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Eve
(3,689 words)

Eve (in Islam), the name of the first woman, the wife of Adam (Ādam, q.v.), and the maternal progenitor of humankind, who is referred to in the Islamic tradition as Ḥawwāʾ.

Eve in Sufism

The image of Eve that is provided in Sufi writing up to the 4th/10th or 5th/11th centuries largely follows the portrayal in general Qurʾānic commentaries and narrations. Based on Q 7:189 as a proof-text, the majority of these sources view Eve as the first woman and Adam’s wife, who was created from the ‘single person’ (nafs wāḥida) (und…

Cite this page
Stephen Hirtenstein, Translated by Leila Rahimi Bahmany and Faramarz Haj Manouchehri, “Eve”, in: Encyclopaedia Islamica, Editors-in-Chief: Farhad Daftary. Consulted online on 08 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1875-9831_isla_COM_036128>
First published online: 2018
First print edition: 20180110



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