AWOT (ALLAH WAY OF THINKING) PART 1.5

EVE / WOMEN WERE NOT CREATED FROM A RIB BONE

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Greetings from me, Abu Musa

After we learned that the creation of the universe is through the truth (al-haq)

وَمَا خَلَقۡنَا ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَآ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ لَأٓتِيَةٞۖ فَٱصۡفَحِ ٱلصَّفۡحَ ٱلۡجَمِيلَ

“And We have not created the heavens and earth and that between them except in truth. And indeed, the Hour is coming; so forgive with gracious forgiveness” (QS. Al Hijr : 85)

We also dialectics that all of God's decrees regarding the creation of the universe cannot be contradicted. However, the doctrine still used by Muslims indirectly contradicts the creation of the universe itself, namely the doctrine that Eve, or woman, was created from Adam's rib. For someone who uses their intellect sharply, this would naturally seem strange because it contradicts the creation of humans, created from the essence of soil. In Surah Al-Mu’minun: 12-14, Allah SWT says:

وَلَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مِن سُلَٰلَةٖ مِّن طِينٖ ثُمَّ جَعَلۡنَٰهُ نُطۡفَةٗ فِي قَرَارٖ مَّكِينٖ ثُمَّ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلنُّطۡفَةَ عَلَقَةٗ فَخَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡعَلَقَةَ مُضۡغَةٗ فَخَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡمُضۡغَةَ عِظَٰمٗا فَكَسَوۡنَا ٱلۡعِظَٰمَ لَحۡمٗا ثُمَّ أَنشَأۡنَٰهُ خَلۡقًا ءَاخَرَۚ فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ أَحۡسَنُ ٱلۡخَٰلِقِينَ

12. “And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay. 13. Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging. 14. Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators.”

However, there is no verse in the Qur’an that says Eve was created from Adam’s rib. So, where does the doctrine of Eve being created from Adam's rib come from? This doctrine actually originates from a hadith that says, "Advise one another to do good to women, because they were created from a bent rib. If you leave them, they will remain bent, and if you try to straighten them, they will break." (HR. at-Tirmidhi via Abu Hurairah).

As previously studied in Allah’s Way of Thinking, there is no truth other than three entities: Allah, the Qur'an, and the Creation of the Universe. Therefore, hadiths, as the sayings of the Prophet, must be confirmed and verified by these three entities. If they contradict any of them, namely Allah, the Qur'an, or the Creation of the Universe, they should not be used as a foundation.

It seems that some people are trying to force this doctrine into the Qur’an, particularly in Surah An-Nisa: 1.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٖ وَٰحِدَةٖ وَخَلَقَ مِنۡهَا زَوۡجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنۡهُمَا رِجَالٗا كَثِيرٗا وَنِسَآءٗۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِي تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ وَٱلۡأَرۡحَامَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ رَقِيبٗا

“O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul (Adam) and created from it its mate and dispersed (Eve) from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.”

If we pay attention, we see an imposition in that verse by adding parentheses around the phrase “nafsin wahidah” with the name “Adam,” and also the word “jawjaha” with the name “Eve.”If we follow the translation by the Ministry of Religious Affairs (general translation), it implies that Eve is created from Adam. However, if we follow the Qur'an literally, the verse does not discuss the creation of Adam and Eve but rather the creation of humans. Therefore, the diagram of male and female should fall under "nafsin wahidah," as the word "jawjaha" does not refer to just one gender, namely Eve, but the original meaning of"jawjaha" is "pair"—that is, male and female. So, what is “nafsin wahidah”?

If we translate it according to the Qur'anic language, as in Surah Al-Ankabut: 7, which says:

كُلُّ نَفۡسٖ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلۡمَوۡتِۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيۡنَا تُرۡجَعُونَ

“Every soul will taste death. Then to Us will you be returned.”

The word “nafsin” is interpreted as “soul,” so the meaning of “nafsin wahidah” is “one soul,” meaning “elements and kinds that are the same".This understanding aligns with Tafsir Al Maraghi, Tafsir Almanar, and Tafsir Al-Azhar. The translation by General Translation is actually very tendentious as it leads readers to believe that Eve was created from a part of Adam's being, aligning the creation of Eve with what is believed in other religions, as stated in the Bible (Genesis 2:21-22): "So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man."

From here, we can see that the understanding that Eve was created from Adam's rib is not Qur'anic, but rather very biblical. However, some Muslims try to shift the understanding of Eve/woman being created from Adam’s rib from its original meaning to a metaphorical meaning, suggesting that it refers to how one should treat women gently, patiently, and sincerely, just like handling a rib that might break. This understanding is also strange, because according to the Qur'an, there is no distinction in performing good deeds (amalun shalih). As seen in Surah An-Nisa: 124:

وَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ مِن ذَكَرٍ أَوۡ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤۡمِنٞ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ يَدۡخُلُونَ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظۡلَمُونَ نَقِيرٗا

“And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer - those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged, [even as much as] the speck on a date seed.”

If the interpretation of doing good or righteous deeds with gentleness, patience, and sincerity in advising is only for women, doesn’t this understanding also apply to men? Good deeds or righteous acts with gentleness, patience, and sincerity in advising should apply to men as well. It would be strange if the treatment of men didn’t require gentleness, patience, and sincerity. Islam is egalitarian, and everyone has the right to receive equal treatment. The understanding of Eve/woman being created from Adam’s rib, whether taken literally or metaphorically, is not Qur’anic.

Until we meet again in the next study, I am Abu Musa.

Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.