Short answer
No. Islam teaches that every child is born pure. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that every child is born upon the fitra, the natural faith in one God (﷾). Adam and Eve sinned, repented and were forgiven, so no guilt passed to their children. The Qur'an says that no bearer of burdens bears the burden of another. The Bible's own prophets say the same: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father. Jesus said the kingdom of God (﷾) belongs to little children. He told grown men to become like them. He would not say that of people born guilty. Original sin is a doctrine of the Church, drawn from Paul, a Christian missionary of the first century, and not from Jesus. Islam's answer is that every child begins clean.
Full explanation
What the doctrine of original sin says
Western churches, Catholic and most Protestant, teach that all humanity inherits the sin of Adam. On this teaching no one is born clean. They say only the death of Christ removes the sin. It is received through faith and, for many churches, through baptism, the washing rite of the church. They rest this on Paul, a Christian missionary of the first century, who wrote that sin entered the world by one man. They also rest it on David's confession in the Psalms that he was conceived in sin.
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
Every child is born on the fitra
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that every child is born upon the fitra. He said the religions are what the parents add afterwards. He compared it to an animal that is born whole, with no part cut off. The Qur'an calls the fitra the pattern on which God (﷾) made mankind. So a child is born clean, with no guilt of Adam's on him.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said every child is born upon the fitra, the true faith, and it is his parents who make him a Jew, a Christian or a Magian, just as an animal gives birth to a whole young one: do you see any of them born mutilated?
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said every child is born upon the fitra (the natural disposition to worship Allah alone), and it is his parents who make him a Jew, a Christian or a Magian, just as an animal gives birth to a whole, unmarked young one. Abu Hurayra then recited Qur'an 30:30.
“So set thou thy face steadily and truly to the Faith: (establish) Allah's handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind: no change (let there be) in the work (wrought) by Allah: that is the standard Religion: but most among mankind understand not.”
Adam and Eve repented and were forgiven
In the Qur'an Adam and his wife both ate. Both confessed that they had wronged their own souls, and both asked for mercy. Adam received words from his Lord. God (﷾) turned to him and gave him guidance. The sin was forgiven, so there was no guilt left to pass on.
“They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost."”
“Then learnt Adam from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord Turned towards him; for He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.”
“In the result, they both ate of the tree, and so their nakedness appeared to them: they began to sew together, for their covering, leaves from the Garden: thus did Adam disobey his Lord, and allow himself to be seduced. But his Lord chose him (for His Grace): He turned to him, and gave him Guidance.”
No one carries another's sin
The Qur'an states the rule more than once. A soul's wrongs count against itself alone, and no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another.
“Say: "Shall I seek for (my) Cherisher other than Allah, when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)? Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Your goal in the end is towards Allah: He will tell you the truth of the things wherein ye disputed."”
“Nor can a bearer of burdens bear another's burdens if one heavily laden should call another to (bear) his load. Not the least portion of it can be carried (by the other). Even though he be nearly related. Thou canst but admonish such as fear their Lord unseen and establish regular Prayer. And whoever purifies himself does so for the benefit of his own soul; and the destination (of all) is to Allah.”
The Bible's prophets teach the same rule
The Law of Moses forbids putting children to death for their fathers' sin. Jeremiah, a prophet of the seventh century BC, says each shall die for his own iniquity. Iniquity means wrongdoing. Ezekiel, a prophet of the sixth century BC, says it most plainly of all: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father. Jesus says the Son of man will reward every man according to his own works. Deuteronomy 24:16, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Jesus agree with the Qur'an. Original sin stands against them.
“The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.”
“But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.”
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| The Law of Moses | Children are not put to death for their fathers' sin |
| Jeremiah | Each shall die for his own iniquity |
| Ezekiel | The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father |
| Jesus | Every man is rewarded according to his works |
| The Qur'an | No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another |
| Original sin, in the Western churches | All humanity inherits the sin of Adam |
Jesus held up children as the model
When the disciples turned children away, Jesus was displeased. He said that the kingdom of God (﷾) belongs to such as these. He told grown men that unless they became like little children, they would not enter the kingdom of heaven. No one tells adults to become like people who carry a guilt that would damn them.
“But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”
“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Verse by verse
Romans 5:12 — Epistle to the Romans, chapter 5, verse 12
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
Cited for
Adam's sin passed to the whole human race, so every person is born a sinner.
The response
These are Paul's words, not Jesus'. In verse 19 Paul says that many were made sinners by one man's disobedience. So he does teach that Adam's act made others sinners. That is exactly what the Law and the Prophets forbid. "The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father" (Ezekiel 18:20). "Every man shall be put to death for his own sin" (Deuteronomy 24:16). Jesus said every man is rewarded according to his own works.
Where it lands — Whatever Paul meant, Moses, Ezekiel and Jesus make each soul answer only for its own deeds, so a newborn cannot carry Adam's guilt.
Psalms 51:5 — Ketuvim, Tehillim, chapter 51, verse 5
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
Cited for
David says he was conceived in sin, so sin is present from the moment of conception.
The response
This is David's own confession of his own sin, poured out in grief. It says nothing about Adam and nothing about any other child. A line from a prayer of repentance cannot overturn the plain rule of the Law and the Prophets. That rule is that each soul bears only its own iniquity.
Where it lands — The verse describes one penitent's grief, not a law that every child is born guilty.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
Catholic and most Protestant churches teach that all people inherit Adam's sin and are born under it. Christ's death is the remedy, received through faith and, in Catholic teaching, through baptism.
Paul teaches that sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and that death passed on to all men.
Rebuttal
These are Paul's words, not Jesus'. Paul does teach that Adam's act made others sinners. But Ezekiel and the Law say the son does not bear the father's iniquity, and Jesus said each man is rewarded for his own works.
David confesses that he was shaped in iniquity and conceived in sin, which Christians read as sin present from conception.
Rebuttal
This is David's own confession of his own sin, made in grief. It says nothing about Adam or about any other child. One line of a prayer of repentance cannot overturn the rule that each soul bears only its own iniquity.
The Islamic perspective
Every child is born pure, on the fitra. Adam and Eve were forgiven, and each person answers only for his own deeds. The Prophet (ﷺ) taught it, and the Bible's own prophets agree.
The Prophet (ﷺ) taught that every child is born upon the fitra. He said parents make the child a Jew, a Christian or a Magian (a Zoroastrian).
The Qur'an teaches that God (﷾) made mankind on a natural pattern of faith that cannot be changed.
The Qur'an says Adam and his wife repented and that God (﷾) turned to Adam in forgiveness.
The Qur'an says no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another.
Deuteronomy, Jeremiah and Ezekiel say that children do not die for, or bear, the iniquity of their fathers.
Jesus said the kingdom belongs to little children and told adults to become like them. That does not fit a belief that children are born guilty.