What Was the Reason Behind the Murder of Abel?
ما سبب جريمة قتل هابيل؟
They both offered a sacrifice. The sacrifice of Cain was a poor quality offering and therefore not accepted. Whereas Abel's offering was of the best quality so Allah accepted it. So Cain was jealous of Abel and he killed his brother. (Corrected here from the original published wording, which had the two names reversed in a way that contradicted both the Quran verses quoted immediately below and the site's own Arabic text.) We learn from this that if a person wants to offer a gift or a sacrifice to Allah, he should strive to offer the best of what he has. Allah Almighty says: "You will never achieve righteousness until you donate some of what you cherish" (Surah Ali Imran 3:92). "Relate to them in truth, O Prophet, the story of Adam's two sons, how each offered a sacrifice: Abel's offering was accepted while Cain's was not. So Cain threatened, 'I will kill you!' His brother replied, 'Allah only accepts the offering of the sincerely devout. If you should raise your hand against me to kill me, I shall not raise my hand against you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds. 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.' Yet Cain convinced himself to kill his brother, so he killed him, becoming a loser" (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:27-30).
لأنهما قدما أضحية، فكانت أضحية قابيل من النوع الردئ فلم يتقبلها الله تعالى، بينما أضحية أخيه كانت من أحسن ما عنده فقبلها الله، وبذلك دبت الغيرة في نفسه وقتل أخيه. ونتعلم من ذلك أن الإنسان لما يقدم هدية أو أضحية أو قربانا لله عز وجل يسعى أن يقدم أجود شيء عنده. قال تعالى: لَن تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ (آل عمران: 92). وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ابْنَيْ آدَمَ بِالْحَقِّ إِذْ قَرَّبَا قُرْبَانًا فَتُقُبِّلَ مِنْ أَحَدِهِمَا وَلَمْ يُتَقَبَّلْ مِنَ الْآخَرِ قَالَ لَأَقْتُلَنَّكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢٧﴾ لَئِن بَسَطتَ إِلَيَّ يَدَكَ لِتَقْتُلَنِي مَا أَنَا بِبَاسِطٍ يَدِيَ إِلَيْكَ لِأَقْتُلَكَ ۖ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٢٨﴾ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَن تَبُوءَ بِإِثْمِي وَإِثْمِكَ فَتَكُونَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿٢٩﴾ فَطَوَّعَتْ لَهُ نَفْسُهُ قَتْلَ أَخِيهِ فَقَتَلَهُ فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ ﴿٣٠﴾ (سورة المائدة: 27-30).
1. Sincerity, Not Just Quantity, Determined Acceptance | الإخلاص لا الكمية هو ما حدد القبول
Cain's brother explained the outcome plainly: "Allah only accepts the offering of the sincerely devout." The difference between the two sacrifices was not simply about material value; it reflected the sincerity behind each offering, a principle echoed in Surah Ali Imran 3:92, which teaches that true righteousness requires giving from what a person genuinely values.
أوضح أخو قابيل النتيجة بجلاء: "إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ". فالفارق بين القربانين لم يكن مجرد فارق في القيمة المادية؛ بل عكس مدى الإخلاص وراء كل قربان، وهو مبدأ يتردد صداه في سورة آل عمران 3:92، التي تُعلّم أن البر الحقيقي يستلزم الإنفاق مما يحبه الإنسان فعلا.
2. A Threat Answered With Restraint, Not Retaliation | تهديد قوبل بالتعفف لا بالرد
When threatened with death, Abel did not respond with a counter-threat or attempt to defend himself through violence. His answer, that he would rather bear the consequence of being killed than raise his own hand in murder, is held up in Islamic scholarship as a profound example of restraint in the face of a direct threat to one's life, choosing to fear Allah over retaliating.
حين هُدد بالقتل، لم يرد هابيل بتهديد مضاد ولم يحاول الدفاع عن نفسه بالعنف. وإجابته، بأنه يفضل تحمل نتيجة أن يُقتل على أن يمد يده للقتل، تُعد في الدراسات الإسلامية مثالا عميقا على التعفف في مواجهة تهديد مباشر لحياته، إذ اختار خشية الله على الانتقام.
3. From Jealousy to Regret | من الغيرة إلى الندم
Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:30 states plainly that Cain's own soul "made it easy for him" to kill his brother, showing how unchecked jealousy can override a person's better judgment. What followed this act, Cain's difficulty even knowing how to bury the body, is covered in How Did Cain Learn to Bury His Brother?, where the same passage shows his regret setting in almost immediately.
تنص سورة المائدة 5:30 صراحة على أن نفس قابيل "طوّعت له" قتل أخيه، وهو ما يُظهر كيف يمكن للغيرة غير المكبوحة أن تطغى على حسن تقدير الإنسان. وما تلا هذا الفعل، من صعوبة قابيل حتى في معرفة كيفية دفن الجثة، مذكور في مقال كيف تعلّم قابيل دفن أخيه؟، حيث تُظهر الآية ذاتها ندمه يبدأ يتسلل إليه على الفور تقريبا.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Why did Cain kill Abel?
He was jealous that his own sacrifice to Allah was rejected while his brother Abel's was accepted.
What determined which sacrifice was accepted?
Sincerity, as Abel stated that Allah only accepts the offering of the sincerely devout, rather than the offering's material value alone.
How did Abel respond to Cain's threat?
He refused to retaliate, saying he would rather bear being killed than raise his own hand against his brother.