Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Ma'idah Verse 30

Mufti Taqi Usmani

His self, however, prompted him to kill his brother, so he killed him and became one of the losers.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Yet Cain convinced himself to kill his brother, so he killed him—becoming a loser.

Ruwwad Translation Center

But the former justified to himself the killing of his brother and killed him, and thus became one of the losers.

A. J. Arberry

Then his soul prompted him to slay his brother, and he slew him, and became one of the losers.

Abdul Haleem

But his soul prompted him to kill his brother: he killed him and became one of the losers.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Then his soul made the slaying of his brother agreeable to him, so he slew him, and he became of the losers.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The (selfish) soul of the other led him to the murder of his brother; he murdered him, and became (himself) one of the lost ones.

Abul Ala Maududi

At last his evil soul drove him to the murder of his brother, and he killed him, whereby he himself became one of the losers.

Ahmed Ali

Then the other was induced by his passion to murder his brother, and he killed him, and became one of the damned.

Ahmed Raza Khan

So his soul incited him to kill his brother – he therefore killed him, and was therefore ruined.

Ali Quli Qarai

So his soul prompted him to kill his brother, and he killed him, and thus became one of the losers.

Ali Ünal

(This warning served only to fuel the other’s passion:) His carnal, evil-commanding soul prompted him to kill his brother, and he killed him, thus becoming among the losers.

Amatul Rahman Omar

But (the baser instincts of) his mind prompted him (whose offering was not accepted) to kill his brother (whose offering was accepted), so he killed him, wherefore he became one of the losers.

English Literal

So his self consented for him, his brother`s killing/murdering, so he killed him, so he became from the losers.

Faridul Haque

So his soul incited him to kill his brother - he therefore killed him, and was therefore ruined.

Hamid S. Aziz

Then Allah sent a crow to scratch in the earth and show him how he might hide his brother´s naked corpse. He said, "Alas, for me! Am I too helpless to become like this crow and hide my brother´s naked corpse?" and in the morning he was of those who did repent.

Hilali & Khan

So the Nafs (self) of the other (latter one) encouraged him and made fair-seeming to him the murder of his brother; he murdered him and became one of the losers.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

I would rather that thou shouldst bear the sin against me and thine own sin, thus thou wouldst be of the companions of the Fire; and that is the recompense of the unjust.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Then his mind facilitated to him the slaying of his brother so he slew him; then he became one of the losers

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

But (the other's) mind imposed on him the killing of his brother, so he slew him and became one of the losers.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Cain's) soul prompted him to kill his own brother. In doing so he became of those who lose.

Qaribullah & Darwish

His soul made it seem fair to him to slay his brother; he killed him and became one of the lost.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

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.

Wahiduddin Khan

His lower self persuaded him to kill his brother, and he killed him and he became one of the lost.

Talal Itani

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

Tafsir jalalayn

Then his soul prompted him, it seduced him, to slay his brother, so he slew him and became one of the losers, by slaying him. And he did not know what to do with him, because he was the first of the Children of Adam to die on earth, and so he carried him on his back.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

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.

means, his conscience encouraged him to kill his brother by making it seem like a sensible thing to do, so he killed him, even after his brother admonished him.

Ibn Jarir said,

"When he wanted to kill his brother, he started to twist his neck. So Shaytan took an animal and placed its head on a rock, then he took another rock, then he took another rock, and smashed its head with it until he killed it while the son of Adam was looking. So he did the same thing to his brother."

Ibn Abi Hatim also recorded this.

Abdullah bin Wahb said that Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said that his father said,

"Qabil held Habil by the head to kill him, so Habil laid down for him and Qabil started twisting Habil's head, not knowing how to kill him. Shaytan came to Qabil and said, `Do you want to kill him?'

He said, `Yes.'
Shaytan said, `Take that stone and throw it on his head.'

So Qabil took the stone and threw it at his brother's head and smashed his head.
Shaytan then went to Hawwa in a hurry and said to her, `O Hawwa! Qabil killed Habil.'

She asked him, `Woe to you! What does `kill' mean?'

He said, `He will no longer eat, drink or move.'

She said, `And that is death.'

He said, `Yes it is.'

So she started to weep until Adam came to her while she was weeping and said, `What is the matter with you?'

She did not answer him.

He asked her two more times, but she did not answer him. So he said, `You and your daughters will inherit the practice of weeping, while I and my sons are free of it."'

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded it.

Allah's statement,
فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
(And became one of the losers),

in this life and the Hereafter, and which loss is worse than this.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah said,

لَاا تُقْتَلُ نَفْسٌ ظُلْمًا إِلاَّ كَانَ عَلَى ابْنِ ادَمَ الاْاَوَّلِ كِفْلٌ مِنْ دَمِهَا لاِاَنَّهُ كَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ سَنَّ الْقَتْل

Any soul that is unjustly killed, then the first son of Adam will carry a burden of its shedding, for he was the first to practice the crime of murder.

The Group, with the exception of Abu Dawud, also recorded this Hadith.

Ibn Jarir recorded that Abdullah bin `Amr used to say,

"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."

Allah said,

فَبَعَثَ اللّهُ غُرَابًا يَبْحَثُ فِي الَارْضِ لِيُرِيَهُ كَيْفَ يُوَارِي سَوْءةَ أَخِيهِ قَالَ يَا وَيْلَتَا أَعَجَزْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِثْلَ هَـذَا الْغُرَابِ فَأُوَارِيَ سَوْءةَ أَخِي فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ النَّادِمِينَ