Epigraph

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا

O mankind! Reverence your Lord, Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate, and from the two has spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Reverence God, through Whom you demand your rights of one another, and family relations. Truly God is a Watcher over you. (Al Quran 4:1)

Written and Collected by Zia H Shah, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

Let us start with the commentary of the first verse of Surah Nisa, quoted above as epigraph, from the traditional commentators, as summarized by Seyyed Hossein Nasr:

That God created human beings from a single soul is also mentioned in 6:98; 7:189; 31:28; 39:6; the creation of its mate therefrom is also mentioned in 7:189; 39:6. Elsewhere, God’s having made for human beings “mates from among themselves” or “in pairs” is considered a Divine gift for which humanity should be grateful and in awe (16:72; 30:21; 35:11; 42:11; 78:8). The present verse indicates a progression in human creation from singularity (a single soul, reflecting the singularity of God), to duality (its mate), to multiplicity (a multitude of men and women). The single soul is widely understood to refer to Adam, and its mate to Eve (Ḥawwāʾ). Although soul (nafs) is grammatically feminine and mate (zawj) is grammatically masculine, this does not necessarily make the correlation to Adam and Eve, respectively, problematic for most commentators (Q, R, Ṭ, Ṭs). The interweaving of masculine and feminine references suggests a reciprocity of the masculine and feminine in human relations and marriage, which is also implied in other verses (cf. 2:187; 30:21). Commentators typically understand this verse as a reference to the story of Eve’s creation from Adam’s rib as found in Genesis 2:21–23 (IK, Q, Ṭ, Z), although some modern commentators are skeptical of this association, feeling it relies too heavily on the Biblical tradition. The story of Eve’s creation from Adam’s rib is referenced in the canonical Ḥadīth, but the Quran nowhere explicitly recounts Eve’s creation. And from it (minhā) created its mate may simply mean that the mate (Eve) was created of the same nature as the original single soul (Adam), since to be “of/from another” (min anfus) can mean to be of the same type or character (R; cf. 3:164; 9:128; 16:72). The fifth Shiite Imam, Muhammad al-Bāqir (d. ca. 114/732), reportedly said that Eve was created from the same superior clay as Adam (Ṭs). The statement regarding humanity’s common origin from a single soul and its mate could also be meant to engender brotherly and sisterly love between all human beings and to discourage boasting about one’s ancestral legacy, as all human beings are ultimately of common
parentage (IK, R, Ṭ, Ṭs).
Reverence God, through Whom you demand your rights of one another, and family relations may be related to the pre-Islamic Arab practice of swearing upon “God and family relations.” However, most favor the view that this passage instructs men to reverence God through obedience to His commands and to reverence family relations by maintaining good relations with family members. Family relations translates arḥām; the singular is raḥim, the primary meaning of which is “womb,” derived from the same root as raḥmah, meaning “mercy,” and the Divine Name al-Raḥmān, “the Compassionate.” A ḥadīth states, “The Compassionate (Al-Raḥmān) created the womb (al-raḥim), and whoever maintains ties to it, God will maintain ties to him, and whoever cuts himself off from it, God cuts Himself off from him.” Elsewhere, the imperative to worship God is paired with commands to be good to family (4:36; 17:23; 47:22; R). The first part of this verse indicates the kinship of all human beings, as they are created from the same soul and mate, while the latter part commands reverence for one’s relatives. Taken together, they suggest a Divine imperative to recognize one’s responsibility to all human beings as one’s “brothers and sisters.”

For anyone well-versed in biology, nothing could be more irrational or unscientific than a female human coming from the rib of a male. A grown-up does not come from another grown-up. A female cannot come from a male. A new living being does not come from a rib. This is not an exhaustive list of all that is wrong with such a claim that Eve came from Adam’s rib. What is even more ironic that this preposterous claim does not have any clear articulation in the Quran or Hadith and is borrowed from the Bible and the Christian tradition.

Let us learn something more useful from the Christian Catholic tradition.

The expression “truth cannot contradict truth” articulates the principle that genuine truths, regardless of their source—be it faith, reason, science, or philosophy—are inherently harmonious and cannot be in opposition. This concept has been notably emphasized within the Catholic tradition to underscore the compatibility between religious doctrine and scientific understanding.​

Pope Leo XIII, in his 1893 encyclical Providentissimus Deus, addressed the relationship between theology and science, asserting that apparent conflicts arise from misinterpretations either of scriptural texts or scientific findings. He stated, “Truth cannot contradict truth,” highlighting that any seeming discrepancies should prompt deeper investigation and reflection to uncover their resolution. ​

Building upon this foundation, Pope John Paul II, in his 1996 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, reaffirmed this principle. He referenced Leo XIII’s assertion, emphasizing that “truth cannot contradict truth,” and encouraged a dialogue between scientific discoveries and the teachings of faith. John Paul II highlighted that when apparent contradictions emerge, they call for a more profound exploration to achieve a coherent understanding. ​

This principle serves as a guiding framework within the Catholic Church, advocating for a harmonious relationship between faith and reason. It encourages believers and scholars alike to seek a unified comprehension of truth, recognizing that all authentic truths ultimately originate from the same divine source and thus cannot be in genuine conflict.

Guided by the principle “truth cannot contradict truth” and the reality that God, who revealed the Quran, also made this universe, we begin to find new meanings in the Quran when we read it with 21st century lens. The articles below not only give a more rational commentary but also why it is no wishful thinking of a Muslim but is grounded in the very text and linguistics of the Quran, a literal word of the All-Knowing coming to us from the seventh century:

The Glorious Quran: ‘Humanity Came from a Single Soul!’

Human Creation in the Glorious Quran: A Commentary in Light of Modern Biology

Racism: We Worry So Much About Our Immediate Ancestors, What About Distant Ones?

If you need to clarify the scientific lens then here is a short article:

Summarizing Fool Proof Evidence for Evolution, Namely Common Ancestry, If You Are Still on the Fence

And a more detailed one:

Molecular Evidence for Evolution: How DNA and Proteins Prove Common Ancestry

All this exercise is not merely about Adam’s rib. It broadens our horizons for a more progressive reading of the Quran. Hence our website. Please look up and see the menu in the headers.

Archives: The Study Quran by Seyyed Hossein Nasr