In paradise the spirit of a person surrounds their body, that is to say, in paradise the spirit embraces the body and surrounds it on all sides. It is the garment of the body and its light surrounds it as the flame of the candle surrounds the wick. If the wick represents the body, then the blaze and the flame represent the spirit.
Therefore, we can see that the state of a person in paradise is completely different from their state in this worldly life which we live now. If a person’s spirit, in this worldly life, tastes things in the mouth by means of the tongue, looks through a veil and does not see anything with the eye except shadows and pictures, and hears sounds through their ear but only perceives the echo of the sound, then in paradise the opposite is the case. The spirit does not taste with the tongue, that small member, and nor does it see with the eye, nor hear with the ear.
As the spirit surrounds the body on that day, it tastes everything by itself – all of it tastes: all of it sees and all of it is an eye, all of it hears and all of it feels. It tastes, hears, speaks and sees all by itself, directly, without any intermediary. In such a state, therefore, its taste will be great, its witnessing vast and its bliss perfect. In their worldly state, people sometimes feel sated and do not perceive the flavor of food after eating a certain amount of it. In paradise, people never feel sated, and nor do they feel bored of anything, and nor do they feel hungry or thirsty. This is referred to in the noble verse in which God says: “It is for you to neither feel hungry nor naked therein. And you neither feel thirsty, nor does the sun’s heat injure you.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 20, Ta Ha ‘Ta-ha’ (Pure), verse 118-119
That is because in paradise, the rays of the spirit flow to things by themselves and mix with them, in the same way that the sun’s rays penetrate the depths of the water and absorb it continuously, causing seasonal rain clouds to form, which then travel to reach the crops in the fields. The spirit’s rays also reach fruit and other food, and since on that day all of it is a tongue, the spirit tastes continuously and enjoys increasing bliss without feeling heavy, bored or sated. Thus, its enjoyment is always increasing without its becoming embittered by anything. This is referred to in the noble verse where God says: “The example of paradise, which the people who see by God’s light have been promised, is that rivers flow under it, its eating is eternal and so is its shade….”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 13, Ar-Ra’d (The Thunder), verse 35
That was our master Adam’s state in paradise (pth) and that was how he ate with his wife. Their spirits surrounded their bodies, and they ate happily and freely from paradise. That is to say, they enjoyed a spiritual tasting that was filled with bliss. In addition to this, they were perpetually witnessing the Creator’s Beauty and Perfection, overwhelmed by their continuous enjoyment of this nearness to God, which is the highest aspiration.
Briefly, we say: our master Adam and his wife ate in paradise without making any effort in planting, reaping or any of the work that preparing food usually requires. And the Almighty’s saying describes that state: “It is for you to neither feel hungry nor naked therein, and you neither feel thirsty nor does the sun’s heat injure you.”
The spirit had ruled the body and had been in control of it, and the body thus had been no more than the center of this spirit. But after eating the fruit and putting its flesh into their bellies, this state changed for Adam and his wife. Control and authority was then exercised by the body and the spirit existed merely within the body, as is the case now for us here, in our worldly state.[42]
There is no doubt that this state is completely different from the original one, and within it life depends upon nourishing the body, invigorating it, and providing it with the material necessary for its existence. In this state, the body will weaken and feel hungry and thirsty, and consequently the spirit will be in pain when the body is in need of this nourishing material. Undoubtedly, the maintenance of life in this state requires people’s steady effort and continuous toil.
Moreover, the spirit’s ability to taste and enjoy things will be veiled, and this can take place only through intermediaries. It will not be able to taste things, except by means of the tongue, and it will be the same with the senses of sight, hearing, and smell – which are achieved respectively by means of the eye, the ear, and the nose. In addition to all that, the spirit will not be able to enjoy things vastly and infinitely, as the body will be sated by a certain amount of food and drink, and if it has more than it needs it will become confused, and consequently, the spirit will start to feel pain. Accordingly, taste is limited in this case, and one is obliged to work so as to provide for the needs of the body, and cannot stop working. For that reason, there will be exertion and exhaustion. The noble verse refers to that wherein God says: “…you will be of the unjust.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 2, Al-Baqara (The Cow), verse 35
In addition, this is referred to in the noble verse in which God says: “…don’t let him get you out of paradise lest you would be tired.”: due to the toil and the bodily work.
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 20, Ta Ha ‘Ta-ha’ (Pure), verse 117
We have presented this introduction about our master Adam and the conception of paradise so as to be able to discern the following:
Our master Adam knew of the troubles that would follow eating from the tree and the effort and toil that living would require once one had eaten from it, and he knew that God had forbidden him to eat from it to protect him from having to carry such a burden. But his great love for his Creator made him forget God’s advice, and this love allowed him to ascend to a level of virtue that qualified this noble prophet (pth) to be God’s successor on His earth, and also caused all the noble Angels to prostrate themselves before him. The Almighty says: “…I will make a successor of Mine on Earth…”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 2, Al-Baqara (The Cow), verse 30
This noble verse shows that the aim of the Provider of the worlds extended beyond creating Adam (pth) on Earth. His descent (pth) was an inevitable matter, but it came in the way that it did so as to acquaint him and us with Satan’s enmity towards him and his offspring. The Almighty sought to make us know and understand for all time that love for God, true-heartedness and sincerity must exist within a context of law and order.
Anyone, whoever they were, even including one of the apostles, would definitely have eaten from the tree had they been put in the position of our master Adam (pth). This is because Adam was in a spiritual state in which the organs of the body were not functioning. His brain was not working at this time, and he was unable to think, and this inability to remember God’s advice occurred because the memory can only exist in thought and in the brain. Because his organs (including the brain) were not functioning, this ability to think was not active, and so Adam was not able to remember the advice he had been given. Before the spirit’s entry into the body it would immediately forget any advice, as if it had been received while the body was asleep.
Indeed, thinking becomes suspended in the hereafter, for its employment is restricted to this lower life, where the spirit uses this ability to think for worldly purposes. The unbelievers’ saying: “My authority (power) had gone away from me.” describes the state of the spirit without that authority: that is to say, the power of thought.
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 69, Al-Haqqa (Truth-Control), verse 29
This capacity for thought remains inactive unless the spirit makes use of it in solving its problems. If it turns to thinking, shining its rays upon its problems, by doing so it will immediately disassemble the matters which the spirit wants to understand and show it the solution.
In the afterlife, remembrance of the acts which we have done in this lower life occurs by means of the angels. They remind us of these acts from time to time, according to Allah’s command, for otherwise we do not remember any of our deeds. When they remind us of one of our good deeds, we enter into Allah’s pleasure because of it and ascend to a higher degree of bliss and beauty; that is, to a loftier paradise and so forth. The Almighty says: “...and the angels enter them through every entrance.”: that is: through all of their previous good deeds.
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 13, Ar-Ra’d (The Thunder), verse 23
Thus, it is their deeds which uplift people in this world and in the afterworld if they were good, and conversely, it is through their deeds that they will descend if they were bad. This paradise to which they are raised amplifies the inferior blessings like food, drink and the like, which, when they taste of them directly, without any veiling, they enjoy them even more.
Such was the state of our master Adam (pth) in paradise. Then, when he received the advice – the command of the Provider of the worlds that he should not approach the tree – he was in a state of being in which he was unable to remember; but then, after eating from it, his spirit retreated into his body; that is, it followed the tree’s fruit from the outside to the inside of the body, and settled there, inside it. It became connected to the universe through the five senses when the body set out to fulfill its desires and dispose of what it had eaten. Thus, as the digestive apparatus acted to get rid of the remains of what had been eaten, so it was with the nervous system which acted to set the body in motion and steer it, and the brain, which was set to analyze its surroundings, and so forth.
At this point, our master Adam (pth) remembered his Provider’s advice which he had forgotten at the time he ate from the tree. The Almighty says: “We have covenanted Adam before but he forgot and we found no intention on his part.”: that is: we found no evidence that he intended to infringe upon us.
