Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
3. Womanhood in Islam
~ 38 ~
Neither in the verse of the Qur’an quoted above,
nor in any other verse of the Qur’an, is there any
mention of Eve having been created from Adam’s
rib. The Qur’an says only that Eve was created from
“it.” What this “it” refers to is the point in question.
Most of those commentators who have penetrated
deep into the meaning of the Qur’an have taken “It”
to refer to “species”: Eve was created — not from
Adam himself — but from the same species as
Adam. This is the explanation given — among
others — by Abu Muslim Asfahani, and it is this
explanation that fits in with other verses of the
Qur’an.
In several verses of the Qur’an the word for “soul”
(
nafs
) has been used to mean “species.” Such verses
provide a clear elucidation of the verse quoted
above. A selection of them is given here:
God has created for you spouses, of your own
kind.
34
And of His signs is that He has created for
you — of your own kind — spouses, that you
might take comfort in them.
35
