Incest among the children of Adam?
Abu Hamzah reported that Imam Zain-ul-Abidin (a.) said: “When God had turned to Adam (a.), he made intercourse with Eve (a.). Never since their creation did they have intercourse except on earth, and this took place at the time when God turned to Adam (a.). Adam (a.) honored the holy ground, and whenever he intended to have intercourse with Eve (a.), he removed himself from the holy ground and took her out with him and interacted with her outdoors. Afterwards both of them performed the full body wash and returned to the courtyard of the house. Adam (a.) begat twenty boys and twenty girls with Eve (a.) and at each pregnancy one boy and one girl was born to him. At the first pregnancy Eve (a.) gave birth to Abel and with him a girl called Iqlima and at the second pregnancy Eve (a.) gave birth to Cain and with him a girl called Ludha and Ludha was the most beautiful of Adam’s daughters (a.). When they reached maturity, Adam (a.) feared the temptation for them and therefore he said: “O Abel, I want to marry you to Ludha, O Cain, I want to marry you to Iqlima! Cain said: “I am not satisfied with this! Are you marrying me to Abel’s ugly sister?You would rather marry Cain (me) to my beautiful sister!” Adam (a.) said: “I will draw lots between you and if your lot is drawn for Iqlima, O Cain, I will marry each of you to the lot drawn for his sister! When they both agreed, they drew their lot and Abel drew the lot for Ludha, the sister of Cain, and Cain drew the lot for Iqlima, the sister of Abel. Therefore they married those for whom they drew the lot determined by God. After that, God forbade marriage to the sisters.” He was told: “They both had children with them?” He said: “Yes.” They said: “In this day and age the Zoroastrians do this.” He said: “The Zoroastrians do this after God has forbidden it, do not deny it! Didn’t God create the wife of Adam (a.) from himself? Afterwards He allowed them to him for marriage. This was a legislation of their legal ordinances. Then God sent down the prohibition of it.” Ni’matullah Al-Jaza’iri writes: “This tradition and those that are reported with the same meaning are interpreted as being expressed out of caution (Taqiyyah) because they contain the view that is common among the majority.” [Qisas-ul-Anbiya’, pages 64 – 65]
عن الثمالي قال: سمعت على بن الحسين عليه السلام يحدث رجلا من قريش قال لما تاب الله على آدم واقع حوا ولم يكن غشيها منذ خلقت الا في الأرض وذلك بعد ما تاب الله عليه وكان آدم يعظم الحرم وإذا أراد ان يغشى حوا خرج من الحرم وأخرجها معه وغشيها في الحل ثم يغتسلان ثم يرجع إلى فناء البيت، فولد لآدم من حوا عشرون ولدا ذكرا وعشرون أنثى فولد له في كل بطن ذكر وأنثى فأول بطن ولدت حوا هابيل ومعه جارية يقال لها إقليما وولدت في البطن الثاني قابيل ومعه جارية يقال لها لوذا وكانت لوذا أجمل بنات آدم فلما ادركوا خاف عليها آدم الفتنة فقال أريد ان أنكحك يا هابيل لوذا. وأنكحك يا قابيل إقليما قال قابيل ما ارضى بهذا أتنكحني أخت هابيل القبيحة وتنكح قابيل أختي الجميلة قال آدم عليه السلام فانا أقرع بينكما فان خرج سهمك يا قابيل على إقليما زوجت كل واحد منكما التي خرج سهمه عليها فرضيا بذلك فاقترعا فخرج سهم هابيل على لوذا أخت قابيل وخرج سهم قابيل على إقليما أخت هابيل فزوجها على ما خرج لهما من عند الله، قال ثم حرم الله نكاح الأخوات بعد ذلك، فقال له القرشي فأولداهما؟ قال نعم فقال القرشي فهذا فعل المجوس اليوم. فقال على بن الحسين عليه السلام ان المجوس انما فعلوا ذلك بعد التحريم من الله، ثم قال على بن الحسين عليه السلام لا تنكر هذا أليس الله قد خلق زوجة آدم منه ثم أحلها فكان ذلك شريعة من شرائعهم، ثم انزل الله التحريم بعد ذلك. قال نعمة الله الجزائري رحمه الله: هذا الحديث وما روى بمعناه محمول على التقية لأنه المذهب المشهور بينهم