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 20, Ta Ha ‘Ta-ha’ (Pure), verse 115
God also says: “Then, his Provider chose him (Adam), forgave him and gave him guidance.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 20, Ta Ha ‘Ta-ha’ (Pure), verse 122
After the mechanism of his thought set to action, our master Adam (pth) remembered his Provider’s Advice, and then, the Almighty addressed him with words showing him that he had disobeyed His Orders through no intention of his own – for he had been in a state of forgetfulness – and told him that his exit from paradise was due to the Almighty’s Will and Management. Forgetting the Godly Command was not related to his free will or choice, so he would never be blamed for this. He was in an absolute spiritual state where control belonged utterly to the spirit, inside which the body was inoperative and its systems, including memory, were not functioning. Consequently, there was no escape from the oblivion which was normal in this state. The noble verse refers to that wherein Allah says: “Then, Adam received words from his Provider and He made him repent and accepted his repentance. He is the Pardoner, the Compassionate.”: Adam (pth) had the initiative to take refuge and submit. Then, the Almighty inspired his spirit by telling Adam that his intention was high and honest, and that He would never blame him for this.
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 2, Al-Baqara (The Cow), verse 37
Thus, this is the way by which man came to this lower life, where favor and charity can be carried out. Here you can do many good deeds that shall revolve before your sight in the hereafter, and through which you are promoted from one state to a higher one, and from one paradise to a higher one. If you pursue the path of righteousness you shall be a true believer, and if you enter the school and exert yourself you shall be elevated, but without entering the school you shall stay at a lower rank.
Al’lah the Almighty has mentioned His command and Adam’s forgetfulness (pth), as related in this story, only in your own interest, to make you happy through understanding it, to allow you to avoid Satan’s deception while thinking strictly and acting positively. Thus, you shall rise up and attain bounty.
Al’lah the Almighty was Omniscient of Adam and his wife (ptt). He knew exactly that Adam had no thought yet at that time, in addition to knowing that he would surely forget His command. But the Almighty instituted this approach of giving Adam an order, and Adam’s forgetting of this order, only to remind us of Satan’s enmity and make us aware of him, as well as to tell us that anyone who falls through no intention of their own can easily return to their place in Al’lah’s presence. However, whoever does so on purpose can never return until they repent.
Satan has no access to the true believer, for Al’lah the Almighty is the Protector of those who believe, whereas Satan comes near to those who have no true faith. So seek to achieve true faith, for anyone who does not believe truly in Al’lah will certainly be destroyed. Faith is not achieved merely through speaking, through being mindful and witnessing that the Almighty is the All-Hearing and the Omniscient force who steers every motion. If you seek to reach that level of faith, consider this universe, think carefully, and you will believe that there is no God but Al’lah and take a lesson and remembrance from this story.
So, the devil whispered to our master Adam (pth); that is: he addressed him from afar, saying, as is mentioned in the noble verse: “…Oh, Adam! I shall guide you to the tree of Eternity and to an immortal property.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 20, Ta Ha ‘Ta-ha’ (Pure), verse 120
“…the tree of Eternity” is meant to be the tree that, if Adam was to eat from it, he would remain forever in paradise: that is, in that spiritual bliss in which he could be near to his Creator. The words “an immortal property” mean: you will have access to that spiritual state which you enjoy and you will not cease from immersion in this witnessing of Godly Perfection, remaining perpetually pleased with Him.
You might say: how did the devil whisper to Adam (pth) when prophets are impeccable?
I would say; if one of us met a disbeliever and talked to them, that would not mean we controlled their spirit or overruled it. So it was with our master Adam when his spirit surrounded his body: his meeting with the devil was a meeting of one spirit with another from a distance. In that, there was no question of one of these spirits controlling or overruling the other one.
Regard the noble verse, wherein God says: “He (the devil) has sworn to them I am one of the advisers for you both.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 7, Al-A’raf (The Heights), verse 21
We say: as Adam knew of his Creator’s Greatness and Majesty, and he did not think that anyone would dare to commit perjury, so the devil swore by God to him and to his wife (ptt).
