‘Whose blood coloured the story of Adam?’ Reflections on Sin and Salvation

Abstract

This article reflects on the comparison between the biblical and Qur’anic stories of Adam and Eve with a particular focus on the concepts of the fall and salvation. Islamic thought does not centre on human salvation in the same way as Christianity with the Qur’an framing the story around the arrogance of Iblis and his divine curse as Satan. Humankind was forgiven by God for the initial ‘slip’ in paradise but the Muslim return to God is now through remembrance and repentance. However, Muslim poets like Muhammad Iqbal saw the expulsion from paradise as a moment of human awakening rather than human damnation. Iqbal’s poetry plays on the dialectic between God, Satan and Adam and the human quest for a meaningful and inspirational life on earth.