Muhammad Ibn Abdillah reported that he asked Imam Ar-Rida (a.): “How do we deal with two contradictory reports?” He said: “If two reports come to you which differ from each other, see which of them differs from the common people (sunnis), in which you take it, and see which is in accordance with their reports, in which you leave it.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, Volume 2, Page 235, Hadith 19]
وبهذا الإسناد عن البرقي، عن أبيه، عن محمد بن عبد الله قال: قلت للرضا عليه السلام: كيف نصنع بالخبرين المختلفين؟ فقال: إذا ورد عليكم حديثان مختلفان فانظروا ما يخالف منهما العامة فخذوه، وانظروا ما يوافق أخبارهم فدعوه
[ 1. ] Contradicts the other traditions from our books:
Zurarah reported that Imam As-Sadiq (a.) was asked: “How did the reproduction among the children of Adam (a.) begin? With us are people who say: “God revealed to Adam (a.) that he should let his daughters partner with his sons and that the root of all these creatures goes back to the brothers and sisters.” Abu Abdillah (a.) said: “Praise be to God and exaltation be upon him. The one who says this, says that God made the root of His best creatures and His beloved ones and prophets and messengers and proofs and believing men and believing women and devoted men and devoted women come forth from the forbidden (Haram) and it was not in His power to create them from the allowed (Halal). He has made a covenant with them for what is permissible (Halal), clean, pure and good. By God, it has been reported to me that one of the animals had a sister who was unrecognizable to him. As he now chanted and descended from her, she was exposed to him and he learned that it was his sister. They brought it out and they tied it up. Then it bit it with its teeth. Then it tore loose and dropped dead.” [Ilal-ush-Shara’i of As-Saduq, Volume 1, Page 17]
حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رضي الله عنه قال: حدثنا أحمد بن إدريس ومحمد بن يحيى العطار جميعا قالا: حدثنا محمد بن أحمد بن يحيى بن عمران الأشعري قال: حدثنا أحمد بن الحسن بن علي بن فضال، عن أحمد بن إبراهيم بن عمار قال: حدثنا ابن نويه رواه، عن زرارة قال: سئل أبو عبد الله عليه السلام كيف بدؤ النسل من ذرية آدم عليه السلام فإن عندنا أناس يقولون إن الله تبارك وتعالى أوحى إلى آدم عليه السلام ان يزوج بناته من بنيه وان هذا الخلق كله أصله من الاخوة والأخوات؟ قال أبو عبد الله: سبحان الله وتعالى عن ذلك علوا كبيرا، يقول من يقول هذا إن الله عز وجل جعل أصل صفوة خلقه وأحبائه وأنبيائه ورسله وحججه والمؤمنين والمؤمنات والمسلمين والمسلمات من حرام، ولم يكن له من القدرة ما يخلقهم من الحلال وقد أخذ ميثاقهم على الحلال والطهر والطاهر الطيب والله لقد نبأت ان بعض البهائم تنكرت له أخته فلما نزا عليها ونزل كشف له عنها وعلم أنها أخته أخرج عزموا له ثم قبض عليه بأسنانه ثم قلعه ثم خر ميتا
Buraid Ibn Mu’awiyah Al-Ijli reported that Imam Al-Baqir (a.) said: “God sent down a woman of paradise from the paradise to Adam (a.). After that he let them enter into a partnership with one of his two sons and he let the other one enter into a partnership with one of the Hidden (Jinn). Both of them gave birth to their descendants. What was of the beauty and good character in the people is from the Woman of Paradise, and what was of bad character among them is from the daughter of Janns, and i deny it that he let his sons enter into partnership with his daughters.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar, Volume 11, pages 236-237, hadith 18]
علل الشرائع: علي بن حاتم، عن أبي عبد الله بن ثابت، عن عبد الله بن أحمد، عن القاسم ابن عروة، عن بريد العجلي، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: إن الله عز وجل أنزل حوراء من الجنة إلى آدم فزوجها أحد ابنيه، وتزوج الآخر الجن فولدتا جميعا فما كان من الناس من جمال وحسن خلق فهو من الحوراء، وما كان فيهم من سوء الخلق فمن بنت الجان، وأنكر أن يكون زوج بنيه من بناته
Mu’awiyah Ibn Ammar reported that he asked Imam As-Sadiq (a.): “Did Adam, the father of the people (a,), let his daughter enter into a partnership with his son?” He said: “May God forbid. If Adam (a.) had done so, then the Messenger of God (s.) would not have left it and Adam (a.) belonged only to the religion of the Messenger of God (s.)”. I said: “Whose descendants are all these creatures if there was no one but Adam and Eve? For Allah says: “O mankind! be wary of your Lord, Who created you from a single being and from him He created His partner and from them He made many men and women come forth.” (4:1) So he told us that these creatures were of Adam and Eve.” Then he said: “God spoke the truth and His messengers proclaimed it and i am of those who bear witness to it.” I said: ” Interpret it for me, O son of the messenger of God.” He said: “When God sent Adam (a.) and Eve (a.) down to the earth and brought them together, Eve (a.) gave birth to a daughter So He called her Anaq and she was the first on earth to commit fornication. So God handed them over to a wolf, which was like an elephant, and an eagle, which was like a donkey, whereupon both killed them. After this he was born to Anaq Cain, the son of Adam. Now as Cain matured into what a man matures into, God brought forth a hidden one (Jinn) from the children of Janns, called Juhanah, in a human body. When she saw Cain, he fell in love with her. God revealed this to Adam: “Let Juhanah enter into a partnership with Cain.” So he let them form a partnership with Cain. Then Adam Abel was born. As Abel matured into what a man matures into, God sent down to Adam a Woman of Paradise whose name was Turk-ul-Hawra’. When she saw Abel, he fell in love with her. God revealed this to Adam: “Let Turk enter into a partnership with Abel.” So he did, and Turk-ul-Hawra’ became the partner of Abel, son of Adam.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, volume 11, page 226 – 227, hadith 6]
كتاب المحتضر للحسن بن سليمان نقلا من كتاب الشفاء والجلاء بإسناده عن معاوية بن عمار قال: سألت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام عن آدم أبي البشر أكان زوج ابنته من ابنه؟ فقال: معاذ الله، والله لو فعل ذلك آدم عليه السلام لما رغب عنه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وما كان آدم إلا على دين رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله، فقلت: وهذا الخلق من ولد من هم ولم يكن إلا آدم وحواء لأن الله تعالى يقول: يا أيها الناس اتقوا ربكم الذي خلقكم من نفس واحدة وخلق منها زوجها وبث منهما رجالا كثيرا ونساء فأخبرنا أن هذا الخلق من آدم وحواء عليهما السلام فقال عليه السلام: صدق الله وبلغت رسله وأنا على ذلك من الشاهدين، فقلت: ففسر لي يا ابن رسول الله، فقال: إن الله تبارك وتعالى لما أهبط آدم وحواء إلى الأرض وجمع بينهما ولدت حواء بنتا فسماها عناقا فكانت أول من بغى على وجه الأرض فسلط الله عليها ذئبا كالفيل ونسرا كالحمار فقتلاها، ثم ولد له أثر عناق قابيل بن آدم، فلما أدرك قابيل ما يدرك الرجل أظهر الله عز وجل جنية من ولد الجان يقال لها جهانة في صورة إنسية، فلما رآها قابيل ومقها فأوحى الله إلى آدم: أن زوج جهانة من قابيل فزوجها من قابيل، ثم ولد لآدم هابيل فلما أدرك هابيل ما يدرك الرجل أهبط الله إلى آدم حوراء واسمها ترك الحوراء، فلما رآها هابيل ومقها فأوحى الله إلى آدم. أن زوج تركا من هابيل ففعل ذلك، فكانت ترك الحوراء زوجة هابيل بن آدم
[ 2. ] Agrees with the reports of the general public:
