A look at the contrasting depictions of the Creation, especially the story of Eve, in the Quran and the tafsirs (commentaries).
This paper shows that similar to the Jewish and Christian traditions, where scholars wrote commentaries on the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, Islamic scholars throughout the centuries since the rise of Islam in the first half of the 7th century have written commentaries, or tafsirs, on the Quran. It discusses how, ironically, many tafsirs contradict the content of the Quran but are extremely valuable because they reflect ideas and interpretations shared in prestigious centers and schools of Islamic learning. Eve’s (Hawwa?) depiction in the Quran, for example, is in stark contrast with her representation in tafsir. The paper shows how the Quran, therefore, portrays an egalitarian position between man and woman, whereas the majority of tafsirs reflect a more hierarchical view. It discusses how this phenomenon is still attested and debated in the late twentieth century, especially by female Muslim scholars educated in a variety of academic fields.
`Al-Tabari and al-Razi both wrote Quranic commentaries that continue to hold great authority and influence in modern Islamic exegesis. It is important to note that both al-Tabari and al-Razi use many of the hadith materials the actions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad which may explain for the discrepancy between the Quran’s depiction of Eve and that found in tafsir. Stowasser states, extraneous detail transmitted in Hadith form and frequently originating in the Bible and Bible-related sources not only fleshes out the story of Adam and Eve but drastically changes it, especially with regard to the woman’s role. As a result, Muslim interpretations of Eve’s creation and the couple’s exile from the Garden often depart from scriptural content.`