Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:121

"So they both ate of it, and their private parts became apparent to them..."

(طفق - Tafiqa - he began to do such and such): It is like saying ja‘ala (he started), akhadha (he took), or ansha’a (he initiated). Its rule is the same as kada (to be on the verge of) in that the predicate must be a present-tense verb. However, there is a slight difference: tafiqa denotes the commencement of the action, while kada denotes being on the verge of it and drawing near to it.

"And they began to fasten (يخصفان - yakhsifan):" It is read as yakhsifan (with a shaddah on the sad) to denote frequency and repetition. It is derived from khasf al-na‘l (cobbling a sandal), which means to stitch pieces together. That is, they were sticking leaves onto their private parts to cover themselves, and these were fig leaves. It is said they were round, but they took this shape under their fingers. It is also said that their clothing was [like] fingernails; when they committed the sin, it was stripped from them, leaving only these remnants at the tips of their fingers.

"And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred (فغوى - faghawa):" Regarding this, Ibn Abbas states: There is no doubt that Adam did not comply with what God had prescribed for him, and he stepped outside the bounds of obedience; that is disobedience (‘isyan). When he disobeyed, his action ceased to be guidance (rushd) and goodness, and thus it was inevitably error (ghayy), for ghayy is the opposite of rushd.

However, the statement: "And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred," in this absolute and explicit manner—and the fact that it did not say "Adam slipped" or "Adam made a mistake" or similar expressions used for minor lapses—contains a subtlety for those who are accountable, a profound deterrent, and a comprehensive admonition. It is as if it were said to them: "Look and take heed of how the slip of the infallible Prophet, the Beloved of God—upon whom only the commission of a non-repulsive minor sin is possible—was denounced with this harsh wording. Therefore, do not take lightly the sins and minor offenses that you commit, let alone dare to plunge into major sins."

Some have interpreted faghawa as "he became bloated from overeating." While this is linguistically possible according to the dialect of those who turn the ya (preceded by a kasra) into an alif—saying fana instead of faniya (he perished) and baqa instead of baqiya (he remained)—it is a vile interpretation.

"Then his Lord chose him, and turned to him in forgiveness, and guided him."