What is the reason for the revelation of the statement of Allah the Exalted: “And recite to them the story of the two sons of Adam with truth”?
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The questioner : This is a caller to the program from the Republic of Djibouti. He asks in this question: What is the reason for the revelation of the statement of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Ma'idah 5:27]?
The Shaykh : I do not know of a reason for this, but perhaps the caller is asking what the meaning of the verse is?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The meaning of the verse is that the two sons of Adam, from his loins, according to the opinion of most exegetes, offered a sacrifice to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Allah the Exalted accepted the sacrifice of one of them and did not accept the sacrifice of the other. The one whose sacrifice was not accepted envied his brother, asking: Why did Allah accept from him and not from me? So he threatened him with murder, saying, “I will surely kill you out of envy and arrogance.” His brother said to him:[Al-Ma'idah 5:27] As if he was saying, if you had feared Allah, it would have been accepted from you. Then his brother clarified to him that he would not extend his hand to him to kill him, saying: [Al-Ma'idah 5:28] In the end, his soul inclined to killing his brother, so he killed him and became one of the losers. He was distressed about what to do with the corpse, so Allah sent a crow that searched the earth, scratching it with its beak or its claws, in order to show him how to bury his brother. He said: [Al-Ma'idah 5:31].
As for what is mentioned in the Isra'iliyyat (Jewish traditions) that Adam (peace be upon him) was given two daughters in one womb and two sons in another, and that the son of one womb would take the daughter of the other womb, and similar things from the Isra'iliyyat, this has no basis. That is, there are Isra'iliyyat that say Adam was given a male and a female in one womb and a male and a female in another, so the male in the first womb would take the female in the second womb, and the male in the second womb would take the female in the first womb. This is what was said in the Isra'iliyyat, but it has no basis.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.
O dear brothers and listeners, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at the College of Sharia and Principles of Religion in Qassim, and preacher and imam of the Grand Mosque in the city of Unaizah, has answered your questions.
May Allah reward you for your excellence, and thank you for your good follow-up. In conclusion, please accept the greetings of my colleague, the sound engineer, Sa'd 'Abd al-'Aziz Khumays. And may peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
And recite to them the story of Adam's two sons, in truth,
وَاتلُ عَلَيهِم نَبَأَ ابنَي ءادَمَ بِالحَقِّThe Shaykh : I do not know of a reason for this, but perhaps the caller is asking what the meaning of the verse is?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The meaning of the verse is that the two sons of Adam, from his loins, according to the opinion of most exegetes, offered a sacrifice to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Allah the Exalted accepted the sacrifice of one of them and did not accept the sacrifice of the other. The one whose sacrifice was not accepted envied his brother, asking: Why did Allah accept from him and not from me? So he threatened him with murder, saying, “I will surely kill you out of envy and arrogance.” His brother said to him:
Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him].
إِنَّما يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ المُتَّقينَI shall not raise my hand against you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds.
ما أَنا بِباسِطٍ يَدِيَ إِلَيكَ لِأَقتُلَكَ إِنّي أَخافُ اللَّهَ رَبَّ العالَمينَHe said, "O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the body of my brother?" And he became of the regretful.
يا وَيلَتا أَعَجَزتُ أَن أَكونَ مِثلَ هذَا الغُرابِ فَأُوارِيَ سَوءَةَ أَخي فَأَصبَحَ مِنَ النّادِمينَAs for what is mentioned in the Isra'iliyyat (Jewish traditions) that Adam (peace be upon him) was given two daughters in one womb and two sons in another, and that the son of one womb would take the daughter of the other womb, and similar things from the Isra'iliyyat, this has no basis. That is, there are Isra'iliyyat that say Adam was given a male and a female in one womb and a male and a female in another, so the male in the first womb would take the female in the second womb, and the male in the second womb would take the female in the first womb. This is what was said in the Isra'iliyyat, but it has no basis.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.
O dear brothers and listeners, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at the College of Sharia and Principles of Religion in Qassim, and preacher and imam of the Grand Mosque in the city of Unaizah, has answered your questions.
May Allah reward you for your excellence, and thank you for your good follow-up. In conclusion, please accept the greetings of my colleague, the sound engineer, Sa'd 'Abd al-'Aziz Khumays. And may peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.