The Two Sons of Adam: The First Murder in Human History

Dear brothers and sisters,

In our previous khutbah, we talked about our father Adam (peace be upon him), the first human being created by Allah.

Today, we continue our journey through the stories of the Quran. We will look at a painful story: the first murder in human history, the story of the two sons of Adam (peace be upon him).

Allah says in Surah Al-Ma'idah:

"And recite to them the story of Adam's two sons in truth. When each of them offered a sacrifice, it was accepted from one of them, but not from the other. The one whose offering was not accepted said, 'I will surely kill you.' The other replied, 'Allah only accepts from those who have Taqwa.'"

(Quran 5:27)

The two brothers had each offered something to Allah. Allah accepted the offering of one, but not the other.

And this is where the problem began.

Instead of looking at himself and asking why his offering was not accepted, the brother became angry and threatened his own brother, saying, "I will kill you!"

Think about that, brothers and sisters. Look at how jealousy turned into a threat to take another person's life!

But the other brother responded differently. He said:

"Allah only accepts from those who have Taqwa."

In other words, acceptance is not about family background or social status. It is about sincerity and being mindful of Allah.

Then he said:

"If you raise your hand against me to kill me, I will not raise my hand against you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allah, the Lord of all worlds."

(Quran 5:28)

This teaches us that a true believer does not allow anger to lead him into sin, and does not respond to evil with evil just for the sake of revenge.

But the other brother refused to listen.

Allah tells us:

"Then his soul encouraged him to kill his brother, so he killed him and became one of the losers."

(Quran 5:30)

He gave in to his own desires. Jealousy took control of his heart, and he committed a terrible crime, the first murder in human history.

Here is an important lesson:

Jealousy begins in the heart, but it can lead to terrible actions.

How many relationships between brothers and sisters have been destroyed by jealousy?

How many families have fallen apart because of envy?

How many people cannot stand to see their own brother or sister succeed or be happy?

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) warned us against this disease of the heart. He said:

"Do not envy one another, do not hate one another, do not turn away from one another. Be servants of Allah and brothers to one another."

(Agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Now, let us return to the end of the story.

After killing his brother, the murderer stood in front of his brother's body, not knowing what to do with it.

So Allah sent a crow that began scratching the ground, showing him how to bury his brother.

Allah says:

"Then Allah sent a crow scratching the ground to show him how to hide the body of his brother. He said, 'Woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and bury the body of my brother?' Then he became full of regret."

(Quran 5:31)

What a painful ending!

A man kills his own brother, and then learns from a crow how to bury him!

He finally felt regret, but it was too late.

And here we learn that some mistakes have consequences that cannot be undone.

You may apologize for hurtful words. You may repair a broken relationship. But you cannot bring back the life of someone you have killed.

That is why we must think before we get angry, and remember Allah before we wrong someone.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Allah did not tell us this story simply so we would know about the first murder in history. He told us this story to teach us about the danger of jealousy, the consequences of wrongdoing, and the sacred value of human life.

Allah says:

"Whoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved all of humanity."

(Quran 5:32)

Dear brothers and sisters,

The story of the two sons of Adam teaches us three important lessons.

First: Do not envy your brother or sister for the blessings Allah has given them. Provision comes from Allah, and someone else's success does not mean that you have failed.

Second: Do not allow anger to control your decisions. One moment of anger can lead to years of regret.

Third: Protect the bonds of brotherhood and family ties. Do not allow money, inheritance, or personal disagreements to divide families.

Always remember that a person's true value is not measured by what they own or what they show people. It is measured by their Taqwa and good deeds.

Allah says:

"Indeed, the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the one with the greatest Taqwa."

(Quran 49:13)

O Allah, purify our hearts from jealousy, hatred and resentment