Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Is the below tafsir & hadeeth correct?

Assalamu Alaikum Wr Wb

Allah (swt) describes the evil end and consequence of transgression, envy and injustice in the story of the 2 sons of Adam (a.s), Habil and Qabil.

Allah (swt) allowed Adam (a.s) to marry his daughters to his sons because of the necessity of such action. In each pregnancy, Adam (a.s) was given a twin, a male and a female.

He used to give the female of one twin to the male of the other twin in marriage. Habil`s sister was not beautiful while Qabil`s sister was beautiful, resulting in Qabil wanting her for himself, instead of his brother.

Adam (a.s) refused unless they both offered a sacrifice and he whose sacrifice was accepted, would marry Qabil`s sister.

Habil`s sacrifice was accepted , while Qabil`s was rejected.

Allah (swt) says :
" And recite to them the story of the two sons of Adam in truth;
when each offered a sacrifice, it was accepted from the one but not from the other.
The latter said to the former: ` I will surely kill you."
The former said: ` Verily, Allah accepts only from those who have Taqwa.

If you do stretch your hands against me to kill me, I shall never stretch my hand against you to kill you,
for I fear Allah;the Lord of all that exists

Verily, I intend to let you draw my sin on yourself as well as yours,
then you will be one of the dwellers of the Fire,
and that is the recompense of the wrongdoers.

So the soul of the other encouraged him and
made fair-seeming to him the murder of his brother;
he murdered him and became one of the losers

Then Allah sent a crow who scratched the ground to show him
how to hide the dead body of his brother.
He said: " Woe to me! Am I not even able to be as this crow
and to hide the ded body of my brother?"
Then he became one of those who regretted" ( Al-Quran 5: 27-31)
Qabil held Habil (a.s) by the head to kill him, though not knowing exactly how to kill.

Shaytan came to Qabil and asked," Do you want to kill him`. He said," Yes". Shaytan told Qabil to take a stone and throw it on his head. Qabil did so and smashed Habil`s (a.s) head.

Shaytan then went to Hawwa (a.s) and told her, ` O Hawwa! Qabil killed Habil.` Hawwa (a.s) asked him, " Woe to you, What does `kill` mean" Shaytan said, "He will no longer eat, drink or move." She asked " And that is death?" He said "Yes".

Hawwa (a.s) started weeping until Adam (a.s) came and asked," What is the matter with you."

She did not answer him. He asked her two more times, but she wept without answering.

Adam (a.s) then said, " You and your daughters will inherit the practice of weeping, while I and my sons are free of it."

Al-Hadith

`The son of Adam, who killed his brother will be the most miserable among men.

There is no blood shed on earth since he killed his brother until the Day of Resurrection, but

he will carry a burden from it, for he was the first person to establish murder.` - At-Tabari 10:219

All commentaries from Tafsir Ibn Kathir 

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Answer:

Tafseer of Habil and Kabil story

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Dear and Beloved Brother, first and foremost, what exactly transpired in the distant past, especially when it concerns incidents regarding the Prophets or their off-springs that are related by Allah Subhanah in His Book of Guidance, The Al-Quran, is in the Knowledge of Allah Subhanah Alone. The only information the believers can rely on with absolute conviction regarding those specific events is either through what Allah Subhanah has Willed to relate in His Glorious Quran, or what Allah Subhanah made known to His Last and Final Messenger (saws), who made it known to the believers. Other than these two Divine Sources, one cannot say or believe what exactly transpired with absolute conviction regarding those incidents.

The stories of some of the Noble Prophets and their off-springs are also related in what remains today of the Old Testament (Taurah) and the New Testament (Injeel); but because these Scriptures of the People of the Book are so blatantly altered, changed, and corrupted by man due to the passage of time, the believers cannot and should not rely on these sources with absolute conviction.

Thus whatever is related in the Quran and the Sunnah regarding those specific incidents, the believers must rely on them alone with absolute conviction; and if some aspects of those incidents are related in the Israelite books of history and does not directly go against the Guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, we can neither confirm it with conviction, nor deny it with conviction.

What the believers, who sincerely trust Allah and His Messenger (saws) must know with conviction is that had it been important for the guidance of mankind, Allah and His Messenger (saws) would have made the information available to us.

The Statement: Allah (swt) allowed Adam (a.s) to marry his daughters to his sons because of the necessity of such action. In each pregnancy, Adam (a.s) was given a twin, a male and a female. He used to give the female of one twin to the male of the other twin in marriage.

The Israelite records do state that Hadrat Adam (a.s.) and Hawwa has 20 pairs of twins, and each set of twins consisted of one male and one female child. In the Shariah of Adam, it was made permissible for the male of one set to seek in marriage the female of another set, but it was absolutely prohibited for them to seek in marriage the female of the same set.

