Quranic Interpretation of Human History

not just a human being but a human race. The only condition set for man to be entitled to Paradise was his willingness to abide by a self-disciplined character without abusing his freedom. When Adam and Eve failed to fulfil this condition by eating the fruit of the ‘forbidden tree,’ God expelled them from Paradise and settled them on Earth. This means that initially, the man was given the opportunity to live in Paradise. But when man transgressed the covenant, God decided that from then onwards, only the deserving people would be admitted to Paradise. So, after that, the selection for Paradise will be selective rather than general. In this way, God has managed human history while fully maintaining human freedom. God created the life support system on Earth, but man was given complete freedom of speech and action. Man, once again, misused this freedom. The perversion of human beings went on increasing, and ultimately, man became involved in polytheism and nature worship. If the first man had eaten only the fruit of the ‘forbidden tree,’ now his progeny had started worshipping the ‘tree’ itself, holding it to be a deity. According to the creation plan of man, God was meant to be worshipped by him. However, as God was unobservable, man started revering some visible objects like the tree, making nature his god by virtue of its visibility. However, it was not possible to revoke human freedom. Therefore, God again opted for the method of managing human history while maintaining human freedom. Towards this end, God selected certain individuals from amongst human beings and revealed to them His Message