Sūrat al-Māʾidah
Section 7 of 25 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
The Two Sons of Ādam
Allah (swt) then returns to the very beginning, and speaks, from verse 27, in verses of great importance. The matter is this: remind them of the story of the two sons of Ādam (peace be upon him), Hābīl and Qābīl. That is the archetypal story of all the murders of the world, all the aggression of the world, all the ḥasad and jealousy of the world. It begins there — to show that insān has within him this innate, built-in faculty by which he may go wrong in that way.
This story, subḥānAllāh, read with some feeling, is deeply heart-rending. The whole of it need not be entered into here; it may be read elsewhere. But it shows how even Qābīl seems to have felt remorse afterwards: am I as bad as a crow now? For Qābīl did not know what to do with the body of his brother after he had killed him. He then sees a crow, a bird digging up the ground to bury a dead bird — and that is where the learning came from. For this was the first murder in the world.
From that follows min ajli dhālik: because of this earlier story, We prescribed for the Banū Isrāʾīl that whoever kills a nafs, whoever kills a person, without right — without right, and not because that person was causing corruption in the land — it is as though he had killed all of mankind.
مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ أَنَّهُۥ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًۢا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَآ أَحْيَا ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنْهُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لَمُسْرِفُونَ
“For this reason, We decreed for the children of Isrā’īl that whoever kills a person not in retaliation for a person killed, nor (as a punishment) for spreading disorder on the earth, is as if he has killed the whole of humankind, and whoever saves the life of a person is as if he has saved the life of the whole of humankind. Certainly, Our messengers have come to them with clear signs. Then, after all that, many of them are there to commit excesses on the earth.” (5:32)
This is a verse of great importance, much used in interfaith discussions today — verse 32: that whoever kills a single soul is as though he had killed all of humanity, because the effect of it is immense. Consider how many people are troubled and pained, the repercussions, and perhaps retaliation. And whoever gives life, whoever keeps a person alive, preserves or protects a person — it is as though he had protected all likewise. The benefit of doing so is immense.
Allah (swt) then speaks of the punishment for murderers and for highwaymen, the various punishments being set out in verse 33 and the verses that follow. Allah (swt) continues, and speaks of a number of other matters here — for example, the cutting of the hands of those who steal. The wisdom given here is this: that a few are cut, and people think twice, thrice and four times before doing it again — as has happened in certain countries.