Where Was The Garden Of Eden?

Where Was The Garden Of Eden?

According to Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s commentary on S2(35) in his translation of the Quran, it was not on earth. 

Quote:Was the Garden of Eden a place on this earth? Obviously not. For, in verse 36 below, it was after the Fall that the sentence was pronounced: "On earth will be your dwelling-place." Before the Fall, we must suppose Man to be on another plane altogether-of felicity, innocence, trust, a spiritual existence, with the negation of enmity, want of faith, and all evil. Unquote

Surah 2

35. We said: "O Adam! dwell thou

And thy wife in the Garden;

And eat of the bountiful things therein

As (where and when) ye will; but approach not this tree,

Or ye run into harm and transgression."

36. Then did Satan make them slip

From the (Garden), and get them out

Of the state (of felicity) in which

They had been. We said:

"Get ye down, all (ye people),

With enmity between yourselves.

On earth will be your dwelling-place

And your means of livelihood—

For a time."

37. Then learnt Adam from his Lord

Words of inspiration, and his Lord

Turned towards him; for He

Is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

38. We said: "Get ye down all from here;

And if, as is sure, there comes to you

Guidance from Me, whosoever

Follows My guidance, on them

Shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

So mankind is in fact an alien?

This directly contradicts what the Quran says earlier.

In S2(30): 

Behold, thy Lord said to the angels; "I will create

A vicegerent on earth." They said:

"Wilt Thou place therein one who will make

Mischief therein and shed blood?

Whilst we do celebrate 

Thy praises

And glorify Thy holy {name)'!"

He said: "I know what ye know not"

Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s commentary

Quote: It would seem that the angels, though holy and pure. and endued with power from Allah, yet represented only one side of Creation. We may imagine them without passion or emotion, of which the highest flower is love. If man was to be endued with emotions, those emotions could lead him to the highest and drag him to the lowest. The power of will or choosing would have to go with them, in order that man might steer his own bark. This power of will (when used aright) gave him to some extent a mastery over his own fortunes and over nature, thus bringing him nearer to the God-like nature. which has supreme mastery and will. 

We may suppose the angels had no independent wills of their own: their perfection in other ways reflected Allah's perfcction but could not raise them to the dignity of vicegerency. The perfect vicegerent is he who has the power of initiative himself, but whose independent action always reflects perfectly the will of his Principal. The distinction is expressed by Shakespeare (Sonnet 94) in those fine lines: "They are the lords and owners of their faces. Others but stewards of their excellence." 

The angels in their one·sidedness saw only the mischief consequent on the misuse of the emotional nature by man; perhaps they also, being without emotions, did not understand the whole of Allah's nature, which gives and asks for love. In humility and true devotion to Allah, they remonstrate: we must not imagine the least tinge of jealousy, as they are without emotion. This mystery of love being above them, they are told that they do not know, and they acknowledge (in ii. 32) not their fault (for there is no question of fault) but their imperfection of knowledge. At the same time, the matter is brought home to them when the actual capacities of man are shown to them (ii. 31.33). Unquote

References mentioned in his commentary are quoted below:

Surah 2

31. And He taught Adam the nature

Of all things; then He placed them

Before the angels, and said: "Tell Me

The nature of these if ye are right."

32. They said: "Glory to Thee: of knowledge

We have none, save what Thou

Hast taught us: in truth it is Thou

Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom."

33. He said: "O Adam! tell them

Their natures." When he had told them,

God said: "Did I not tell you

That I know the secrets of heaven

And earth, and I know what ye reveal

And what ye conceal?"

Analysis

The Quran contradicts itself as does Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s commentary. Obviously Adam was in the same place as the angels. This is evident in S2(30)-(36). A few more verses on creation:

S3(59)

The similitude of Jesus

Before God is as that of Adam;

He created him from dust,

Then said to him, "Be":

And he was.

S22(5)

O mankind! if ye have

A doubt about the Resurrection,

(Consider) that We created you

Out of dust, then out of

Sperm, then out of a leech-like

Clot, then out of a morsel

Of flesh, partly formed

And partly unformed, in order

That We may manifest

(Our power) to you;

And We cause whom We will

To rest in the wombs

For an appointed term,

Then do We bring you out

As babes, then (foster you)

That ye may reach your age

Of full strength; and some

Of you are called to die,

And some are sent back

To the feeblest old age,

So that they know nothing

After having known (much),

And (further), thou seest

The earth barren and lifeless,

But when We pour down

Rain on it, it is stirred

(To life), it swells,

And it puts forth every kind

Of beautiful growth (in pairs).

S30(20)

Among His Signs is this,

That He created you

From dust; and then,—

Behold, ye are men

Scattered (far and wide)!

 

Is there dust where angels live?