Were It Not for Hawwa, No Woman Would Ever Betray Her Husband?

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Were it not for Hawwa, no woman would ever betray her husband.”

Sahih al-Bukhari, 3330

The revelation itself constructs the case, and its consistency is absolute. The event in the Garden was one of perfect and inseparable partnership, established from the moment of creation, for Allah {created you from one soul and created from it its mate.} [An-Nisa: 1]. The command to dwell in Paradise and the prohibition against the tree were issued to them as a single unit, for Allah said,

“O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will, but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.”

Al-Baqarah: 35

and He reiterated,

“O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.”

Al-A’raf: 19

The temptation from the enemy was directed at them as a single unit, for {Satan whispered to them to make apparent to them that which was concealed from them of their private parts.} [Al-A’raf: 20]. The deception was enacted upon them as a single unit, for {he made them fall, through deception.} [Al-A’raf: 22]. The act of sin was committed by them as a single unit, for {they ate of it, and their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten together over themselves from the leaves of Paradise.} [Taha: 121]. And the repentance was made by them as a single unit, a single voice pleading to their Lord:

“They said, “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.”

Al-A’raf: 23

Yet for this single, shared event, the revelation issues two distinct and specific legal indictments. The indictment against Adam is a crime against his Lord, a failure of command. The Qur’an is explicit in naming the violated party:

“And Adam disobeyed his Lord (Rabbahu).”

Taha: 121

The nature of this failure is diagnosed with perfect precision as a lack of resolve, for {We had already taken a covenant from Adam before, but he forgot; and We found not in him determination (azm).} [Taha: 115]. The charge is vertical: a servant’s failure in his duty to his Sovereign.

The indictment against Hawwa, delivered by the Prophet (peace be upon him), is a crime against her husband, a failure of loyalty. The hadith is explicit in naming the violated party:

“…no woman would ever betray her husband (zawjaha).”

Sahih al-Bukhari, 3330

The charge is horizontal: a spouse’s failure in her duty to her partner.

For both of these divine charges to be true, the distinction must lie not in the physical act, which was shared, but in the primary right that was violated. A sin is always a violation of the Right of Allah (Haqq Allah), but it can also be a violation of the right of the servant (Haqq al-‘Abd).

The revelation indicts Adam for his primary failure in the Haqq Allah. As the direct recipient of the covenant, his disobedience is framed as a crime against his Lord.

The revelation indicts Hawwa for her primary failure in the Haqq al-‘Abd. Her act of siding with the enemy was a sin against Allah, but its specific legal characterization as khayanah is defined by the Prophet (peace be upon him) as a violation of the marital trust. It was the first instance of a wife breaking the internal allegiance of the household, the very crime for which Allah gives the legal precedent of the wives of Nuh and Lut, who {were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them (fa-khanatahuma)…} [At-Tahrim: 10] by siding with the enemy against their own husbands. Her khayanah was the act of giving credence to the counsel of the declared enemy, {for indeed, he [Satan] is to you a clear enemy} [Ya-Sin: 60], after he swore an oath to be a guide, {And he [Satan] swore [by Allah] to them, “Indeed, I am to you from among the sincere advisors.”} [Al-A’raf: 21].

One is charged with a crime against the Sovereign. The other is charged with a crime against the spouse. The evidence is self-contained, perfect, and absolute.

And Allah knows best.