In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The story of our mother Hawwa (Eve).
The honoring of our mother Hawwa.
The first story in Surat al-Baqarah.
It is the story of our father Adam and his wife.
Among the important aspects of this story
is the aspect of Iblis’s enmity toward the family,
the ways he uses to corrupt it,
and the ways to resist this enemy,
along with an explanation of the path to salvation and happiness for the family.
Allah the Almighty said:
"And when We said to the angels,
'Prostrate before Adam,'
so they prostrated,
except for Iblis, who refused
and was arrogant,
and he became of the disbelievers."
And We said, "O Adam,
O Adam, dwell, you
and your wife, in Paradise,
and eat from it in ease and abundance from wherever
you both will, but do not approach
this tree,
lest you be
among the wrongdoers."
The command to prostrate to Adam came before
his creation. Allah the Almighty said:
"Your Lord said to the angels,
'Indeed, I am going to create
a human being from clay
of altered black mud.
So when I have proportioned him
and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down to him
in prostration.'"
This is part of Allah’s honoring of Adam.
Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
This is a great honor from Allah the Almighty to Adam,
which He bestowed upon his descendants,
as He informed us that He commanded the angels
to prostrate to Adam.
This honor includes both male and female
equally,
as the Almighty said:
“Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment.” (17:70)
“Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment.” (17:70)
"And she was created for his sake so that he might find comfort in her,"
so the honor includes her as well.
And the descendants of Adam only emerged from the womb of our mother Hawwa.
Honor does not mean preference.
That is why the Almighty said
in the remainder of the verse:
"And We provided them with good things and preferred them,"
“Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment.” (17:70)
a clear preference.
[This is] through knowledge and intellect,
the sending of messengers, and the revealing of scriptures.
It is a preference through the virtues He specifically granted them,
and the merits He favored them with,
which other types of creatures do not possess.
The difference between preference and honor
is one of generality and specificity.
Honor considers the dignity of the being in itself,
while preference considers
its distinction above others.
It is that He favored him with the intellect
by which he manages his affairs and wards off harm from himself,
and with various types of knowledge and sciences.
This is the intended meaning of preference.
Al-Raghib al-Isfahani said:
"When 'fadl' (preference/favor) is used to denote the superiority of one of two things
over the other, it falls into three categories:
Preference in terms of genus,
such as the preference of the animal genus over the plant genus;
preference in terms of species,
such as the preference of humans over other animals.
In this manner is His saying:
“Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment.” (17:70)
up to His saying, 'a clear preference.'"
And preference in terms of the individual,
such as the preference of one man over another.
The first two are essential [inherent].
As for acquiring preference,
like a horse and a donkey,
they cannot acquire the virtue
that is specific to humans.
The third type of preference may be accidental,
as there is a way to acquire it.
Of this type is the preference mentioned
in His saying, "And Allah has favored some of you,"
“And Allah hath favoured some of you above others in provision. Now those who are more favoured will by no means hand over their provision to those (slaves) whom their right hands possess, so that they may be equal with them in respect thereof. Is it then the grace of Allah that they deny?” (16:71)
meaning wealth and what is acquired.
And His saying, "Men are the protectors and maintainers,"
“Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.” (4:34)
over others, it means
the virtue specifically granted to the man,
which is inherent to him, and the favor that
he has been given in terms of capability, wealth, and status,
and strength. Thus, man and woman
are equal in honor.
However, the male species is preferred over the female species
by Allah’s preference for him.
There is no way for the woman to remove this preference.
The first flaw that occurs in the family
because of Iblis
is the man’s degradation of the woman
and his rejection of this honor,
whether in belief or in action,
as is the custom of some societies,
and the actions that diminish the rights of women.
So what should the woman do in this situation?
We will continue in a future meeting, if Allah wills.
The story of our mother Hawwa.