A Glance at the 'Tales of the Prophets'

The Story of Adam in the Qisas al-Anbiya' of Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah al-Kisa'i (an Annotated Translation)

Abstract

This paper acquaints the reader with the classical Arabic literary genre of Qisas al-Anbiya’ (”The Tales of the Prophets”) via a Hebrew translation of a typical story from one of its collections: the tale of Adam and Eve’s repentance after their expulsion from Paradise. The translation is preceded by an introduction, presenting the emergence of the genre under discussion, as well as its formation and development. The third part analyzes the story of Adam and Eve, pointing out its Islamic nature and the popular motifs underlying it, mainly the etiologic and anachronistic motifs current in folk-literature. Adam is described as the first Muslim repentant, as the first prophet who related to the angel Gabriel similarly to Muhammad, as the builder of the Ka’ba and as the first man who performed the Hadjdj. He is also said to have foresight regarding Muhammad’s future mission and message. Contrary to Adam, Eve’s repentance is described in this story as shallow and imitative, being dependent on Adam’s mercy. As a folktale based on a Biblical subject and bearing the strong imprint of Islamic religion, it exemplifies all other stories included in this genre.