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We are told that no one will be punished for another person's sins. However when Adam (as) and Hawa (Eve) went against Allah (swt) instructions and ate from the forbidden tree, they were sent on Earth as a punishment and test. Now, the rest of mankind did not eat from the forbidden tree, then why are we on Earth and being tested if this was a punishment for their wrong doing?

Also if a person does something evil, we are told we will always pay for our wrong doing (unless we repent). We might pay for our wrong doing in this dunya or in the hereafter. There are many ways we can be punished in this dunya, e.g. through our wealth, health or even children. Now, why are the children being punished e.g. by being afflicted by a disability because of their parent's wrong doing?

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    Nice question, but one thing to note here, is that after Adam ate from the tree, he repented and God accepted his repentance. the reason why we are here is simply because God willed it, even before Adam was created God told the Angels that I am creating humans as a Khalifa on earth!
    – Aboudi
    Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 13:18
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    Both (Adam & Hawa) went against the direction and both repented. Almighty accepted their repentance and forgave them. They were kept in paradise for some training period and were supposed to be on earth. So we are sent to earth,not as punishment, but for our test.
    – DrGhazi
    Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 13:42
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    @DrGhazi what do you mean by "Training period"? Training for what and how?
    – Aboudi
    Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 14:05
  • Possible duplicate of The reason behind diseases and suffer of innocent children in this world?
    – servant-of-Wiser
    Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 15:24
  • @Believer No this question is different. That question refers to wars and so on but I am asking about a child being afflicted with a disability because of their parent's sin.
    – Zohal
    Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 15:56

3 Answers 3

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While the sending of Adam and Hawa to Earth from their initial place of residence may be a punishment for the two, the birth of the rest of the humankind in this world is not a punishment for them.

The problems, suffering, pain we experience due to others' actions or choices is not a punishment for us, it is a natural consequence. E.g. you drive in the red light and hit someone and kill him. It's not a punishment for the person you kill. The punishment for everyone's acts will be decided and distributed in the judgment day without any injustice (Quran verses about everyone being solely responsible for their actions 2:134, 4:123, 6:164, 17:15, 29:12-13, 35:18, 39:7, 53:38-39).

A note about Verses 29:12-13: The people who lead others to sin, will have the burden of their own sins + the burden of the sin of "leading others to sin", multiplied by the number of people they led to sin. They won't have the burden of others' own sins. Others' will have the burden of their own sins (7:38-39, 37:30).

In your example, it is not a punishment for the child, it is a test, also a natural consequence of the parents' actions which they comitted even though they knew the possibilty of the negative outcomes (e.g. marrying to close relatives, drinking or smoking, etc.). It is a test for the parents to have a child with disability/disease (one may also consider it as a part of their punishments for their own sins that caused the child to be born like that). But it is also a test for the child, a test to endure and show patience about the disability/disase in his/her life. In the judgment day (with the light of the verses I mentioned above), the parents will be asked of their actions that led the child to be born with disability/disases and, in my understanding, the child will also ask his/her parents why they caused that and everyone will receive their just judgment.

May Allah give us an easy judgment.

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  • But if they repent and took good care 0f that child they will be forgiven
    – user56596
    Commented Nov 11, 2023 at 8:55
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The following verse (among others) is generally interpreted as meaning we're not punished for other people's sins:

That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another
Qur'an 53:38

E.g. one tafsir writes: "no soul shall be tormented for the sins of another soul" (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs).

This does not match the idea that one can be punished through their children. See Are children punished for the sins of their parents? Or rewarded for their good deeds?

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I am pretty sure that Adam and Hawa were created to worship and with the intention of being parents for the entire humanity. The intention was eventually to sent them down (on earth) to test them.

Remember a famous hadiz during Eid ul fitr this is spoken "remember verses from Rehman Men and Jinn have been created solely to worship? All these are trials and tests we have to pass"

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  • Yes I understand that Humans and the Jinn were created to worship Allah. So will we be worshiping Allah in Jannah ..Yes we will but I mean as in will we still be performing salah and so forth. And also the way the Quran has been worded in my opinion makes it sound like Adam was sent down to Earth as a punishment. As it says something along the line of "And Adam fell in the trap of the shaytan, he ate the forbidden fruit and so Allah made their privates appear to them (Adam and Hawa) and threw them out of Jannah and put them on Earth. Of course I may have made a mistake?
    – Zohal
    Commented Apr 9, 2016 at 11:29

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