The story of Abel and Cain; It is an unforgettable story about the first murder in human history and basic human emotions such as brotherhood, jealousy and regret. While this story takes place in many religious and cultural texts from the Old Testament to the Qur’an, it invites you to a mysterious journey filled with various interpretations. The conflict between the two brothers and the regret that follows illustrates the complexity of human nature and the tragedy that wrong decisions can lead to. The story of Abel and Cain offers a deep teaching that sheds light on the history of humanity and continues to arouse curiosity in every period.
According to the Tanakh, Abel and Cain, Hz. Adam and Hz. EveHe was the first two sons of Cain lived as a farmer, while his brother Abel was a shepherd. However, according to the Tanakh, Cain began to harbor grudges and hatred between them because he was jealous of his brother Abel. Finally, in human history first murder committed and killed his brother. For this evil act, God punished Cain with the torment of hell.
The story of Emesh-Enten and Lahar-Ashnan in Sumerian mythology has similarities with the story of Abel and Cain, and it is thought that these stories were later transferred to Jewish sources.
In 2001 by Anatolia Film “Abel and CainA cartoon was made with the name ”. This cartoon visually told the story and depicted the events.
The Story of Abel and Cain Told in the Bible
The Bible is a book that consists of two main parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament, and is considered the basic text of the Christian faith and carries great sanctity. In the Old Testament, Abel and Cain, Hz. They are referred to as the sons of Adam, and both offer sacrifices to God. However, God only accepts Abel’s offering, while rejecting Cain’s offering. This rejection angers Cain and he eventually kills his brother Abel.
God hears Abel’s blood rising from the ground and curses Cain, condemning him to roam the earth continuously. Cain begs God and states that other people can kill him. God puts a sign to protect Cain and tells him, “There will be sevenfold vengeance on the one who killed Cain.” With this punishment, Cain begins to travel the world and eventually establishes a city, which he names after his son Enoch. According to some sources, this city is said to be Urfa.
According to Aramaic interpretations of the Old Testament, Burial place of Abel and Cain Although he was cursed to be “desolate for ever”, later Jewish sources claim their burial was in Damascus.
Cain’s Reason for Killing His Brother Abel
The motivations behind the act of killing Cain’s brother Abel have been subject to different interpretations. Here are some explanations of these motivations:
According to some commentators, Abel’s sacrifice consisted of a selection of the most distinguished and fattening lambs of the flock, while Cain’s offering of fruit and grain was less carefully selected and prepared. According to the Torah commentator Rashi, the purpose of God’s rejection of Cain’s offering was not to reject Cain entirely, but to educate him by warning him to be more attentive in the future.
On the other hand, in the New Testament, Abel presents his offering as an expression of his faith (Hebrews, 11:4), while Cain’s offering is considered a reflection of his inner wickedness (John I, 3:12).
In the Genesis section of the Torah, there is a description of Cain’s jealousy of Abel as the reason for the murder. However, some commentators argue that the situation is not so simple. According to Aramaic translations of the Old Testament, Abel and Cain each had a twin sister and were asked to marry these sisters. Cain did not accept this change because he thought his sister was more beautiful than Abel’s.
to the Mormons and Hz. According to the Society of Jesus, the motive that drove Cain to kill his brother was Hz. According to the Book of Moses, it was again jealousy, but this time the cause of jealousy was the herd of animals that Abel had. In the Torah, it is stated that only Cain killed Abel. According to Aramaic interpretations of the Old Testament, there was a fight between brothers, the stronger Abel was victorious, but spared his brother. However, Cain attacked Abel unwittingly and killed him. While the method of the murder is described in different ways in different sources, the general belief is that Kabul committed the murder by stone, stick or strangulation. According to some claims made in the Middle Ages, the murder may have been committed with a plow.
In Christianity, sometimes St. The deaths of Jesus and Abel are compared. According to the Gospel of Matthew (23:35), while Jesus described Abel as “righteous”, Hz. In a letter written by Jesus’ apostles, the expression “(Jesus’s) shed blood says better things than Abel’s.” This is St. He emphasizes that the blood of Jesus is intended to beg mercy and that of Abel is to seek revenge, leading to the damnation of Cain.
