Tafseer of Taa-Haa · Taa-Haa · 20:121
And Adam and his wife ate of it, and their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The statement concerning the explanation of the words of Allah the Exalted: فَأَكَلا مِنْهَا فَبَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْآتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِنْ وَرَقِ الْجَنَّةِ وَعَصَى آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوَى ("Then they both ate of it, and their private parts became visible to them, and they began hastily to fasten upon themselves leaves from Paradise; and Ādam disobeyed his Lord and went astray") (20:121)
Allah the Exalted says: Ādam and Ḥawwāʾ ate from the tree whose eating had been forbidden to them, and they obeyed the command of Iblīs and defied the command of their Lord. فَبَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْآتُهُمَا — He says: their private parts were uncovered to them, for they had been hidden from their eyes.
As Mūsā related to me, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: he said: Iblīs intended — that is: by his words هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى شَجَرَةِ الْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍ لا يَبْلَى — to make visible to them their private parts which were hidden from them, by stripping away their clothing; and he knew that they had private parts — from his reading of the books of the angels — while Ādam did not know that. And their clothing was the nail. Ādam refused to eat of it, but Ḥawwāʾ came forward and ate. Then she said: O Ādam, eat — for I have already eaten and it has done me no harm. When Ādam ate, their private parts became visible.
His words وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِنْ وَرَقِ الْجَنَّةِ — He says: they began hastily to fasten upon themselves leaves from Paradise.
As Mūsā related to us, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِنْ وَرَقِ الْجَنَّةِ — He says: they began hastily to cover themselves with the leaves of the fig tree.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, his words وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِنْ وَرَقِ الْجَنَّةِ — He says: they began hastily to stitch together upon themselves leaves from Paradise.
His words وَعَصَى آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوَى — He says: he defied the command of his Lord and transgressed the limit into what he was not permitted to transgress — namely, eating from the tree whose eating had been forbidden to him.
