What Was the First Crime Committed on Earth, and Who Committed It?
ما أول جريمة ارتُكبت على الأرض، ومَن ارتكبها؟
Murder. The son of Adam, peace be upon him, killed his brother. It is said that it was Cain who killed Abel.
جريمة القتل؛ فقد قتل ابنُ سيدنا آدم عليه السلام أخاه، ويُقال إن قابيل هو الذي قتل هابيل.
1. A Crime Within the First Family | جريمةٌ في الأسرة الأولى
The very first crime in human history was not committed by a stranger against a stranger, but by a brother against his own brother, within Adam's family, covered in When Were the First Commands Given to Adam and All Generations? It is a sobering reminder that conflict and violence can arise even within the closest of relationships.
لم تقع أول جريمة في تاريخ البشرية من غريب على غريب، بل من أخ على أخيه، في بيت آدم عليه السلام نفسه، كما بيّنا في جواب: متى نزلت أولى التكاليف على آدم عليه السلام وعلى الأجيال كلها؟ وفي ذلك تذكير مؤلم بأن الخصومة والعدوان قد ينشآن بين أقرب الناس بعضهم إلى بعض.
2. Names Not Given in the Quran Itself | اسمان لم يذكرهما القرآن
The Quran narrates this account in detail in Surah Al-Ma'idah without naming either brother directly; the names Cain (Qabil) and Abel (Habil) come from the wider Islamic exegetical tradition rather than the Quranic text itself. The verses that tell the story are set out in which surah mentions the two sons of Adam. The names are widely transmitted in the exegetical reports, but they are not stated in the Quran.
يقصّ القرآن هذا الخبر مفصّلًا في سورة المائدة دون أن يسمّي أحدًا من الأخوين؛ فاسما قابيل وهابيل مأخوذان من روايات التفسير، لا من نص القرآن نفسه. وقد سقنا الآيات التي تروي القصة في الجواب عن السورة التي ذكرت ابني آدم. فالاسمان مشهوران في روايات المفسرين، لكن القرآن لم يذكرهما.
3. The Motive Behind the First Murder | الدافع إلى أول جريمة قتل
This first crime did not happen without cause; it followed directly from jealousy after a sacrifice was accepted from one brother and not the other (5:27), covered in full in What Was the Reason Behind the Murder of Abel? The Quran presents the motive alongside the act itself, giving later generations a full picture of how jealousy can escalate into humanity's first act of violence.
ولم تقع هذه الجريمة الأولى بلا سبب، بل نشأت عن الغيرة بعد أن تُقُبِّل القربان من أحد الأخوين ولم يُتَقَبَّل من الآخر (المائدة 5: 27)، كما بيّنا مفصّلًا في جواب: ما سبب قتل هابيل؟ ويعرض القرآن الدافع مع الفعل نفسه، ليرى الناس من بعدُ صورةً تامة لتصاعد الغيرة حتى صارت أول عدوان في تاريخ البشر.
Scholarly Insight: Al-Qurtubi records and answers a competing identification of Adam's sons (5:27): “Al-Hasan al-Basri said: They were not his immediate sons; they were two men of the Children of Israel.” He quotes Ibn Atiyya's objection: “This is an error. How could one of the Children of Israel be ignorant of the manner of burial until he followed the crow? The correct view is that they were his immediate sons.” See the crow and the first burial. Read the fuller context in the tafsir of Surah Al-Ma'idah.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What was the first crime committed on earth?
Murder, when one of Adam's sons killed his brother.
Are the names Cain and Abel mentioned in the Quran?
No, the Quran narrates the account without naming them; these names come from the wider Islamic tradition.
Where is this account recorded in the Quran?
In Surah Al-Ma'idah, verses 27 through 31.
Prepared by Eng. Ghada Homad, founder of IslamFAQ, researched and written in consultation with qualified scholars, reviewed by Professor Khaled Jassem Al-Houli, Associate Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and Islamic Politics, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, University of Kuwait. Read more about the authors and this project →