Sunday, February 17, 2008

When Adam and Hawa (Eve) were still in the heaven, God invited them to enjoy all facilities of the heaven without having to struggle first, since the heaven is indeed not a field of struggle. Among those abundant heavenly enjoyments, like mentioned in Al Quran, there is only one forbidden by God, the fruit of khuldi that was not allowed to pick, wale arroba hardships syajarota fatakuna min al khosirin “and don’t approach the tree of khuldi, otherwise you will be in a loss”.

It is a kind of scenario to be learned from that man is often not thankful. After had been permitted to take everything except one thing, it is that one that is seducing man. Satan seduced Adam by saying the key of immortality is in the forbidden tree. Satan also seduced Adam by saying that all other heavenly enjoyments are meaningless without that one. Adam was indifferent; he didn’t want to touch the forbidden thing. Satan, however, wasn’t hopeless, after failing in seducing Adam; he came to Hawa, Adam’s wife. It seems also a kind of scenario that women have to tendency of being more easily seduced to find out secrets behind the forbiddance. It is also a kind of scenario, that men often can’t hold his principles any longer after they are seduced by women. Later, Adam broke his principles, violating what had been forbidden by God, picking the fruit of khuldi to make his wife happy.

After the violation, a new stage of man living has begun. Adam and Hawa were thrown from the heaven in which everything had been easy and enjoyable, and they were placed on earth as representatives (khalifah) of God. God said, “I have made everything available for you on earth, but nothing is free there. You may have all enjoyments and delightments after struggling to overcome difficulties”. It took a long time for Adam and Hawa to adapt to sunnatullah of living on earth. Adam and Hawa couldn’t escape from system of life. Adam had to face a reality in which his two sons, Qabil and Habil, were involved in a conflict and one of them later killed the other. Is living in this world a misery since we have to face difficulties? It appears that, as mentioned in Al Quran, after a difficulty there is easiness, and behind a difficulty there is easiness.