Muhammad was adapting various stories from the Bible, including the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the account of Adam and Eve. However, a fundamental issue arose: while he had heard these biblical narratives, he was not a scholar of the Bible. Consequently, he made distinct errors when retelling them.
One such clear mistake occurred regarding the "Garden of Eden" (the paradise where Adam and Eve resided):
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According to the Bible, the Garden of Eden (Garden of Eden) where Adam and Eve lived was located right here on Earth.
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Muhammad, however, mistakenly assumed that the paradise they inhabited was located up in the heavens.
Accordingly, the Bible mentions four earthly rivers originating from the Garden of Eden in the following words:
8. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden (on Earth); and there he put the man (Adam) whom he had formed...
9. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil...
10. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads...
11. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold...
12. And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone...
13. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia...
14. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel (Tigris): that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
But when Muhammad presented this story in his own way, the entire landscape was completely altered.
Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Merits of the Ansar (Link):
... (Muhammad says regarding the night of Miraj: After the seventh heaven) Then I was shown Sidrat al-Muntaha (the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary). I saw its fruits, which looked like the clay jugs of Hajar, and its leaves were as big as the ears of elephants. From its roots flowed four rivers: two hidden rivers and two manifest rivers. I asked Gabriel about them, and he replied, "The two hidden rivers are in Paradise, and the two manifest rivers are the Nile and the Euphrates in this world."
This same concept was expanded further in another narration found in Sahih Muslim.
Sahih Muslim, The Book of Paradise (Link):
سَيْحَانُ وَجَيْحَانُ وَالْفُرَاتُ وَالنِّيلُ كُلٌّ مِنْ أَنْهَارِ الْجَنَّةِ
Translation:
The Messenger of Allah said: The Saihan, the Jaihan, the Euphrates, and the Nile are all among the rivers of Paradise.
In the modern era, Muslim apologists have no logical answer as to how physical, earthly rivers like the Nile and the Euphrates could possibly originate from the roots of a lote tree located above the seventh heaven. However, due to the lack of geographical and scientific awareness in ancient times, people easily believed that the fresh water of these rivers flowed directly from the heavens.
Taking advantage of the ignorance and simplicity of that era, many such supernatural claims were made. For instance, another narration claims that after sunset, the sun goes beneath the Throne, prostrates there, and only rises again after receiving permission. The true objective of all these dramatic narratives was to instill fear of an unseen power in people's hearts, thereby keeping them psychologically subjugated.
Once modern science fully uncovered the actual earthly sources of these rivers, contemporary Muslim scholars began concocting new excuses to mask this contradiction.
Shaykh al-Albani attempts to justify this in his book "Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah" (1/18), writing (Link):
"Perhaps what is meant is that these rivers originated from Paradise just as mankind did; this Hadeeth does not contradict the well-established fact that these rivers spring forth from known sources on earth. If this is not in fact the meaning of this Hadeeth, then it is one of the matters of the Unseen (Al-Ghayb), which we must believe and accept because the Prophet has told us about it."
Upon closer critical analysis, these interpretations prove to be completely hollow from an intellectual and logical standpoint:
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Why the comparison between humanity and rivers fails: According to Islamic traditions, humanity (Adam) was first created from the dust of the Earth, then placed in a heavenly paradise for a period, and subsequently sent back to Earth after failing the test. In contrast, in Muhammad's night journey narrative, the waters of the Nile and Euphrates were continuously flowing from the roots of that celestial lote tree at the very moment of his observation. This begs the question: if this water truly belongs to the earthly Nile and Euphrates, how does it cross seven heavens daily to reach Earth, and why is there absolutely no physical trace of this transition?
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The "blessing" excuse and its weakness: Another defense raised by Muslim scholars is that these rivers are called heavenly because their waters possess special blessings, having been consumed by various prophets. Yet, this excuse carries no weight. According to Islamic history, 124,000 prophets were sent to every region of the world, and they must have drunk from hundreds of other rivers across different continents. Why, then, did only these specific rivers receive this distinction, and why didn't the others originate from Paradise as well?
The simple and undeniable reality is that when you compare Muhammad's narrative with the original text and geographical context of the Bible's Garden of Eden, his account is utterly exposed. The error that occurred while transmitting the biblical story orally is glaringly obvious. No matter what excuses Muslim scholars fabricate today, anyone utilizing reason and intellect can easily see that this was merely a flawed, unscientific imitation of biblical accounts.
According to the Bible, Adam and Eve Were Never in a Heavenly Paradise
According to the biblical text and Judeo-Christian theology, Adam and Eve never resided in a heavenly paradise, nor were they cast down to Earth from the heavens.
According to the first book of the Bible, Genesis, God created man from the dust of the ground and planted a garden right here on Earth, known as the "Garden of Eden."
Genesis 2:7–8:
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed."
Throughout the entire biblical narrative, there is absolutely no mention of Adam being created or placed in a celestial heaven. His creation, his dwelling, and his trial all unfolded strictly on Earth.
Furthermore, the Bible does not portray the Garden of Eden as a supernatural or otherworldly realm; rather, it provides a specific, earthly geography, mentioning rivers that still exist on Earth today:
Genesis 2:10–14:
"And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads... And the fourth river is Euphrates."
The explicit mention of physical, earthly rivers like the Euphrates and the Tigris proves that for the authors of the Bible, this garden was located firmly on this planet (in the modern Middle East/Iraq region).
And when Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, they were not cast down from heaven to Earth; instead, they were simply expelled from the boundaries of the Garden of Eden to till the ordinary ground outside it, facing a life of labor and survival.
Genesis 3:23–24:
"Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."
Thus, according to Jewish and Christian scriptures, the story of Adam and Eve has no connection to the sky or a heavenly paradise. They were created directly on Earth, lived in a garden situated on Earth, and after their transgression, were driven to another part of this same planet to till the soil and endure hardship.
Hassan Radwan