Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:27

Surah Al-Ma'idah (5): Verse 27

وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ابْنَيْ آدَمَ بِالْحَقِّ And recite to them the news of the two sons of Adam in truth.

There are several perspectives on how this verse connects to what came before:

1. Consolation for Persecution: Previously, Allah mentioned how the enemies intended to harm the believers but Allah restrained their hands (5:11). To console the Prophet (PBUH) and lighten his heart regarding the tribulations he faced, Allah recounts stories where those specially favored by Allah (in religion or worldly matters) are envied and contested by people.
   • He mentioned the story of the Twelve Chiefs and the covenant Allah took from them, which the Jews later broke, leading to their cursing and hardness of heart.
   • He mentioned the stubbornness of the Christians in their doctrine of the Trinity despite clear proofs against it, stemming from their envy of Muhammad (PBUH) for receiving the true religion.
   • He mentioned the story of Moses fighting the tyrants while his people insisted on rebellion.
   • He mentioned the story of the two sons of Adam, where one killed the other out of envy because his offering was accepted.
   • All these stories demonstrate that every possessor of a blessing is envied. Since the blessings bestowed upon Muhammad (PBUH) are the greatest, it is no surprise that enemies conspired against him. Thus, this story serves as consolation for the Prophet (PBUH) against the plots of the Jews to harm him.

2. Connection to Divine Decree: It relates to the verse: "No calamity befalls except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah—He will guide his heart. And Allah is, of all things, Knowing" (5:15). The details of this story and the establishment of retribution (Qisas) within it are secrets of the Torah.

3. Connection to Fighting Tyrants: It connects to the preceding story of fighting the tyrants. The Jews are told the story of Adam's two sons so they may realize that the path of regret and sorrow resulting from their ancestors' sin was similar to that of Adam's two sons, one of whom committed murder.

4. Connection to Claims of Special Status: It relates to the Jews' and Christians' claim: "We are the sons of Allah and His beloved" (5:18). It implies that their lineage from prophets does not benefit them in their disbelief, just as the son of Adam did not benefit from his father being a highly honored prophet when he committed sin.

5. Warning Against Envy: Since the People of the Book disbelieved in Muhammad (PBUH) out of envy, Allah informed them of the story of Adam's son, showing how envy led to a terrible end. The purpose is to warn against envy.

1. "And recite to them" (واتل عليهم):

• First Opinion: Recite to the people (in general).
• Second Opinion: Recite to the People of the Book.

2. "The two sons of Adam" (ابنى ءادم):

• First Opinion: They are his two sons from his loins: Habil (Abel) and Qabil (Cain).
  • Regarding the reason for their dispute (Two Opinions):
    • Opinion A (Offerings based on quality): Habil was a shepherd, and Qabil was a farmer. Each offered a sacrifice. Habil offered the best sheep from his flock, while Qabil offered the worst grain from his harvest. A fire descended from the sky and consumed Habil's offering but not Qabil's. Qabil realized Allah accepted his brother's offering but not his, so he envied him and intended to kill him.
    • Opinion B (Marriage dispute): Adam used to have twins (a boy and a girl) in each birth, marrying the daughter of one set with the son of another. Qabil was born with his twin sister, who was the most beautiful of women. Later, Habil was born with his twin sister. Adam intended to marry Qabil's twin sister to Habil. Qabil refused, claiming he was more deserving of her, and that this arrangement was Adam's opinion, not from Allah. Adam told them to offer sacrifices; whoever's offering was accepted would marry the other's twin sister. Allah accepted Habil's offering by sending fire, leading Qabil to kill him out of envy.

• Second Opinion (Al-Hasan and Al-Dahhak): These two were from the Children of Israel.
  • Evidence: This is inferred from the subsequent verse: "Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely" (5:32). It seems unlikely that the sin of Adam's two sons would be the reason for establishing this law upon the Children of Israel. However, if a man from the Children of Israel committed such a sin, it becomes appropriate to establish the law upon them as a deterrent.
  • Further Evidence: The purpose of mentioning this story is to show the ancient and persistent rebellion and envy among the Children of Israel. The envy reached such a degree that when one's offering was accepted by Allah, the other sought to kill him. This is an extreme level of envy, as seeing an offering accepted by God should inspire belief and reverence, yet it led to murder. If the goal is to show envy as an ancient trait of the Israelites, then these two men must have been Israelites.

