And it was also said: this is to preserve the verse-endings.

“Indeed, you will neither go hungry therein nor go unclothed; nor will you suffer thirst therein or be exposed to the sun’s heat. Then Satan whispered to him, saying, ‘O Adam, shall I direct you to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that will never perish?’ So they both ate from it, and their nakedness became exposed to them; and they began covering themselves with leaves from Paradise. Thus Adam disobeyed his Lord and fell into error.” (118–121)

His saying, “Indeed, you will neither go hungry therein,” means: in Paradise, “nor go unclothed.” As for “nor will you suffer thirst,” Nafiʿ and Abu Bakr recited the initial vowel with kasrah, treating it as a new statement, while the others recited it with fathah, coordinating it with His saying, “you will neither go hungry therein.” “Nor will you suffer thirst” means: you will not become thirsty; “therein or be exposed to the sun’s heat” means: you will not come out into the sun, such that its heat harms you. ʿIkrimah said: The sun and its harm will not reach you, (1) for there is no sun in Paradise, and its people will be in extended shade.

“Then Satan whispered to him, saying, ‘O Adam, shall I direct you to the Tree of Eternity?’” That is, to a tree from which, if you eat, you will remain forever; “and to a kingdom that will never perish,” meaning one that will neither pass away nor come to an end. “So they both ate from it,” meaning Adam and Eve, peace be upon them, “and their nakedness became exposed to them; and they began covering themselves with leaves from Paradise. Thus Adam disobeyed his Lord” by eating from the tree, “and fell into error,” meaning that he did something which he was not permitted to do. It was also said that he lost the way to Paradise (2) and went astray when he sought eternity by eating that which he had been forbidden to eat. Thus he failed and did not attain what he desired.

Ibn al-Aʿrabi said: That is, his life was spoiled for him: he passed from honor to humiliation and from ease to hardship.

Ibn Qutaybah said: It is permissible to say, “Adam disobeyed,” but it is not permissible to say, “Adam is disobedient,” for a person is only described as disobedient when he habitually commits acts of disobedience. Just as one may say of a man who sews his garment, “He sewed his garment,” but he is not called a tailor unless he repeatedly does so and makes it his habit. (3)

Abu al-Fadl Ziyad ibn Muhammad al-Hanafi narrated to us: Abu Muʿadh al-Shah ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Muzani informed us; Abu Bakr ʿAbd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ziyad al-Naysaburi informed us in Baghdad; Yunus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla al-Sadafi informed us; Sufyan ibn ʿUyaynah informed us, from ʿAmr ibn Dinar, from Tawus, who heard Abu Hurayrah say: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Adam and Moses debated one another. Moses said, ‘O Adam, you are our father; you disappointed us and caused us to be expelled from Paradise.’ Adam replied, ‘O Moses, Allah chose you…’”