RENAISSANCE APRIL 2020

Queries 40 Monthly Renaissance April 2020 People who do not profess faith in it are a victim of their own evil nature. It is not that the Book has some deficiency that they refuse to believe in it. It is their own addiction to evil that has made them blind and deaf to its message. The Enmity between Abel and Cain Question: Adam and Eve had two sons. Abel and Cain, and one of them killed the other so that he could marry the girl the other wanted to. I want to know from where the girl came? Was she the basis of this murder? Answer: The reason for which Cain killed Abel is mentioned in the Qur’ ā n in the following words: ۡﺑﺎﻧًﺎﻓﺘﻘﺒﻞﻣﻦۡ ﺣﺪﻫﻤﺎوﻟﻢۡ ﻳﺘﻘﺒﻞۡ bÄ ﺑﺎ bÄ ۡ ذ † ۡ ٰدم ﺑﺎﻟۡﺤﻖ nۡ و ﺗۡﻞﻋﻠﻴۡﻬﻢۡ ﻧﺒﺎ ﺑ ٰ ﻣﻦ ﻟۡﻤﺘ ﻗﺎل ﻧﻤﺎﻳﺘﻘﺒﻞ ﷲ • ﻗﺎلﻵﻹﻗۡﺘﻠﻨﻚ •b¯ٰ ﻣﻦ ﻵۡﻹ ﴿$ۡ% ﻘ ٢٧﴾ Recite to them the anecdote of the two sons of Adam when they offered an offering and it was accepted from one of them and was not accepted from the other. That one said: “I will surely kill you.” [The other] replied: “The Almighty only accepts the offering of His pious people.” (5:27) In other words, Cain got infuriated when his offering was not accepted by God while that of his brother was accepted by Him. His jealousy ultimately induced him to murder his innocent brother, as is mentioned later in 5:30. It is evident from the words of Abel that the reason that Cain’s offering was not accepted by the Almighty was that it was offered by an impious person. This is all what the Qur’ ā n says. The Old Testament also mentions this incident. Though it does not explicitly state the reason for the murder yet the context strongly reinforces what the Qur’ ā n says: Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering