Qur'an

Creation in the Qur'an is certainly influenced by previous creation stories, but contains radical differences and clarifications that mark its separation from the old testament. The question of sex before sin in Genesis is a long debated argument with little textual reconciliation. The Qur'an, however, clearly sanctions sex, although whether this is before or after the "fall" is not clear due to the jumbled nature of the verses. When speaking of menstruation, it is said that men should "go not in unto them till they are cleansed. . . then go in unto them as Allah hath enjoined upon you" (E&A 180.) This clear sanctioning of sex is not seen in Genesis, and contributes heavily to the debate about what life was like before the "fall." Life before the fall is thought by some to embody god's intentions for humankind. The ambiguity regarding "pre-sin" sex in genesis leads to theories such as celibacy, sex on occasion, sex all the time without lust, and sex all the time with reproduction only sometimes. The Qur'an avoids this mess by clearly stating that sex is sanctioned by Allah.
Another hotly debated topic in Genesis that the Qur'an deals with straightforwardly is the issue of immortality. When Satan talks to Adam and his mate, he explains the consequences of eating the fruit as"lest ye should become angels or become of the immortals" (E&A181.) This implies that Adam and the woman (hard not to call here Eve here) were not made immortal if Satan speaks the truth. Genesis deals with this issue with confusion and ambiguity, like most others. God states that Adam and Eve "will certainly die" if they eat from the fruit, with no counter action to explain what would happen if they did not eat.
Adam and the woman's reaction to their own sin is by far the most drastically different facet of the story. We have seen the pride and relentlessness that accompanies the human's excuses to God in Genesis. In the Qur'an, the two humans immediately admit their wrongdoing by saying "We have wronged ourselves" (E&A 181.) This is part of the Islamic view that there was no "fall," and that the first humans are not to blame for introducing evil into the world. Their acknowledgement of their wrongdoing leads only to a "punishment" of banishment, not comparable to that in Genesis.
Despite the differences noted above, some contradictions seen in Genesis are also observed in the Qur'an. It is stated many times that men are superior to women. However, just as in Genesis 1, a phrase exists that seems to support equality: "We have created you male and female" (E&A 184). This is strikingly similar to the statement "male and female he did create them" (Gen 1:27). The similarity of these two statements support a direct influence of Genesis on the Qur'an.