Al-Baqarah (17)

Why was Hauwa created from ribs? Why was she not made of clay like Adam?
If Allah had created her from clay, then there would not have been any difference between a man and a woman. Yes, they are equal but different.

They were created differently so that she will recognise that Adam is the source, the whole, while she is part of that source, and for the man to know that she is for him and from him, so he will relate with her in tenderness and love; that he will be possessive of her and protect her.

If Hauwa had been created from Adam’s head, she would have been the engine of his thought. If she were made out of his hands, she would have been a means of control or gaining possessions. If the creation of Hauwa had been from Adam’s feet, he would have treated her with contempt and dishonour.

But Allah created her from Adam’s rib. And there is a wisdom behind creating her from his left rib, where lies the heart in the human anatomy. So, man should treat his wife as one having a special place in his heart. Yes, your wife originates from the region of serenity and love.
Let the woman also know the nature of the source of her creation.

5. So let man consider from what he is created. (At-Taariq)

Keeping the origin of her creation in mind will make a woman realise her place within the family unit. She will live in peace with her husband and children. She will not attempt to be above her husband or at the same level as him because she is different. She should endeavour to keep his secrets and not dishonour him. She will do well to find a way into her husband’s heart rather than fight him.

Reserving a special place in your husband’s heart is easy. Use what Allah has created in you and your husband to reach his heart. Your arsenals should include love, caress and care. Take the place of a mother where he needs union; be a sister to him where he desires companionship; be a tranquil place to retire to when he needs peace and comfort. When he returns to you from his place of work, he is exhausted by the day’s hard work and difficult interaction with people. Let him forget all that through your smile, fragrance and your cookery. Do not repel him with complaints about what the children did in his absence and unnecessary requests. And beware of the agents of Satan, advocates of women’s liberation from the shackles of Islam. They are the enemy. Beware of them!

36 Then did Satan make them slip from the (garden) and get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been. We said: “Get ye down, all (ye people), with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood – for a time.”

Satan made them sin by approaching the forbidden tree. Here, both of them are referred to as guilty. The woman is not singled out as the culprit who deceived the man into sin. The Qur’an here exonerates her from any blame. No, both of them were warned, and both of them were guilty of listening to Satan’s evil suggestions.

Then did Satan make them slip from the (garden) and get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been.

118. It is (vouchsafed) unto thee that thou hungerest not therein nor art naked,

119. And thou thirstest not therein nor art exposed to the sun’s heat. (Taa Haa)

So, now leave all this felicity and go out:

We said: “Get ye down, all (ye people),…

Hubut means to descend as aeroplanes do during landing.

Remember our discussion of the two positions of the scholars on what Al-Jannah means—is it the Paradise of Eternity or just a garden here on earth that Adam and his wife were in?
If they were in Paradise, then this Hubut descent is real; they were brought down to the earth from Paradise that is up there. But if, on the other hand, they were placed in an earthly garden, then Hubut here is used in a metaphorical sense, namely, a movement from one place to another, just like Allah said in another place in the same Surah: Go ye down to any town, and ye shall find what ye want!” (Al-Baqarah: 61)

Hubut is used in its plural sense to include Adam, his wife and their offspring. The Qur’an supports this position in another place in Taa Haa:

123. He said: Go down hence, both of you, one of you a foe unto the other. But if there come unto you from Me a guidance, then whoso followeth My guidance, he will not go astray nor come to grief. (Taa Haa)

Others said no. It refers to Adam, Hauwa, and Satan; all three were expelled from Paradise. Get ye down to earth with enmity between yourselves, between the offspring of Adam and Satan. On earth will be your dwelling place, where you will continue to fight each other, argue, and contend over many things.
“…with enmity between yourselves.” Because Satan is ever an enemy to mankind.

6. Lo! the devil is an enemy for you, so treat him as an enemy. He only summoneth his faction to be owners of the Blazing Fire. (Faatir)

We said: “Get ye down, all (ye people), with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling  place and your means of livelihood – for a time.”

Dwelling extends to the grave until the Hour of the Day of Judgement.
Now, (1) how did Satan whisper to Adam to go against what Allah told him? Satan was the first to be driven out of Paradise.

18. He said: Go forth from hence, degraded, banished. As for such of them as follow thee, surely I will fill hell with all of you. (Al-A’raaf, 18)

How did he find access to Paradise a second time? Some said even after his expulsion, Satan could go in and out of Paradise, but not with the honour accorded him earlier. Others said he was debarred from entering Paradise, but he stayed by the door and called on Adam and his wife. They came as close to the gate as possible, and Satan whispered to them and made them eat of the tree, claiming to be a sincere adviser to them.

Another opinion is that Satan entered Paradise through the mouth of a serpent and was able to beguile them into eating from the tree, and that is why snakes are the enemies of man until the Day of Judgement. But the most authentic of all these views, and Allah knows best, is that Satan never went back into Paradise in any form or guise after his expulsion therefrom. Satan only used the powers given to him by Allah to whisper evil into the hearts of mankind. Thus, he whispered into Adam and Hauwa.

Anas b. Malik reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying: The devil flows in a man like his blood.

Sunan Abi Dawud 4719

Satan moves in the blood veins of the children of Adam.
You and I are victims of Satan in this way. He runs in our veins without physical contact to make us do what is not good.

(2) Did Satan expel them from Paradise? When he whispered into their hearts, was he preparing for such expulsion? Was it within his powers to drive them out of Paradise?

No, he was not expecting that result. What Satan wanted was to disgrace Adam and cause his downfall. He actually desired Adam to go against Allah’s order as he (Satan) disobeyed Allah so that both he and Adam could be the same in sin. Therefore, when Allah said, ‘Then did Satan make them slip from the (garden), and get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been.’ It means Satan was the cause of Adam’s bad turn of fortune. This shows that Allah does what He wills even though the result of certain things is attributed to the cause.

Then did Satan make them slip from the (garden), and get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been.

Another question: Is Adam’s descent from Paradise to earth a penalty? No, it is not, because even before the quit notice out of Paradise, Adam repented and sought pardon from Allah, and Allah forgave him.
122. Then his Lord chose him, and relented toward him, and guided him. (Taa Haa).