Quranic Wisdom

has a share in every harvest. And this share should be returned to those people who for some reason have suffered deprivation. What are those natural factors? They are numerous, for example soil, water, bacteria, air, sunlight, etc. These factors are beyond the ability of the harvester to provide, but are externally made available by nature. So, nature has a share in every harvest. Philanthropy means returning this share to the have-not group. Those who pay this share will be rewarded by God, and those who fail in this duty will be punished. The Quranic concept of philanthropy is based on the principle of equitable distribution of natural wealth. The Forbidden Tree T he story of Adam and Eve is common to both the Bible and the Quran. According to the Quranic account, God created Adam and his wife, Eve and settled the pair in Paradise. Where was this Paradise? The Bible is specific on this point: The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. (Genesis 2:8) This was the beginning of the social life of man. God gave both Adam and Eve a basic direction: God said, ‘O Adam! Settle, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat freely from it anywhere you may wish. Yet do not approach this tree lest you become wrongdoers.’ (2:35) The ‘forbidden tree’, in one sense, was a symbol of social taboos. Breaking these taboos means involving oneself in social wrongdoing, as mentioned in the above Quranic verse.