Sa’id Ibn Jubair reported that Abdullah Ibn Abbas said: “A woman was forbidden to marry her twin brother and he was ordered to marry another of his sisters. With Adam (a.) in each pregnancy there was born a man and a woman, and between them a beautiful woman was born, just as with the other pregnancy an an ugly woman was born to him. So the brother of the ugly woman said: “Marry me to your sister and I’ll marry you to my sister.” But he said: “No, I have more right to marry my sister.” So they both offered a sacrifice to God and He accepted it from the shepherd, but He did not accept it from the farmer. He beat him to death.” Isma’il Ibn Umar Ibn Kathir writes: “It has a chain of transmission that is good (Jayyid).” [Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Volume 3, Page 83]
وقال ابن أبي حاتم: حدثنا الحسن بن محمد بن الصباح حدثنا حجاج عن ابن جريج أخبرني ابن خثيم قال: أقبلت مع سعيد بن جبير فحدثني عن ابن عباس قال: نهي أن تنكح المرأة أخاها توأمها, وأمر أن ينكحها غيره من إخوتها, وكان يولد له في كل بطن رجل وامرأة, فبينما هم كذلك ولد له امرأة وضيئة, وولد له أخرى قبيحة دميمة, فقال أخو الدميمة: أنكحني أختك وأنكحك أختي. قال: لا, أنا أحق بأختي, فقربا قربانا, فتقبل من صاحب الكبش, ولم يتقبل من صاحب الزرع, فقتله. وقال إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير: إسناد جيد
Muhammad Ibn Jarir reported that Abdullah Ibn Abbas, Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud and a group of the Prophet’s companions (s.) said: “With Adam (a.) no son was born without a girl being born with him. So he made a habit of marrying the boy of this pregnancy to the girl of the other pregnancy and of marrying the girl of this pregnancy to the boy of the other pregnancy until he had two sons named Cain and Abel and while Cain was a farmer, Abel was still breast-fed. When they both offered an offering to the Lord, Abel sacrificed a fat camel foal and Cain offered a bundle of grain. Then a fire came down and consumed the sacrifice of Abel, but it did not touch the sacrifice of Cain. So the wrath of Cain flared up and he said: “I’ll beat you to death.” He said: “God only accepts it from those who fear God.” (5:27) Muhammad Nasir-ud-Din Al-Albani writes: “The chain of transmission of this is good (Jayyid) and its transmitters are trustworthy (Thiqah). They are the transmitters of Sahih Muslim.” [Bidayat-us-Sul Fi Tafdili r-Rasul, page 71]
عن محمد بن نوح عن محمد بن جرير عن عبد الله بن عباس وعبد الله بن مسعود وعن ناس من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: أنه كان لا يولد لآدم مولود إلا ولد معه جارية فكان يزوج غلام هذا البطن جارية هذا البطن الآخر ويزوج جارية هذا البطن غلام هذا البطن الآخر حتى ولد له ابنان يقال لهما قابيل وهابيل وكان قابيل صاحب زرع وكان هابيل صاحب ضرع فلما قربا قرب هابيل جذعة سمينة وقرب قابيل حزمة سنبل فنزلت النار فأكلت قربان هابيل وتركت قربان قابيل فغضب وقال لأقتلنك فقال هابيل إنما يتقبل الله من المتقين. وقال محمد ناصر الدين الألباني: وإسناده جيد ورجاله ثقات رجال مسلم
Abu Malik and Abu Salih reported from Abdullah Ibn Abbas and Murrah Al-Hamdani reported from Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud and a group of the Prophet’s companions (s.) that they said: “Eve (a.) gave birth to no boy without a girl being born with him. Then the boy of this pregnancy married the girl of the other pregnancy, and the girl of this pregnancy married the boy of the other pregnancy, until Adam (a.) had two sons, called Cain and Abel. While Cain was engaged in agriculture, Abel was breastfed, because Cain was the older of the two. He had a sister who was more beautiful than the sister of Abel, and Abel asked to be allowed to marry the sister of Cain, but he refused and said: “But she is my sister who came into the world with me, and she is more beautiful than your sister, so i have more right to take her as my wife. His father Adam (a.) ordered him to give her to Abel to marry, but he continued to refuse, and so both of them offered a sacrifice to God, so that one can see who has more right to the girl.” [Tarikh-ut-Tabari, Volume 1, Page 88]