reation is found in different places in the Koran, for example: To Adam he said: “Dwell with your wife in Paradise, and eat of any fruit you please; but never approach this tree or you both shall become transgressors.”But Satan tempted them, so that he might reveal to them their shameful parts, which they had never seen before. He said: “Your Lord has forbidden you to approach this tree only to prevent you from becoming angels or immortals.” Then he swore to them that he would give them friendly counsel.Thus did he cunningly seduce them. And when they had eaten of the tree, their shame became visible to them, and they both covered themselves with the leaves of the Garden.Their Lord called out to them, saying: “Did I not forbid you to approach that tree, and did I not say to you that Satan was your inveterate foe?”They replied: “Lord, we have wronged our souls. Pardon us and have mercy on us, or we shall be among the lost.”(7:19:-23)Carefully looking at these two accounts of the same story of the Creation, reveals the first of many differences in how women are viewed. The Koran, unlike the Bible, never places sole responsibility for the fall of man on just Eve, rather it places equal blame on both Adam and Eve. Nowhere in the Koran can one find the slightest hint that Adam was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit by Eve. Nor can the idea be found that Eve ate the fruit before Adam did. There is no idea of the temptress, no seduction nor deception. Furthermore, Eve is not blamed for the pains of childbirth. According to the Koran, God does not punish one for other’s mistakes; therefore, Adam had to have been guilty of the same error as Eve, for he was punished as well. The image of Eve as a temptress in the Bible has caused an extremely negative view and impact on women, especially throughout the Judeo-Christian tradition. All women are believed to have inherited their ways from...
