Recite, _O Moḥammad_, unto them (_that is, to thy people_) the history of the two sons of Adam, _namely, Abel and Cain_,[196] with truth. When they offered [their] offering _to God_[197] (_Abel’s being a ram, and Cain’s being produce of the earth_), and it was accepted from one of them (_that is, from Abel; for fire descended from heaven, and devoured his offering_), and it was not accepted from the other, _Cain was enraged; but he concealed his envy until Adam performed a pilgrimage, when_ he said _unto his brother_, I will assuredly slay thee. _Abel said, Wherefore? Cain answered, Because of the acceptance of thine offering to the exclusion of mine. Abel_ replied, God only accepteth from the pious. If thou stretch forth to me thy hand to slay me, I will not stretch forth to thee my hand to slay thee; for I fear God, the Lord of the worlds. I desire that thou shouldst bear the sin [which thou intendest to commit] against me, _by slaying me_, and thy sin _which thou hast committed before_, and thou wilt be of the companions of the fire.—And that is the recompense of the offenders.—But his soul suffered him to slay his brother: so he slew him; and he became of [the number of] those who suffer loss. _And he knew not what to do with him; for he was the first dead person upon the face of the earth of the sons of Adam. So he carried him upon his back._ And God sent a raven, which scratched up the earth _with its bill and its talons and raised it over a dead raven that was with it until it hid it_, to show him how he should hide the corpse of his brother. He said, O my disgrace! Am I unable to be like this raven, and to hide the corpse of my brother?—And he became of [the number of] the repentant. _And he digged_ [a grave] _for him, and hid him_.—On account of this _which Cain did_ We commanded the children of Israel that he who should slay a soul (not for _the latter’s having slain_ a soul or _committed_ wickedness in the earth, _such as infidelity, or adultery, or intercepting the way, and the like_) [should be regarded] as though he had slain all mankind; and he who saveth it alive, _by abstaining from slaying it_, as though he had saved alive all mankind.
We formerly sent Noah [Nooḥ] unto his people, _saying_, Verily I am unto you a plain admonisher that ye worship not [any] but God. Verily I fear for you, _if ye worship any other_, the punishment of an afflictive day _in this world and in the world to come_.—But the chiefs who disbelieved among his people replied, We see thee not to be other than a man, like unto us; and we see not any to have followed thee except the meanest of us, _as the weavers and the cobblers_, at first thought (_or rashly_), nor do we see you to have any excellence above us: nay, we imagine you to be liars _in your claim to the apostolic commission_. He said, O my people, tell me, if I have an evident proof from my Lord and He hath bestowed on me mercy (_the gift of prophecy_) from Himself which is hidden from you, shall we compel you to _receive_ it when ye are averse thereto? _We cannot do so._ And, O my people, I ask not of you any riches for it; _namely, for delivering my message_. My reward is not due from any but God; and I will not drive away those who have believed _as ye have commanded me_ [because they are poor people]. Verily they shall meet their Lord _at the resurrection, and He will recompense them, and will exact for them_ [reparation] _from those who have treated them with injustice, and driven them away_. But I see you [to be] a people who are ignorant _of the end of your case_. And, O my people, who will defend me against God if I drive them away? Will ye not then consider? And I do not say unto you, I have the treasures of God; nor [do I say], I know the things unseen; nor do I say, Verily I am an angel; nor do I say, of those whom your eyes contemn, God will by no means bestow on them good: (God best knoweth what is in their minds:) verily I should in that case be [one] of the offenders.—They replied, O Noah, thou hast disputed with us and multiplied disputes with us: now bring upon us that _punishment_ wherewith thou threatenest us, if thou be of those that speak truth. He said, Only God will bring it upon you, if He please _to hasten it unto you; for it is His affair, not mine_; and ye shall not escape _God_: nor will my counsel profit you, if I desire to counsel you, if God desire to lead you into error. He is your Lord; and unto Him shall ye be brought back.