلا لَهُ شُرَکاءَ فِیما آتاهُما فَتَعالَی اللهُ عَمَّا یُشْرِکُونَ [But when He gives them a good one, they set up with Him associates in what He has given them; but high is Allah above what they associate with Him]: "These two are Adam and Hawwa (peace be upon them), and their shirk (associating) was shirk in obedience, not shirk in worship." Then Allah revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): "He it is who created you from a single soul," up to where He says: فَتَعالَی اللهُ عَمَّا یُشْرِکُونَ [but high is Allah above what they associate]. He said: "Adam and Hawwa assigned a share for Satan in the creation of Allah, but they did not make Iblis a partner in the worship of Allah."