• Conclusion on the Opinions: The first opinion (Habil and Qabil) is chosen by most narrators. The verse itself supports this: the killer did not know what to do with the slain until he learned from the crow's action. If he were from the Children of Israel, this matter would not have been hidden from him. This is the correct view, and Allah knows best.

3. "In truth" (بِالْحَقِّ):

• First Opinion: A recitation imbued with truth and correctness from Allah.
• Second Opinion: A recitation imbued with truth, conforming to what is in the Torah and the Gospel.
• Third Opinion: For the correct purpose, which is to condemn envy, as the polytheists and People of the Book envied the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and plotted against him.
• Fourth Opinion: So that they may take heed from it, not treat it as idle talk or frivolous stories lacking benefit. This indicates that the purpose of stories in the Qur'an is admonition, not mere narration, similar to: "Indeed, in their stories is a lesson for those of understanding" (12:111).

Issue 1: Grammatical Status of "When" (إِذْ):

• First Opinion: It is in the accusative case because it relates to the word news (نَبَأَ), meaning: "Recite to them the news of the two sons of Adam at that time."
• Second Opinion: It can be an apposition (badal) to news (نَبَأَ), implying: "Recite to them from the news the news of that time," assuming a deleted possessive structure (مضاف).

Issue 2: The Meaning of Sacrifice (قُرْبَانًا):

• It is the noun for what is offered to Allah, whether slaughtered or given as charity. (Reference made to prior discussion in Surah Al 'Imran).

Issue 3: Structure of the Verb and Noun:

• The estimated structure is: "When each of them offered a sacrifice." However, the verb is dual (قَرَّبَا - they both offered), while the noun is singular (قُرْبَانًا - a sacrifice). This is because their action implies that each one had a sacrifice.
• Alternatively, Qurban is a generic noun (like Ruhjan, Udwan, Kufraan) that can apply to one or many, and as a verbal noun (masdar), it is not dualized or pluralized.

Issue 1: The Sign of Acceptance:

• First Opinion (Majority of commentators): The sign of acceptance was that fire consumed the offering.
• Mujahid's Opinion: The sign of rejection was that fire consumed the offering. (The first opinion is preferred due to majority consensus).
• Historical Context: It is said that at that time, there was no poor person to whom one could give charity; thus, fire descended from the sky to consume the offering.

Issue 2: Reason for Acceptance/Rejection:

• The reason one offering was accepted and the other rejected is that Piety (Taqwa) is the condition for the acceptance of deeds.
  • Allah states here, recounting the truthful one: "Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [those conscious of Him]" (5:27).
  • And regarding animal sacrifice: "Their meat will never reach Allah, nor will their blood, but your piety will reach Him" (22:37).
  • Piety is a quality of the heart. The Prophet (PBUH) pointed to his heart when explaining Taqwa.
  • The reality of Taqwa involves three things:
    1. Fearing one's own shortcomings in that act of worship, thus striving to the utmost to avoid deficiency.
    2. Being extremely cautious that the act of worship is performed solely to seek Allah's pleasure.
    3. Being cautious that no one else shares in the intention for that act. (These conditions are difficult to maintain.)
• Alternative Explanations for Rejection:
  • One offered his best possession, while the other offered his worst.
  • The rejected one secretly intended that he would not care whether his offering was accepted or not, and he would not agree to his sister marrying Habil.
  • Qabil was not among the people of piety and obedience, hence his offering was rejected.

Allah then recounts Qabil's threat:

QABIL: "I will surely kill you."

HABIL: "Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [those conscious of Him]."

• Implied Meaning: Habil's response implies a preceding question: "Why are you killing me?" Qabil's implied answer: "Because your offering was accepted." Habil then replies: "What is my fault? Allah only accepts from the righteous."
• Alternative Interpretation: This statement ("Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous") might be an interjection from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) within the story, clarifying that Qabil's offering was rejected because he lacked piety.

Then the oppressed brother spoke:

HABIL: لَئِن بَسَطتَ إِلَيَّ يَدَكَ لِتَقْتُلَنِي مَا أَنَا بِبَاسِطٍ يَدِيَ إِلَيْكَ لِأَقْتُلَكَ ۖ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ If you extend your hand to kill me, I will not extend my hand to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds.