Women In Islam versus Judaeo-Christian Tradition The Myth & The Reality

2. Eve's Fault?

The three religions agree on one basic fact: Both women and men are
created by God, The Creator of the whole universe. However,
disagreement starts soon after the creation of the first man, Adam, and
the first woman, Eve. The Judaeo-Christian conception of the creation
of Adam and Eve is narrated in detail in Genesis 2:4-3:24. God
prohibited both of them from eating the fruits of the forbidden tree.
The serpent seduced Eve to eat from it and Eve, in turn, seduced Adam
to eat with her. When God rebuked Adam for what he did, he put all the
blame on Eve, "The woman you put here with me --she gave me some fruit
from the tree and I ate it." Consequently, God said to Eve:  "I
will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will
give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband and he
will rule over you."  To Adam He said: "Because you listened to
your wife and ate from the tree .... Cursed is the ground because of
you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your
life..."
    
The Islamic conception of the first creation is found in several places
in the Quran, for example: "O Adam dwell with your wife in the Garden
and enjoy as you wish but approach not this tree or you run into harm
and transgression. Then Satan whispered to them in order to reveal to
them their shame that was hidden from them and he said: 'Your Lord only
forbade you this tree lest you become angels or such beings as live
forever.' And he swore to them both that he was their sincere adviser.
So by deceit he brought them to their fall: when they tasted the tree
their shame became manifest to them and they began to sew together the
leaves of the Garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto
them: 'Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you that Satan was your
avowed enemy?' They said: 'Our Lord we have wronged our own souls and
if You forgive us not and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall
certainly be lost' " (7:19:23).

A careful look into the two accounts of the story of the Creation
reveals some essential differences. The Quran, contrary to the Bible,
places equal blame on both Adam and Eve for their mistake. Nowhere in
the Quran can one find even the slightest hint that Eve tempted Adam to
eat from the tree or even that she had eaten before him. Eve in the
Quran is no temptress, no seducer, and no deceiver. Moreover, Eve is
not to be blamed for the pains of childbearing. God, according to the
Quran, punishes no one for another's faults. Both Adam and Eve
committed a sin and then asked God for forgiveness and He forgave them
both.