Eve; Mother of Humanity
God, the Almighty, created Adam (AS) from dust and then created his wife from the same essence.
All human beings are descendants of Adam (AS) and Eve. Eve is the first woman and mother of humanity. The Quran says Adam (AS) had a wife but does not mention her name, “To Adam We said: 'Dwell with your wife in Paradise and both eat of it as much as you wish and wherever you will.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 35)
In Hadiths and Quran interpretations, her name has been mentioned as Hawwa (Eve). Quran interpreters says her name comes from the word Hayy (living) as she is the mother all living humans.
The Quran has elaborated on the creation of Adam (AS) from dust and clay but does not talk about details of creation of Eve. In some verses, the Quran says God first created Adam (AS) and then his wife (from the remaining clay). “He has created you from a single soul. Out of this He created your spouse.” (Surah Az-Zumar, verse 6)
So God has created humans from a single soul. Most Quran interpreters believe that “one soul” refers to Adam (AS) and his spouse refers to Eve.
In Surah An-Nisa, too, there is a verse that says God created all humans from a single soul (Adam) and that God created Adam’s spouse from his soul and then He populated the earth with many men and women. “O people, fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul. From it He created its spouse, and from both of them scattered many men and women.” (Surah An-Nisa, verse1)
Everyone is inclined to be with those who are of his kind and therefore, God created Eve of the some nature of Adam (AS). “It is He Who created you from a single person, and made his mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her (in love).” (Surah Al-A’raf, verse 189)
After their creation, Adam and Eve reside in paradise at the order of God.
God tells them to use all the blessings in paradise but not to get near a single tree. “To Adam We said: ‘Dwell with your wife in Paradise and both eat of it as much as you wish and wherever you will. But neither of you should come close to this tree or else you shall both become transgressors.’” (Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 35)
However, Satan deceives both of them and they eat the forbidden fruit and, therefore, are banished from paradise.
In Judaism and Christianity, Eve is introduced as the one who is first deceived by Satan and through her Satan deceives Adam. In the Quran, however, Adam and Eve are equally responsible for what happened: “Satan made Adam and his spouse err and caused them to abandon the state in which they had been living.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 36)
