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Adam and Hawa

The creation of the first man and woman in Islam is similar to that of Judaism. In the creation story of the Qur'an Adam is formed of dried clay and softened by rain; his wife Hawa (Eve) is made from his rib when he is sleeping. Allah orders all of the angels to bow down to Adam and all obey except Iblis, who, in revenge for his banishment from Heaven, tempts Hawa to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. She in turn, according to tradition, tempts Adam, first with wine and then with fruit; thus wine is the root of all evil. After their expulsion from the garden they become separated, Adam going to Ceylon where, after 200 years of repentance, he is rescued by the angle Gabriel and taken to Mecca. There he is reunited with Hawa and taught the rites of pilgrimage. A.G.H.

Sabini, John, Islam: A Primer, Washington, DC, Amideast, Sixth ed., 1997, p. 65