2. Surah al-Baqara, Medina 87

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَقُلْنَا يَا آدَمُ اسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الْجَنَّةَ ...

2: 35. We said:

"O Adam! dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden,

C50. Was the Garden of Eden a place on this earth?

Obviously not. For, in verse 36 below, it was after the Fall that the sentence was pronounced: "On earth will be your dwelling."

Before the Fall, we must suppose Man to be on another plane altogether - of felicity, innocence, trust, a spiritual existence, with the negation of enmity, want of faith, and all evil. (R).

... وَكُلاَ مِنْهَا رَغَداً حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا...

and eat of the bountiful things therein as (where and when) ye will,

... وَلاَ تَقْرَبَا هَـذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ الْظَّالِمِينَ ﴿٣٥﴾

but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression."

C51. "Zulm" in Arabic implies harm, wrong, injustice, or transgression, and may have reference to oneself;

when the wrong is done to others it implies tyranny and oppression;

the idea of wrong naturally connects itself with darkness, which is another shade of meaning carried with the root word.

Other Versions:

2: 35

Asad And We said: “O Adam, dwell thou and thy wife in this garden,

Pickthall And We said: O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden, and eat ye freely (of the fruits) thereof where ye will; but come not nigh this tree lest ye become wrongdoers.

Transliteration Wa qulna_ ya_ a_damus kun anta wa zaujukal jannata wa kula_ minha_ ragadan haisu syi'tuma_, wa la_ taqraba_ ha_zihisy syajarata fa taku_na minaz za_limin(a).

[ Ruby’s note: The way this command not to eat from a tree made as one of the greatest offence is revealing God’s prerogative in setting priority of success and failure.

There is no explanation given as to why the fruit of that tree is not to be eaten and why it is bad? A human is supposed to follow God’s command even sometimes without knowing why.]