A popular belief of ‘mainstream Muslims’ is that the woman was created from the “spare” rib of the man. We have also been told that women are ‘crooked’ because they are made from the “spare” rib of the man. Also that their nature is evil and that in Hell there will be more women than men.
There is no basis for such ridiculous beliefs in the true teachings of the Prophet which are the Quran and nothing but the Quran.
However a simple reading of the Christian Bible will show that this ridiculous belief is stolen wholesale, almost word for word from the Christian Bible.
This ladies and gentlemen, is Biblical Sunnism.
Here it is:
[Gen 2:18] Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
[Gen 2:21] So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh;
[Gen 2:22] and the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
[Gen 2:23] Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
So according to the Bible, the woman was created out of the “spare” ribs of the man.
But what did the Prophet Muhammad teach us? Is it true that the woman was created from the man or is it actually the other way around - that the man was created from the woman?
Please see the following, and please bear with me as I’ve used original arabic in parts that need an explaination.
The very first verse of the Surah called Women. Subhan Allah:
[an-Nisa’ 4:1] O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you min nafsin wahidatin, wa khalaqa minha zawjaha va bassa minhuma a multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty toward Allah in Whom ye claim (your rights) of one another, and toward the wombs (that bare you). Lo! Allah hath been a watcher over you.
PakistaniAbroad: Analyzing the parts in bold italics for their correct translation.
*** min nafsin wahidatin*** means “from - soul/self - one/single (female)”
It’s very important to note that vahidatin implies the female form.
So it means: from one female soul/self.
wa khalaka minha zawjaha means “and - He created - from her - her mate”
va bassa minhuma means “and - He scattered/distributed - from them (both genders)”
So now the first part of (4:1) when properly translated becomes:
[an-Nisa’ 4:1] O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from one female soul and He created from her, her mate and He scattered from them a multitude of men and women.
PakistaniAbroad: Mankind was therefore created from a female!
God then created her spouse from her. This is consistent with the other true teachings of Prophet Muhammad. For example Jesus, a male, was created from a female i.e. his mother Mary without a father.
Hence the creation of Jesus and the creation of Adam are similar.
The Quran says as much:
[Al-Imran 3:59] Lo! the likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then He said unto him: Be! and he is.
PakistaniAbroad: When God created Jesus all He said was ‘Be’ and Jesus came to be conceived.
Adam must therefore have been created from a female.
On a separate note, science today confirms that at least 99.9% of Mitochondrial DNA is inherited from the mother. How may that fit the Qur’anic concept of creation of man from one female soul is still a debate.
Allah Knows Best
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[This message has been edited by PakistaniAbroad (edited February 08, 2002).]