Since the great people such as our master Adam (pth) appreciated Al’lah, the Almighty and the Greatest, therefore Adam believed the devil because he never thought that anyone might swear a false oath by Al’lah, the Greatest.
Thus, he forgot Al’lah’s advice for him not to eat from the tree. Due to his great love for God and his aspiration to attain the eternal vision of the Generous Almighty’s Face, the source of Beauty and the Creator of Might and Majesty; and since he was unable to remember the instruction, because of the suspension of his thinking; he ate from the tree and so did his wife (ptt). Their intention was to stay in that beautiful spiritual state of being in the Creator’s presence and to continue this witnessing of the Godly perfection, but his love for his Creator made him forget His advice. The noble verse shows this when God says: “We have covenanted Adam before but he forgot and We found no intention of his.”: that is, he forgot God’s advice unintentionally and He knew that he did not intend to be disobedient.
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 20, Ta Ha ‘Ta-ha’ (Pure), verse 115
The noble verse, in which God says: “So, he (the devil) let them down with conceit…”: refers to the devil’s deceit and his charm, and warns us to avoid him.
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 7, Al-A’raf (The Heights), verse 22
“So, he let them down…”: means that he brought them to the fruit and made them put it in their mouths and eat its flesh. “…with conceit…”: means that one imagines that one acquires greater good by an action than what is already in one’s possession, when in fact the opposite is true. So, the devil let them down; that is, he brought them to the fruit with conceit; that is, he made them imagine that eating from the tree would cause them to remain in that elevated state of nearness to God perpetually, despite this being a lie. His aim was to cause them shame and diffidence before God, by disobeying His advice, in order to achieve his purpose of creating a distance between them and God. From this the enmity of the devil for humanity is revealed to us along with its opposite: our master Adam’s love for his Provider and his hope to remain in His presence.[43]
Being of a sublime nature, our master Adam (pth) never knew any kind of evil, but thought that all people were goodhearted. Even had he been informed otherwise, he would surely have forgotten this, because he was in a spiritual state in which his capacity for thought was dormant and he had no memory. He also possessed a genuine innocence which made him unaware of people in practice at that time. Since his spirit contained nothing but goodness and perfection, he didn’t anticipate the existence of any enmity from anything in God’s creation; nor did he know that there was such a thing as a lie, for he (pth) was still behaving in accordance with the perfection with which Al’lah created humanity. The idea of a lie had never occurred to him at all, especially when Satan swore a false oath by Al’lah. But afterwards, he knew that there existed enmity, the shunning of Al’lah, slyness, and treason. He also recognized Satan’s hostility towards him. Had he previously known Satan and his capacity for deception, he would have responded to him with a piece of God’s Light, which would surely have burnt him as punishment for his cunning and his turning away from Al’lah. However, since he had not started to think yet, he could not remember his instructions from God.
Subsequently Satan realized that he could not approach the prophets (ptt) at all once he had been unmasked and his evil intentions had been unveiled, as referred to by the noble verse wherein God says: “…verily, I shall seduce them all (humankind), except your pure selected obedient followers from among them.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 38, Sâd (the Letter, S = True), verse 82-83
The noble verse plainly asserts the aforementioned when God says within it: “Then, the devil whispered to him…”, whereas He never says that he whispered in Adam’s chest or spirit.
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 20, Ta Ha ‘Ta-ha’ (Pure), verse 120
This would be the same way that is mentioned in the noble verse: “Who whispers evil in the chests of oblivious mankind.”: (oblivious mankind, oblivious jinn-kind). This refers to those who have separated themselves from Al’lah, the Almighty.
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 114, An-Nas (Oblivious Mankind, Oblivious Jinn-kind), verse 5
And it is clear that the preposition ‘to’ here refers to a disconnection, whereas the preposition ‘in’ indicates a circumstance of spiritual embracing. Thus, the whispering that took place from afar cannot be considered to be an instance of Satan entering into our master Adam (pth), or even coming near to him, and it is inconceivable that we should regard this story as an assertion of the probability that Satan may ever penetrate the spirits of prophets (ptt).