Both the Bible and the Quran address the subject of trees in the Garden of Eden. While the accounts differ in some respects, vital concepts arise.
The Bible names two trees among the number in the Garden: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God allowed Adam and Eve access to the Tree of Life but not to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve, who accepted the lie of the serpent, gave the fruit to Adam, and both ate from the tree. As a consequence, God put a curse on them and expelled them from the Garden, preventing any further access to the sustenance provided by the Tree of Life.
Among the trees of Eden, only one is specifically mentioned in the Quran: the Tree of Eternity or Immortality. While this tree seems analogous to the Bible’s Tree of Life, the God of the Quran forbade access to the Tree of Eternity. When Adam and Eve disobeyed after they believed the counsel of the devil, they were forgiven, but they were expelled from the Garden. God did not deliver a curse upon them. The other main difference in the Quran account is that Eve was not mentioned by name nor was she blamed as the one at fault.
The trees of Eden are still prominent symbols for us. The concept of Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge pervades many religions and cultures, The two trees may be considered as one tree or two trees. I have seen two trees so-designated in my Middle East travels.
In Bahrain, out in the desert a short distance from Manama, I saw a lonely mesquite tree referred to as the Tree of Life.
The tree is estimated to be about 400 years old.The tree lies near an archeological site believed to be from the Dilmun era, which was mentioned as early as 3000 BC, and possibly referred to in the Epic of Gilgamesh (ca. 2000 BC) as a “Paradise.”
In the little town of Al-Qurna near Nasiriya in southern Iraq, I observed the jujube tree called the Tree of Knowledge. The sign, in English, in front of the tree says “Adam’s Tree”. Somehow appropriate, the tree is dead.
What are the takeaway messages from the Tree(s)? The first is that God must know something we don’t know. We no longer possess access to the real Tree of Life or the wisdom of the Tree of Knowledge. The second point is that we lost these resources through disobedience to God.
Among the religions of the world the only two possible solutions are typified by what’s seen in Islam on one hand and Christianity on the other.
Islam presents the noble idea that we must strive to please God and that through this endeavor we may regain what we lost. We may be able to solve the problem through our own efforts. which must be of the highest quality.
Christianity, in contrast, says we are unable to solve the problem. God must solve it for us, and this can only be done through the perfect work of Jesus.
I can’t think of any other possible solutions besides these two.
