The Human Cohesion Project — 1 Apr 2023

Originally published at Medium

An interesting difference between the Judeo-Christian and Islamic interpretations of the creation narrative is in how the story of Genesis is told. The Quran also locates it to the Garden of Eden where Adam (acknowledged as the first Prophet in Islam) is based with his spouse. However, the Quran does not blame his spouse (unnamed in the Quran) for seducing Adam to eat the apple, since both ate from the forbidden tree. Also, Islam refers to the tree of eternity, unlike the Bible that speaks of it as the tree of knowledge of good and evil. While the Old Testament goes the route of cursing the earth for the original sin, Islam does not endorse that doctrine of the sin. Instead, according to the Quran, as a result of eating the fruit, God declares the earth as a dwelling place for humans. While there are references to Adam’s disobedience creating evil (causing the experience of duality that erstwhile did not exist in eternity), it also made it possible to create good. Islam chooses to underline the ability of humans to use their free will to do good, and there is mention of Adam and his spouse being forgiven in their lifetimes for having eaten the forbidden fruit.

What might our systems be like, if we were to shift our foundational narratives from that of sin and punishment, to that of potential and mercy? There is no one right answer of course, but as a psychologist I often wonder about the impact of the doctrine of sin on a growing, innocent mind, as compared to the ease that one may experience should one grow up with a more lenient narrative.

Ramadan Kareem. May we be merciful to ourselves.

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