Did Jesus Redeem Mankind? — Page 166
? 159 real objective was to deceive Adam. The answer is that no doubt his real aim was to deceive Adam but he feared lest by making a direct approach, he should fail in his objective of imposing upon Adam; he, therefore, tackled Eve, knowing that she would be more amenable to his imposition and serve as an instrument in bringing Adam round. PROGENY OF SINFUL PARENTS It can be said that it is in the power of the Almighty Lord to create virtuous people from among the progeny of Eve. We agree to this view and believe that Allah has the power to create out of the generation of Eve people totally free from sin of every kind. But the theory of vicarious atonement is not based on the premise that it is in the power of God the Great to create or not to create sinless people among the progeny of Eve; it is, on the contrary, based on the assumption that man is sinful by birth and has inherited the seed of sin from Adam. So far as the question relates to the powers of Allah, we hold this belief even in respect of the generations of Adam, that there can be and there have been sinless men among them. Therefore, so far as it concerns the powers of God the Almighty, it is as much within His power to create sinless persons from among the progeny of the sinful Eve as from that of the sinning Adam. The Christians,