THE STORY OF HABIL AND QABIL (ABEL AND CAIN)

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THE STORY OF HABIL AND QABIL (ABEL AND CAIN)

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EPISODE 1️⃣ – The First Crime Committed by Human on Earth

Allaah (ﷻ) says in the the Qur’an:

وَٱتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ٱبْنَىْ ءَادَمَ بِٱلْحَقِّ إِذْ قَرَّبَا قُرْبَانًۭا فَتُقُبِّلَ مِنْ أَحَدِهِمَا وَلَمْ يُتَقَبَّلْ مِنَ ٱلْـَٔاخَرِ قَالَ لَأَقْتُلَنَّكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

Relate to them in truth ‘O Prophet the story of Adam’s two sons—how each offered a sacrifice: Habil’s offering was accepted while Qabil’s was not. So Qabil threatened, “I will kill you!” His brother replied, “Allaah only accepts ˹the offering˺ of the sincerely devout.

لَئِنۢ بَسَطتَ إِلَىَّ يَدَكَ لِتَقْتُلَنِى مَآ أَنَا۠ بِبَاسِطٍۢ يَدِىَ إِلَيْكَ لِأَقْتُلَكَ ۖ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

If you raise your hand to kill me, I will not raise mine to kill you, because I fear Allaah—the Lord of all worlds.

إِنِّىٓ أُرِيدُ أَن تَبُوٓأَ بِإِثْمِى وَإِثْمِكَ فَتَكُونَ مِنْ أَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلنَّارِ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَٰٓؤُا۟ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

I want to let you bear your sin against me along with your other sins, then you will be one of those destined to the Fire. And that is the reward of the wrongdoers.”

فَطَوَّعَتْ لَهُۥ نَفْسُهُۥ قَتْلَ أَخِيهِ فَقَتَلَهُۥ فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ

Yet Qabil convinced himself to kill his brother, so he killed him—becoming a loser.

فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ غُرَابًۭا يَبْحَثُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لِيُرِيَهُۥ كَيْفَ يُوَٰرِى سَوْءَةَ أَخِيهِ ۚ قَالَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَىٰٓ أَعَجَزْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِثْلَ هَـٰذَا ٱلْغُرَابِ فَأُوَٰرِىَ سَوْءَةَ أَخِى ۖ فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ ٱلنَّـٰدِمِينَ

Then Allaah sent a crow digging ˹a grave˺ in the ground ˹for a dead crow˺, toto show him how to bury the corpse of his brother. He cried, “Alas! Have I ˹even˺ failed to be like this crow and bury the corpse of my brother?” So he became regretful.

[Al-Maidah 5:27-31]

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Adam (عليه سلام) used to get the male bore by one birth married to the female bore by another, hence Habil was supposed to marry Qabil’s sister who was better and beautiful. At the same time, Qabil wanted to keep her, so Adam (عليه سلام) ordered Qabil to allow Habil marry his sister but Qabil refused.
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Then, Adam (عليه سلام) ordered both of them (Habil and Qabil) to offer a sacrifice to Allaah (ﷻ). Meanwhile, Adam (عليه سلام) set forth towards Mecca to perform a Pilgrimage. Adam tried to entrust the affairs of his children to the heavens, earth, and mountains but all refused to bear the trust. Qabil accepted the trust and thereupon Adam went on his journey to Mecca.
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Just after Adam’s departure, both brothers (Habil and Qabil) offered their sacrifices. Habil offered a fat-she goat while Qabil offered a bundle of bad plants. Later a fire came down and consumed the sacrifice made by Habil and left untouched that of Qabil. Qabil was enraged with anger by this and said to his brother: “I will kill you” (so as not to marry my sister), Habil replied “Allaah only accepts ˹the offering˺ of the sincerely devout.”
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Abdullah Ibn Amr (رضي الله عنه) said: By Allaah! the murdered (Habil) was stronger than the murderer (Qabil), but he refused to stretch his hand (to kill his brother in self-defense) due to his piety.

[Stories of the Quraan by Ibn Katheer]
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There is ikhtilaaf among the scholars on how Habil was killed. Some say ‘Qabil killed his brother Habil by throwing a stone at him while he was asleep’, others say ‘he killed him by choking him violently’ [and Allaah knows best].