What Was the Reason Behind the Murder of Abel?
ما سبب 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 scholar's 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: one's offering was accepted while the other's was not. So he 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 the other 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 الرديء فلم يتقبلها الله تعالى، بينما كانت أضحية أخيه من أحسن ما عنده فقبلها الله، وبذلك دبّت الغيرة في نفس قابيل فقتل أخاه. ونتعلم من ذلك أن الإنسان إذا قدّم هدية أو أضحية أو قربانًا لله عز وجل فعليه أن يسعى إلى تقديم أجود ما عنده. قال تعالى: لَن تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ (آل عمران: 92)، وقال تعالى: 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 | القبول بالإخلاص لا بالكثرة
Cain's brother explained the outcome plainly: "Allah only accepts ˹the offering˺ of the sincerely devout" (5:27). 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.
بيّن أخو قابيل سبب ما جرى بعبارة واضحة: (إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ) (المائدة 5: 27). فلم يكن الفرق بين القربانين في قيمتهما المادية وحدها، بل في الإخلاص الذي وراء كل منهما، وهو معنى يتردد في قوله تعالى: (لَن تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ) (آل عمران 3: 92)، فالبر الحق أن ينفق الإنسان مما يحب.
2. A Threat Answered With Restraint, Not Retaliation | تهديدٌ قوبل بالكفّ لا بالانتقام
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 a profound example of restraint in the face of a direct threat to one's life, choosing to fear Allah over retaliating.
لما هُدِّد هابيل بالقتل لم يردّ بتهديد مثله، ولم يحاول أن يدفع عن نفسه بالعنف. وجوابه بأنه يؤثر أن يُقتل على أن يبسط يده بالقتل مثلٌ بليغ في الكفّ عند تهديد صريح بالقتل، إذ قدّم 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 after he saw the crow.
نصّت الآية على أن نفس قابيل هي التي زيّنت له قتل أخيه: (فَطَوَّعَتْ لَهُ نَفْسُهُ قَتْلَ أَخِيهِ) (المائدة 5: 30)، وفي ذلك بيانٌ أن الغيرة إذا لم تُكبح غلبت على رشد صاحبها. أما ما أعقب الجريمة، إذ عجز قابيل حتى عن معرفة كيف يواري الجثة، فقد بيّناه في جواب: كيف تعلّم قابيل أن يدفن أخاه هابيل؟، وفيه تُظهر الآية التالية من الموضع نفسه ندمه بعد أن رأى الغراب (المائدة 5: 31).
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.