The purpose of Adam and Eve's garden was meant to delineate some fundamental points regarding humanity's life trials. They had to assert their spiritual potential, freely against Iblis, their declared enemy. He promised to be their spiritual adversary prior to them entering the garden 15:39,17:62. God in turn warns them both about him, once they enter the garden, by pointing to Iblis who was present with them
20:117"This is an enemy to you and to your wife".
Iblis later addresses them both, not through suggestions but with a speech in the manner of a dialogue exchange 7:21.
They could go wherever they wanted but were advised by God not to approach a certain tree where the devil was lurking 2:35-39,7:19-25,20:115-127. They were practically explained that although they were created free, this freedom is limited. They must learn to do without some of the things existing in this world for their own good.
The trial had nothing to do with eating from the tree or not, nowhere does the Quran speak of not eating from the tree. The Quran speaks of not approaching the tree to avoid interracting with the devil and possibly fall for his deception. Herein lies a fundamental lesson in regards to the trials of life. What may seem like an innocent step towards a know forbidden and morally harmful situation may easily suck one into actively taking part of it. That notion is pervasive throughout the Quran, as it warns in different contexts not to "approach the limits". The issue comes up in 2:187 when ending the discussion on the rules of fasting. Or when confronted to situations where one may easily slip into sin, such as living in an evil society or inapropriately intimate with a member of the opposite sex outside those allowed, or any other similar situation 6:151,17:32. This delicately alludes to the reality that the involvement in sin is always gradual, requiring certain pre-requisites.
Another thing to note is that the nature of the tree isnt specified. This is because the purpose is the prohibition itself, no matter the type of tree. The command was issued to train mankind to abide by their limits, to rise above their impulses and desires. To reach that goal, something had to be identified as forbidden.
Here it would be appropriate to discuss the location of the garden.
When Adam, Eve and Iblis were told to 2:36,38,7:24"ahbitu" from the Garden, it does not necessarly mean they were sent from Heaven down to Earth.
The root is H-B-T and it means to descend/to go down/to decrease. In Adam and Eve's case it may a priori equally mean to physically descend to a lower place (such as downhill) or metaphorically from a place superior in certain aspects to another place of lesser importance. In 2:61 for example the Israelites are told to ahbitu to Egypt implying their return to their state of slavery which they preferred to their freedom during exile, because they werent satisfied with the food they were given on their journey. This "descent" can even include both aspects, a place downhill and of lesser importance.
Adam and Eve's garden was a place of comfort that could easily be made available on Earth not necessarly in Heaven. That comfort translates into protection from the major difficulties man faces in the outside world when left on his own to survive, such as the heat of the Sun, and neither would they have to toil to feed, cloth or shelter themselves because the answer to these needs were easily made available 20:118-9. This is why 20:117 says they will not feel hunger or thirst, it is refering to these needs in their extremes, not that they will not need to eat or drink
7:19,2:35"And We said: O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the garden and eat from it a plenteous (food) wherever you wish".
In contrast, the Quran always refers to the foods of Heaven as sources of delight, subtly alluding to them meant for pleasure rather than nutrition, since its immortal dwellers will be free from the need to replenish their physical needs through diet 37:40-6. Adam and Eve's garden is called janna, a word used in the Quran for wordly gardens and the gardens of Heaven. But Heaven is a place where no evil thoughts or unrightious people can enter contrary to Adam and Eve's garden where the devil was. Janna stems from J-N-N and this means hidden because the Garden hides things by its vegetation.
Also, Heaven is an eternal abode from where none of those who enter it can be expelled 10:108,15:48. But we are told Adam and Eve were always meant to go to the earth, prior to even their creation.
In God's plan they were meant to be His temporary trustees on the earth, not in Heaven, and as mortals who would live and die on the "turab" from which they originated 2:30,35:39,38:71. It is precisely this aspect of their nature, their mortality, that Iblis seized upon to lure them into transgression, promising them immortality 7:20,20:120.
Humanity's goal was thus always to live on earth, Adam ad Eve's garden was therefore a temporary abode, just like the world outside the garden where they and their descendants are meant to exercise their vicegerency for a decreed time until they are returned to Allah for account.
After the incident of the tree, their sincere repentence and God's forgiveness, they were not kept in the Garden but sent to earth through a reiteration of the order to leave the garden that was stated prior to their repentance 2:36-8. Their repentance was accepted and they were nevertheless made to leave the garden, meaning it was not by way of punishment but as a matter of course, in accordance with God's original purpose for mankind to live and die on the earth. Had not the order to leave been repeated after their repentance was accepted, one would have erroneously concluded that Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden because of their mistake. The couple being expelled from the garden had therefore nothing to do with a fall at all, and was God's plan from the beginning as demonstrated earlier.
As a grammatical observation, the Quran consistently uses the plural "ahbitu" when the order of eviction is issued to Adam, Eve, Iblis. In 20:123 it uses instead the dual "ahbitaa" but then follows with "jamiaan" which must include 3 or more entities. This means the aformentionned dual "ahbitaa" pointed to at least one composite unit among the 2; Adam and Eve were one unit, Iblis the second unit. There are others such examples scattered in the Book, of the Quran flawlessly maintaining its literary consistency, even when breaking a grammatical pattern
20:123"He said: Get forth you two/ahbitaa therefrom, all (of you), one of you (is) enemy to another. So there will surely come to you guidance from Me, then whoever follows My guidance, he shall not go astray nor be unhappy".
Back to the account itself. When they ate from the tree and began covering out of shame, Allah calls them out 7:22.
20:121,7:22"Did I not forbid you both from that tree and say to you that the Shaitan is your open enemy?"
At that point, Adam knew they had to seek Allah's forgiveness 7:23. What triggered that situation for mankind was Adam and his wife's disobedience. Again, that situation would have occured anyway, as per God's initial plan of placing a mortal on the earth. The trigger however could have been different. Because of their taking full responsibility, humbly asking for forgiveness, God showed Adam soothing words of prayer, consoling and forgiving him 2:37. Despite the spiritual will not return to their state of ease in the garden. They will be made to live on the earth for an appointed time 2:38,20:122.
The garden was thus an earthly transition place where man got acquainted with his self and his future responsibilities resulting from his capacity of freewill, this is why Iblis was allowed to play a part in it and why temptation was made possible. The time spent by Adam and Eve in their garden was to demonstrate the fundamental method in which the will would have to assert itself for a human being; by defeating evil suggestions
20:117"O Adam! This is an enemy to you and to your wife; therefore let him not drive you both forth from the garden so that you should be unhappy".
God is warning them, He does not want them to leave the Garden through the satan's deception because it would result in a state of spiritual unhappiness 2:36,38. Iblis only desires that they live in a state of unhappiness and misery, the inevitable result of disobedience to God. But the Merciful declares that even in this life of toil on earth for which mankind was originally made, they can achieve the very happiness that they had in the garden.
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