The murder of Abel
The murder of Abel (Arabic: مقتل هابيل) is one of the stories of the Qur'an, which refers to the killing of one of the two sons of Adam (a) by his other son. In religious sources, this murder is considered the first killing of a human being on Earth. It is stated that Cain objected to Abel's succession as the vicegerent of Adam (a), and to resolve this dispute, God sent divine revelation commanding each of them to present a sacrifice to Him. According to narrations, Cain's sacrifice was not accepted by God, and thus, in the matter of appointing Adam's successor, Cain became jealous of Abel and killed him. Based on Qur'an 5:31, God taught Cain the method of burying Abel through a crow.
First Murder on Earth
The murder of Abel has been considered the first murder on Earth.[2] Verses 27 to 31 of the Qur'an 5 discuss the story of Abel's murder. In these verses, God explains that the two sons of Adam (a) performed an act to get close to Him, which was accepted from one and rejected from the other. The brother whose act was not accepted threatened to kill the other and swore that he would do so, and finally killed him.[3] According to commentators, the name of the brother who committed the murder was Cain, and the one who was killed was Abel.[4]
Motive and Cause of the Murder
In hadiths, the cause of the murder of Abel has been introduced as his brother's jealousy toward him over the matter of determining Adam's successor.[5] According to some researchers, when God revealed to Prophet Adam (a) to teach the Ism al-Aʿẓam (the Greatest Name of God) to Abel as the next successor, Cain objected, because he was the elder son and believed that the succession and vicegerency should belong to him. Furthermore, he suspected that the personal preference and affection of Prophet Adam (a) toward Abel was the reason for the selection, not God's command. Therefore, to end this dispute, revelation came from God, instructing both brothers to offer a sacrifice to God's presence.[6]
Details of Abel's and Cain's Sacrifices
According to narrations, Cain was a farmer and brought a portion of the worst of his crops as an offering, while Abel, who was a shepherd, brought one of his best sheep as a sacrifice; the catching fire of the sacrifice was a sign of its acceptance by God, and thus, Abel's sacrifice was accepted, but Cain's offering was not.[7]
Jealousy; The Cause of Abel's Murder
Based on Islamic hadiths, after Abel's sacrifice was accepted, Cain became jealous of him and swore that he would kill Abel.[8] According to the verses of the Qur'an, Abel, while referring to God-wariness and that God accepts the sacrifice of the God-wary, told Cain, “If you intend to kill me, I will never attempt to kill you and will not commit this sin.” He also warned Cain that if he commits murder, he would be among the wrongdoers and deserving of Hell.[9] According to Tarikh al-Tabari (written 303/915), when Abel went to the mountain to graze his sheep and was resting, Cain attacked him and killed him by striking his head with a rock.[10]
Some have stated that the reason for jealousy and the offering of sacrifices to God was related to choosing spouses for the two brothers, saying that Abel was commanded by God's order to Adam (a) to marry Cain's twin sister, while Cain was obliged to marry Abel's twin sister. Cain, because his sister was more beautiful than Abel's sister, objected to his father's command. Following this, God ordered the two brothers to offer sacrifices, so that whoever's sacrifice was accepted would marry Cain's sister. When Abel's sacrifice was accepted, Cain became jealous and killed him by striking him with a rock.[11]
The story of Abel and Cain's offering of sacrifices to God and Abel's murder is also mentioned in the Torah.[12]
Burial of Abel
According to Muhammad b. Jarir Tabari, the 3rd/9th-century historian, Abel's body was at risk of being torn apart by wild animals because Cain was unable and unaware of how to hide or bury a human body.[13] According to verse Qur'an 5:31, to teach Cain how to bury the body, God sent a crow that began digging the ground, and by hiding the lifeless body of another crow or by hiding part of its prey, showed Cain how to bury his brother’s corpse.[14]
Notes
- ↑ Nīshābūrī, Qiṣaṣ al-Anbiyāʾ.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 4, p. 345.
- ↑ Qur'an 5: 27-31.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 5, p. 315; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 4, p. 348; Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 492.
- ↑ ʿAyyāshī, Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, vol. 1, p. 312.
- ↑ Ṣādiqī Fadakī, Irtidād, bāzgasht bi tārīkī, p. 270.
- ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 8, p. 113.
- ↑ ʿAyyāshī, Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, vol. 1, p. 312.
- ↑ Qur'an 5:29.
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 1, p. 138.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 493; Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 1, p. 138.
- ↑ Torah, Book of Genesis, Chapter 4, Verses 3–8.
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 1, p. 86.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 4, p. 351.
References
- ʿAyyāshī, Muḥammad b. Masʿūd al-. Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī. Edited by Rasūlī Maḥallātī. Tehran: al-Maktaba al-ʿIlmiyya al-Islāmiyya, 1380 Sh.
- Kulaynī, Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-. Al-Kāfī. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmīyya, 1407 AH.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmīyya, 1371 Sh.
- Nīshābūrī, Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm b. Manṣūr b. Khalaf. Qiṣaṣ al-Anbiyāʾ. (manuscript copy). [n.p]. [n.n]. [n.d].
- Ṣādiqī Fadakī, Jaʿfar. Irtidād, bāzgasht bi tārīkī; negareshī bi mawḍūʿ-i Irtidād az nigāh-i Qurʾān-i Karīm. 1st Edition. Qom: Pazhūhishgāh-i ʿUlūm wa Farhang-i Islāmī, 1388 Sh.
- Ṭabarī, Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-.Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk. Edited by Muḥammad Abu l-faḍl Ibrāhīm. Second edition. Beirut: Dar al-Turāth, 1387 AH.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. 2nd Edition. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1390 AH.
- Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-. Al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, [n.d].