The Story of Abel and Cain in the Qur’an
In the Qur’an, Cain and Abel are mentioned in Surah Maide, but their names are not mentioned in the Qur’an. In other Islamic sources, the names of these two brothers are known as Cain and Abel.
Hz. One day, Abel, one of Adam’s sons, went out hunting. While walking around the forest, a beautiful gazelle caught his eye. This beautiful creature caught Abel’s attention so much that he forgot about the animal he was hunting. He ran after the gazelle and entered a deep forest. When he finally found the gazelle, he encountered a strange situation; The gazelle was not running away and was following Abel closely.
Realizing this, Abel suddenly felt as if he had lost his happiness. Other family members also came to him in time and realized that it was time for Abel to return home. However, Abel secretly thought that the other family members were not innocent either, and with this thought, he rushed home.
Abel returns from the hunt empty-handed and Qabil sarcastically questions him. Abel asks a worried question that their father will be angry, and Cain confirms this concern. However, Abel argues that it would be wrong for their father to be angry. The discussion becomes more and more tense, and Cain decides to kill Abel when his sacrifice was not accepted (Surat al-Maida, 27-32).
In addition, according to a hadith narrated by Ibn Ishaq, which is not authentic, Abel and Cain each had a twin sister and they were asked to marry these sisters. Cain did not accept this change because he thought his sister was more beautiful than Abel’s sister.
One day, Abel and Cain went on a hunting trip and encountered a leopard. Cain, arrogant, wanted to attack the leopard, but the leopard hurt Kabul. Abel saved Cain by killing the leopard. After this event, Abel dreamed that Cain was burning in hell.
When Cain threatened to kill Abel, Abel did not oppose violence, expressing his fear of God, and did not raise a hand against his brother Cain. However, he secretly wished that Kabul would burn in hell. According to some liberal Islamic movements, Abel is considered the first advocate of pacifism and nonviolence.
Afterwards, Cain committed the first murder on earth by killing Abel. There is no detailed explanation of how the murder was committed in the Qur’an. God sent a crow to show him how to bury Abel’s body. Seeing that the crow started the burial by scratching the ground, Cain saw this situation and realized that he was even weaker than the crow and regretted what he had done (Surat al-Maide, 27-32).
Cain had now lost both his brother and his family, and he lived in distant lands, knowing that he could not lie to his father. With the death of Abel, Hz. Adam and Hz. Eve was given a child named Seth. Thus, a second prophet was born.
Verses and Hadiths Related to the Subject
Read to them the truth of the two sons of Adam. You know, both of them offered a sacrifice, but it was accepted from one of them, but not from the other. The one whose sacrifice was not accepted said, “I will certainly kill you”. The other said, “Allah only accepts from those who fear Him.” (Maide: 27)
“I swear! Even if you extend your hand to me to kill me, I will not extend my hand to you to kill you. Because I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds.” (Maide: 28)
“I want you to take my sin and your own sin and become one of the people of Hell. This is the punishment of the wrongdoers.” (Maide: 29)
Then his soul urged him to kill his brother, so he killed him, and thus he became one of the losers. (Maid: 30)
Finally, God sent a crow scratching the ground to show him how to cover and hide his brother’s dead body. “Shame on me! Am I the size of a crow and incapable of covering my brother’s body?” said. He was now one of the repentant ones. (Maide: 31)
That is why we wrote to the Children of Israel: “Whoever kills a person for life or for causing mischief in the land, it is as if he has killed all mankind. Whoever saves one, it is as if he has saved all people. Our messengers certainly brought clear proofs to them. But many of them go to extremes on earth after that. (Maide: 32)
Authentic hadiths about the story of Cain and Abel do not include details of the event or names. However, in the tafsir and siyer books on this subject, details and Hz. Further information is found in the name of Cain as Adam’s first son.
