Who Were the Wrongdoers In S 2:35?

In this short post we we shall look at the verse above.

And we said: Adam, dwell, you and your husband, in the Jannah and eat of it carefree where you have willed. But do not approach this tree so you be of the wrongdoers.

Wife or Husband?

1. Who are the wrongdoers? Are there wrongdoers at this point in time and if so, who might they be?

2. How might they be aware of wrongdoers and what wrong is?

One conceivable Muslim opinion would be jinn.

The Jalalayn say:

And We said ‘Adam dwell anta ‘you’ of ‘dwell you’ here reiterates the concealed pronoun of the person of the verb uskun so that it wa-zawjuk may be made a supplement to it; and your wife Eve Hawwā’ — who was created from his left rib — in the Garden and eat thereof of its food easefully of anything without restrictions where you desire; but do not come near this tree to eat from it and this was wheat or a vine or something else lest you be become evildoers’ that is transgressors.

The Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs has:

Then Allah, Exalted is He, mentioned the story of Adam and Eve, saying: (And We said: O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden) enter you and Eve into Paradise (and eat ye freely (of the fruits)) without restriction (thereof where ye will) and whenever you will; (but come not near this tree) but do not eat from this tree, the tree of knowledge, which includes all types and kinds (lest ye become of the wrong-doers), lest you harm yourselves. altafsir.com

It would appear that there were already wrongdoers and that they were human.

Wrongdoers are spoken of in S 5:29 in which one of Adam's two sons kills the other.

I want you to return with my sin and your sin and you to be of the companions of the fire, and that is the recompense of the wrongdoers.

Some Thoughts On Habil (Abel)

Further reading:

Who Was the First Kafir?