20:121-122
20:121
In the result, they both ate of the tree, and so their nakedness appeared to them: they began to sew together, for their covering, leaves from the Garden: thus did Adam disobey his Lord, and allow himself to be seduced.
“I understand these two verses (verse 120-121) in the context of surah 7 verse 20-22 which almost complement the same meaning”
The following commentary is taken from “Exposition of the Holy Quran” by GA Pervez pg.445- 447, Quranic verses 20: 115-124 :
(115) (it is dangerous to follow one’s instincts without receiving guidance from wahi or to ignore it after it has been acquired. ‘This has been earlier explained in the Quran in an allegorical manner, while narrating the story of Adam. As has been explained there, the story of Adam is not that of an individual. It is in fact the story of mankind (2:30-38, 7:11-25.) Earlier, We had commanded Adam (mankind) not to lose sight of the guidance revealed in wahi, but he disregarded it. In fact, we did not find him resolute. (That he generally lacks firmness in his resolutions is the fundamental weak point in a human being. And this weakness can be overcame by believing in the divine laws.) (116) (This allegorical story pertains to the period when) We commanded all Malaika(the heavenly forces) to bow before Adam; and they all did so except Iblees. He refused to bow before him. (In other words, except for his own rebellious desires, the heavenly forces can be conquered by a human being. This however, can only be done if he makes his desires subservient to divine guidance.) (117) And We told Adam, “This is your enemy as well as that of your spouse, lest it drive both of you out of this blissful life of Janna, (The result will be that you will be deprived of all life’s necessities, which presently are easily and abundantly available to you; and to attain them again) You will have to labour hard and strenuously. (118) At present (with the kind of life you are leading) you do not have to worry about your food or clothing.
(119) You suffer neither from thirst, nor from the heat of the sun. (You get all the food to eat; water to drink; clothes to wear; and houses to live in. All this is available without struggle. This was the society in which mankind was living in the early stages of human life.)” (120) (Later, personal and selfish interests started arousing fears and apprehensions in his mind. The most alarming was the fear of death. Man did not want to die, Satan took advantage of this weakness and exploited it.) Satan said to him, “Should I lead you to a tree, the fruit of which will give you eternal life and a kingdom which will never decay?” (Satan said that man can have eternal life through his offspring. Therein lies his continued existence. His progeny will keep his name alive. Therefore, he should forget the good of humanity and keep in view only the interests of his own children.) (121) (Man fell into this trap and instead of promoting universal brotherhood, got involved in racial complications. This can be allegorically explained like this.) Then both Adam and his wife ate the fruit of this tree. Thereafter, they became conscious of their private parts; following which they started covering themselves with leaves from the garden. In this way man disobeyed his Rabb, as a result of which his livelihood and means of nourishment became disorderly. He started treading the wrong path and went astray. (122-123) (But this does not mean that man will remain deprived forever. The chances still remain for him to reclaim the pleasant things by coming back on the right track. Accordingly, Adam was told that social life would come down to a lower level where selfish ambitions would make people enemies of one another.) “Nevertheless, guidance from Us would continue coming to you. Whoever follows this guidance will neither go astray, nor be deprived of the pleasures of life, nor be involved in the rigours of life (as stated in 20:17 above).” In this way Allah guided him towards the path leading to all kinds of exhilaration. Mankind was thus saved from eternal ruination. (124) At the same time it was also explained to him that means (of subsistence) would be restricted, for whoever turns away from divine laws. Furthermore, on the Day of Judgment, We shall raise him as if he was blind. (All the bright and shining avenues of life shall darken for him and) This result will occur in this life as well as in the hereafter (17:72, 20:102).
20:122
But his Lord chose him (for His Grace): He turned to him, and gave him Guidance.
References:
Pervez, Ahmad (2010). Exposition of the Quran. (p. 445-447)