Creation of Eve (Hawa)
Question:
I would like to better understand the real logic behind this story where it is generally said the Hawa (Adam's wife), first woman, was created from the rib of Adam (AS).
Is this true? Can you please explain.
Answer:
The source of this story seems to be a narration that suggests Hawwa was created from the rib of Adam. If we interpret this Hadith to mean that Hawwa was literally created from Adam then this does not fully fit with the verse of the Qur'an that says otherwise:
... يَأَيهُّا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِى خَلَقَكمُ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَ خَلَقَ مِنهْا زَوْجَهَا وَ بَثَّ مِنهْمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَ نِسَاءً
"O mankind! Have piety towards your Lord who created you from a single soul and created from it his mate and from the two scattered [like seeds] countless men and women." (4:1)
However 'to create something from' does not always mean literally creating, it can also mean to make the nature of something. For instance in 21:37 we read:
...خُلِقَ الْانسَنُ مِنْ عَجَل
"Human being is created from hastiness" (21:37)
The above obviously means that hastiness is in the nature of human being not that human being is literally created from hastiness.
If we interpret the narrations about creation of Hawwa from the rib in the same way then it will mean that Hawwa (and in fact women) by nature are very delicate and men need to treat them with care.
This interpretation of the narration is not against the Qur'an and in fact some of the versions of the narration support this interpretation, Look at the following for example:
Narrated Abu Huraira: God's Apostle said, "Treat women nicely, for a woman is created from a rib, and the most curved portion of the rib is its upper portion, so, if you should try to straighten it, it will break, but if you leave it as it is, it will remain crooked. So treat women nicely"
(Bukhari: 3135)
Obviously there can also be a possibility of error in narrating the exact words of the Prophet (pbuh) in some of these narrations.
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May 2013
I would like to better understand the real logic behind this story where it is generally said the Hawa (Adam's wife), first woman, was created from the rib of Adam (AS).
Is this true? Can you please explain.
Answer:
The source of this story seems to be a narration that suggests Hawwa was created from the rib of Adam. If we interpret this Hadith to mean that Hawwa was literally created from Adam then this does not fully fit with the verse of the Qur'an that says otherwise:
... يَأَيهُّا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِى خَلَقَكمُ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَ خَلَقَ مِنهْا زَوْجَهَا وَ بَثَّ مِنهْمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَ نِسَاءً
"O mankind! Have piety towards your Lord who created you from a single soul and created from it his mate and from the two scattered [like seeds] countless men and women." (4:1)
However 'to create something from' does not always mean literally creating, it can also mean to make the nature of something. For instance in 21:37 we read:
...خُلِقَ الْانسَنُ مِنْ عَجَل
"Human being is created from hastiness" (21:37)
The above obviously means that hastiness is in the nature of human being not that human being is literally created from hastiness.
If we interpret the narrations about creation of Hawwa from the rib in the same way then it will mean that Hawwa (and in fact women) by nature are very delicate and men need to treat them with care.
This interpretation of the narration is not against the Qur'an and in fact some of the versions of the narration support this interpretation, Look at the following for example:
Narrated Abu Huraira: God's Apostle said, "Treat women nicely, for a woman is created from a rib, and the most curved portion of the rib is its upper portion, so, if you should try to straighten it, it will break, but if you leave it as it is, it will remain crooked. So treat women nicely"
(Bukhari: 3135)
Obviously there can also be a possibility of error in narrating the exact words of the Prophet (pbuh) in some of these narrations.
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May 2013
