Question: Did Prophet Adam (AS) commit sin?

I am wondering how can Satan (LA) have played in a Prophet's mind (AS)? Didn't Prophet Adam (AS) listen to Satan (LA) when he ate from the tree? However, isn't Satan (LA) supposed to stay away from mu'minin?

  Answer

You have raised two points in your email; one specific about Prophet Adam (AS) and one about the Mu'minin.  

It is agreed amongst the scholars that Prophet Adam (AS) did not commit any sin, or relinquish any Mustahab, commit any Makruh, but what he did was not do the most desired. 

In the teachings of Islam, or Rasulollah (S) we find many moral and ethical issues one is recommended to do.  These are not Waajib - not for an ordinary mortal - but in the realm of trying to achieve high moral standards, one must adhere to such those teachings to an extent that they become Waajib for him.  For example, it is recommended that one should not eat while walking in the street.  Now this may not be so bad for an ordinary person, but it certainly would look bad for a Grand Ayatollah to eat his sandwiches while walking the streets of the city - in a way he would have committed an ethical 'sin' - he did not do the recommended or the desired thing.  In the same way Prophet Adam (AS) did something that was recommended and desired to refrain from. 

As for the Mu'minin, the whole point of this world is to be tested, and part of this test is the temptation the Shaytan brings about to the individual.  In fact you can see from the conservation between Shaytan and Allah Almighty (7:11-18), (37:28-42), (38:71-83) that when the Shaytan - Iblees - is driven from paradise because of his reluctance to prostrate for Adam as Allah Almighty commanded, he asks Allah Almighty to give him the chance, and he is given a chance until the day of judgement, Iblees then declares that he would do 'all in his power' to deviate mankind from the right path . . . .  So the Shaytan is there to do all he can to deviate the Mu'min, he does not need to worry too much about the Kafir, he is deviated already.

It should be stated that the Shaytan will remain distant from the Mu'min so long as the latter continued to remember Allah (Dhikr) and so long as s/he adheres to the orders and commands of Allah in all issues, and so long as s/he refrains form the issues Allah Almighty has prohibited.  The moments of inattention of the Mu'min are the golden opportunities for the Shaytan to strike at the heart, mind, and soul of the Mu'min.

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