Did Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Najdi accuse Adam and Eve of Shirk (polytheism)?
The prevailing opinion is that the polytheism (shirk) mentioned in the verses (Al-A'raf/189-191) was committed by the progeny of Adam, not by Adam and his wife Eve, for prophets are immune from polytheism. The verses express the general human being and his wife, and it is possible that "the soul" refers to Adam, and the polytheism then originated from their children, with the possessive noun omitted. As for the claim that polytheism was committed by Adam and Eve, it is incorrect and its origin is derived from the People of the Book. This is what Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Ibn Kathir favored. Ibn Uthaymeen views the story of Adam and Eve's polytheism as false for several reasons, including the absence of an authentic narration from the Prophet (peace be upon him), the infallibility of prophets from polytheism, and Adam's excuse on the Day of Judgment being about eating from the tree, not polytheism. Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab interprets the polytheism as being merely in the naming, not in worship, and it falls under the category of obedience in disobedience, not major or minor shirk.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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