The Statement: Habil`s sister was not beautiful while Qabil`s sister was beautiful, resulting in Qabil wanting her for himself, instead of his brother.
Again, the details of this incident is not mentioned in the Quran or the Sunnah, but in the Israelite records and books of history; thus we can neither believe it nor deny it with conviction. Had this information been necessary for the guidance of mankind, Allah and His Messenger (saws) would have made it known to the believers.

The Statement: Adam (a.s) refused unless they both offered a sacrifice and he whose sacrifice was accepted, would marry Qabil`s sister.
The Israelite records do state that since such a marriage between a male and the female of the same set of twins was prohibited in the Law revealed to Adam, Adam disallowed the marriage and tried to talk Qabeel out of it. When Adam found that Qabeel would not comply, he advised them each to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and leave the decision upto Him. Whosoever’s sacrifice as accepted by Allah, would have his way.

Allah Says in His Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 27: Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam. Behold! They each presented a sacrifice (to Allah): it was accepted from one but not from the other. Said the latter (Qaabeel): "Be sure I will slay thee." "Surely" said the former (Habeel) "Allah doth accept of the sacrifice of those who are righteous.

The elder Qabeel apparently was a farmer, and he brought some of its worst produce as an offering for sacrifice; but the younger and righteous Habeel, who apparently was a shepherd and kept flocks, offered the best of his flock. It is reported that at the time and in the Shariah of Adam, the way Allah Subhanah accepted the sacrifice was that a fire from the heavens would engulf and consume the sacrifice that was accepted by Allah, and leave alone the offering which was not accepted.

Allah Subhanah accepted the sacrifice of the righteous Habeel, and did not accept the sacrifice of Qabeel. Instead of accepting Allah’s Decision, the unrighteous Qabeel revolted, got jealous of his righteous brother Habeel, and decided to kill him.

The statements: Shaytan came to Qabil and asked," Do you want to kill him`. He said," Yes". Shaytan told Qabil to take a stone and throw it on his head. Qabil did so and smashed Habil`s (a.s) head.
What exactly transpired and how exactly did Qabeel kill Habeel is not specified in the Quran and the Sunnah; thus Allah Alone Knows Best.

Shaytan then went to Hawwa (a.s) and told her, ` O Hawwa! Qabil killed Habil.` Hawwa (a.s) asked him, " Woe to you, What does `kill` mean" Shaytan said, "He will no longer eat, drink or move." She asked " And that is death?" He said "Yes".
Again, this apparent incident of the Shaytaan explaining the meaning of death to Hawwa is not related in the Quran or the Sunnah; thus Allah Alone Knows Best.

The Statements: Hawwa (a.s) started weeping until Adam (a.s) came and asked," What is the matter with you."
She did not answer him. He asked her two more times, but she wept without answering.
Adam (a.s) then said, " You and your daughters will inherit the practice of weeping, while I and my sons are free of it."

The Prophet (saws) wept on the death of his son, Ibrahim, and said: "The eyes shed tears and the heart feels pain, but we utter only what pleases our Lord. O Ibrahim! We are aggrieved at your demise." He (saws) also wept when his grand daughter, Umaymah, daughter of Zainab, died. At this Sa'ad ibn 'Ubadah said: "O Messenger of Allah (saws)! Are you weeping? Did you not forbid Zainab from weeping?" The Prophet (saws) replied: "This (weeping) is the mercy that Allah has placed in the hearts of His servants. And surely Allah bestows mercy upon those who are merciful among His servants."

Related by Bukhari.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said that the natural act of weeping is but a mercy which Allah has placed in the hearts of His servants; thus what has been related in the above statements regarding the conversation between Hadrat Adam (a.s.) and Hawwa whereby Adam (a.s.) told Hawwa that the women will inherit weeping and men will be free from it is directly against and contrary to the guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws), thus regardless of its source, it cannot be accepted as the truth.

The statement:`The son of Adam, who killed his brother will be the most miserable among men.
There is no blood shed on earth since he killed his brother until the Day of Resurrection, but
he will carry a burden from it, for he was the first person to establish murder.`

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.6 Narrated by Abdullah

The Prophet (saws) said, "No human being is killed unjustly, but a part of responsibility for the crime is laid on the first son of Adam (Qabeel), who invented the tradition of killing (murdering) on the earth.”

The Messenger of Allah (saws) did relate in Truth that Qabeel will have a share in the responsibility of every unjust murder that is committed on this earth, for it was indeed he who invented the tradition of killing without right on this earth. This statement of the Prophet (saws) is in absolute accordance with the principle and law declared by the Prophet (saws) in the below authentic hadith:

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6466 Narrated by Jarir ibn Abdullah

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘He who introduced some good practice, which was followed after him (by people), will be assured of a reward like those who followed it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who introduced some evil practice, which was followed subsequently (by others), he will be required to bear the burden like that of those who followed this (evil practice), without theirs being diminished in any respect.’

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan