بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد
⚡Is there any benefit in learning about the fruit that Aadam عليه السلام ate?
The tree - that Allaah سبحانه وتعالى forbade Aadam and his wive عليهما السلام to eat from, but they still ate from it - no scholar has confirmed what tree it was, and there is nothing in the Book of Allaah or the authentic Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ to point to a specific tree or fruit.
Whatever has been mentioned about a specific type of tree or fruit, then that has been narrated by some of the Taabi`een (students of the Companions), and most of them are based on Texts from the people of the Book (Jews and Christians). Some of them said it is the fig tree, and some said it is the grapevine, and some said it is wheat, and others said it is barely. But what is more commonly known with the vast majority of the people is that it was the apple. But there is no basis for this.
🎓 Imaam Ibn Jareer رحمه الله, after mentioning the above different opinions, said in his Tafseer of Surah al-Baqarah:
❝The correct opinion is to say: "From among the many trees in Jannah, Allaah تعالى forbade Aadam and his wife from eating from one specific tree. But they both disobeyed in what Allaah تعالى had prohibited for them, and they ate as Allaah تعالى had mentioned in His Book. And we do not know which specific tree it was, because Allaah تعالى did not leave any clue for His slaves, neither in His Book nor in the authentic Sunnah. So, from where did the people come to this conclusion (that it was an apple, or wheat, etc.)?
Some said it was from barely, and some said it was from grapevine, while others said it was from the fig tree. It could be one of them (but we do not know for sure). This is part of knowledge, which, if one came to know about it, it would not benefit him. And if an ignorant remains ignorant about it, his ignorance about this would not harm him."❞
📚 [Tafseer al-Tabaree]
There are many lessons to be learned from the story of Aadam عليه السلام, and learning about the fruit or tree is not one of them.
