Prophet Adam

The story of Habeel and Qabeel

 

Prophet Adam (PBUH) had a number of children. His first two were called Qabeel (Cain) and his twin sister Eklema. His second two were called Habeel (Abel) and his twin sister Labuda 1. The boys grew up and both had jobs - Habeel was a shephard and looked after the animals while Qabeel looked after the orchard and grew fruit trees and vegetables.

It was customary in those days, as a sign of appreciation for the bounties of Allah, that people made material offerings to God in the form of burnings or slaughtering of livestock (of which they ate some parts so that it would not be a waste).

Cain [Qabeel] brought some fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel [Habeel] brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel [Habeel] and his offering, but on Cain [Qabeel] and his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain [Qabeel] was very angry, and his face was downcast. [NIV Holy Bible. Genesis 4:3-5].

It isn't evidently clear what the reason is that God rejected the offering made by Qabeel. We are told that God says "... sin is crouching at your door;" [Genesis 4:7], but it is not clear what his sin was but it must have angered God. Some people claim that Qabeel did not offer the best of his offerings, or making the offerings out of love and sincerity for Allah, while Habeel offered his best animal with true sincerity so it was accepted from him. Other reasons refer to it being something to do with finding the twin sister of his brother (or the celestial (houri) wife that God gave him) less attractive in his opinion.2

One further reason is from Shia thought...

Qabeel (Cain) killed Habeel (Abel) because Allah (swt) revealed to Adam (PBUH) to pass on the weights of Prophethood to Habeel. Qabeel grew jealous of his younger brother. He objected to his father that "I am older than him. Therefore, I'm more rightful to prophethood than he is." So he did not kill him because he married his sister. There might be some narrations and ahadeeth indicating that this was the reason for his murder, but apparently they are all weak and disregarded by the scholars. [M. Baqer Al-Qazwini]

In his anger and jelousy, Qabeel attacked Habeel and killed him. It is so shocking that in the second generation of mankind with only a handful of people on the face of the earth, a man kills another man! Such hadiths as that below exist to point out the utter distaste with this act, but such hadiths are not wholly accepted  by the Muslim Ummah.

The Prophet [Muhammed (SAW)] said, "No human being is killed unjustly, but a part of responsibility for the crime is laid on the first son of Adam who invented the tradition of killing (murdering) on the earth. (It is said that he was Qabeel). [Sahih Bukhari. Narrated by 'Abdullah]

Qabeel did not know what to do with the body. No other man on the face of the earth had died before. So, "Then Allah sent a crow digging up the earth so that he might show him how he should cover the dead body of his brother..." [Holy Koran 5.31]. That is why we must bury our dead and not cremate them. Allah showed us the correct method of dealing with corpses.

Now, the bible tells us that Qabeel had a son with his wife after escaping to live "in the land of Nod, east of Eden." [Genesis 4:16]. The son was called Enoch. Prophet Adam (PBUH) had a son called Shiith (Seth) in place of his murdered son.

"After Adam's death, his son Seth (Shiith) took over the responsibilities of prophethood, according to a hadith narrated by Abu Dhar. Abu Dhar narrated that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "Allah sent down one hundred and four psalms, of which fifty were sent down to Seth." (Sahih al Bukhari). When the time of his death came Seth's son Anoush succeeded him. He in turn, was succeededby his son Qinan, who was succeeded by Mahlabeel." - "When he died his duties were taken over by his son Yard, who on his death, bequeathed them to his son Khonoukh, who is Idris (pbuh) according to the majority of the scholars (Ulama)." [Stories of the Prophets by Ibn Kathir].

If you read the Bible, Genesis 5; You will see that there are two people called Enoch. One was the son of Qabeel and was not a Prophet, and the other was the descendant of Shiith and was a Prophet. He is known as Prophet Idris (PBUH).

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The Koranic verses relating to the story of Habeel and Qabeel

وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ابْنَيْ آدَمَ بِالْحَقِّ إِذْ قَرَّبَا قُرْبَانًا فَتُقُبِّلَ مِن أَحَدِهِمَا وَلَمْ يُتَقَبَّلْ مِنَ الآخَرِ قَالَ لَأَقْتُلَنَّكَ قَالَ إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ

لَئِن بَسَطتَ إِلَيَّ يَدَكَ لِتَقْتُلَنِي مَا أَنَاْ بِبَاسِطٍ يَدِيَ إِلَيْكَ لَأَقْتُلَكَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللّهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ

إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَن تَبُوءَ بِإِثْمِي وَإِثْمِكَ فَتَكُونَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ وَذَلِكَ جَزَاء الظَّالِمِينَ

فَطَوَّعَتْ لَهُ نَفْسُهُ قَتْلَ أَخِيهِ فَقَتَلَهُ فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

فَبَعَثَ اللّهُ غُرَابًا يَبْحَثُ فِي الأَرْضِ لِيُرِيَهُ كَيْفَ يُوَارِي سَوْءةَ أَخِيهِ قَالَ يَا وَيْلَتَا أَعَجَزْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِثْلَ هَـذَا الْغُرَابِ فَأُوَارِيَ سَوْءةَ أَخِي فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ النَّادِمِينَ

مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَلَقَدْ جَاءتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِالبَيِّنَاتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيراً مِّنْهُم بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فِي الأَرْضِ لَمُسْرِفُونَ

[5.27] And relate to them the story of the two sons of Adam with truth when they both offered an offering, but it was accepted from one of them and was not accepted from the other. He said: I will most certainly slay you. (The other) said: Allah only accepts from those who guard (against evil).

[5.28] If you will stretch forth your hand towards me to slay me, I am not one to stretch forth my hand towards you to slay you surely I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds:

[5.29] Surely I wish that you should bear the sin committed against me and your own sin, and so you would be of the inmates of the fire, and this is the recompense of the unjust.

[5.30] Then his mind facilitated to him the slaying of his brother so he slew him; then he became one of the losers

[5.31] Then Allah sent a crow digging up the earth so that he might show him how he should cover the dead body of his brother. He said: Woe me! do I lack the strength that I should be like this crow and cover the dead body of my brother? So he became of those who regret.

[5.32] For this reason did We prescribe to the children of Israel that whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the land, it is as though he slew all men; and whoever keeps it alive, it is as though he kept alive all men; and certainly Our apostles came to them with clear arguments, but even after that many of them certainly act extravagantly in the land.

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