Then He explained in detail what He had stated in summary, saying:
⦗515⦘
(116–122) “And when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam,’ they prostrated, except Iblis, who refused. We then said, ‘O Adam, this is indeed an enemy to you and your wife. So do not let him drive you both out of Paradise, lest you suffer hardship. Here you will neither go hungry nor remain unclothed, and you will neither thirst nor be exposed to the sun’s heat.’ But Satan whispered to him, saying, ‘O Adam, shall I lead you to the tree of immortality and a kingdom that never fades?’ So they both ate from it, whereupon their nakedness became exposed to them, and they began covering themselves with leaves from Paradise. Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred. Then his Lord chose him, accepted his repentance and guided him.”
That is, after Allah had completed Adam’s creation with His hand, taught him the names, favored him and honored him, He commanded the angels to prostrate before him as an expression of honor, reverence and esteem. They promptly prostrated in obedience. Iblis was among them, but he arrogantly rejected his Lord’s command and refused to prostrate before Adam, saying, “I am better than he: You created me from fire and created him from clay.” His intense enmity toward Adam and his wife then became evident, for he was an enemy of Allah, and the envy that caused this enmity came to light. Allah therefore warned Adam and his wife against him, saying, “So do not let him drive you both out of Paradise, lest you suffer hardship.” If you are driven out of it, you will lose the pleasant provision and perfect ease you enjoy there.
“Here you will neither go hungry nor remain unclothed, and you will neither thirst nor be exposed to the sun’s heat”—that is, afflicted by its scorching heat. Allah thus guaranteed him an uninterrupted supply of food and drink, clothing and water, as well as freedom from weariness and fatigue. However, He forbade him to eat from a particular tree, saying, “Do not approach this tree, lest you become wrongdoers.” Satan continued tempting them, making the eating of the tree seem alluring and saying, “Shall I lead you to the tree of immortality?”—that is, the tree from which anyone who ate would remain in Paradise forever—“and a kingdom that never fades?” That is, a kingdom that would never end if you ate from it. He approached Adam in the guise of a sincere adviser and spoke to him gently. Adam was deceived by him, and they both ate from the tree. They were then overcome with remorse, their garments fell away, and their disobedience became manifest. Each saw the other’s nakedness after it had previously been concealed, and they began fastening leaves from the trees of Paradise over themselves as a covering. They were overcome by a degree of shame known only to Allah.
“Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred.” They therefore hastened to repent and turn back to Allah, saying, “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. Unless You forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.” His Lord then chose and selected him and facilitated repentance for him: “He accepted his repentance and guided him.” Adam was thus in a better state after his repentance than he had been before it. The enemy’s plot recoiled upon him, and his scheme was thwarted. Allah’s blessing upon Adam and his descendants was thereby made complete, obligating them to uphold its due and acknowledge it. They must also remain wary of this enemy, who lies constantly in wait for them, night and day: “O children of Adam, do not let Satan tempt you as he drove your parents out of Paradise, stripping them of their garments to expose their nakedness to them. He and his host see you from where you cannot see them. We have indeed made the devils allies of those who do not believe.”