Animal stories in the Qur’an: the crow and the son of Adam
قال الله تعالى: "فبعث الله غراباً يبحث في الأرض ليريه كيف يواري سوءة أخيه". فقال: يا ويلتي! هل فشلت في أن أكون مثل هذا الغراب وأخفي جثة أخي؟ "فأصبح من النادمين."
The narration on the lips of the crow, the son of Adam, witnessed the first proof in the first murder committed on earth. I witnessed the first human bloodshed, and I knew that Allah hears, sees, and bears witness. I knew that Satan was the cause, how strange the behavior of Satan, and how easy it is for the sons of Adam to be swayed by him. They love God and disobey Him, hate Satan and obey him. How strange is this species called humans, and how appalling are their contradictions. How great is God's patience and mercy towards them.
The earth was in great peace before the descent of humans upon it. The weeping of Adam and Eve on the earth was a deeply moving scene. I learned from the sound of tears the magnitude of sin, the meaning of disobedience, and the sincerity of repentance. Their joint supplication to Allah was, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers." Eve bore her first child, and in the same womb, she bore a son and a daughter. In the second womb, she bore another son and daughter. The firstborn son was meant to marry the second-born daughter, and vice versa.
Cain, the son of Adam, and his sister Iqlima were born, and Abel was born with his sister Lutha. The siblings grew up together, and one brother was gentle like field lilies, while the other appeared harsh like mountain thorns. Cain was unlike Abel. Iqlima, Cain's sister, was unlike Lutha, Abel's sister. Cain was harsher than Abel, and Lutha was less beautiful than Iqlima. It was expected that Abel would marry Iqlima, and Cain would marry Lutha. However, Cain, influenced by Satan, declared, "I am better than Abel; I will not marry Lutha. I will marry Iqlima, who was with me in the same womb, and I deserve her more." Adam intervened, urging each to offer a sacrifice to God, leaving the acceptance to Him.
Abel presented fat and healthy lambs, while Cain offered green, unripe crops. Cain's sacrifice was not accepted, and fire consumed Abel's offering. Abel thanked God, while Cain harbored thoughts of murder. Cain threatened, "I will surely kill you!" Abel responded, "God accepts from the righteous. If you stretch out your hand to kill me, I will not stretch out mine to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds. I only desire your wrongdoing and my wrongdoing. So you would be among the companions of the Fire. And that is the recompense of wrongdoers."
Abel left with his wife Iqlima, and they lived their days. Meanwhile, thoughts of murder consumed Cain, who declared his intent to kill Abel. Abel lay on the ground after a hard day's work, and, overcome by sleepiness, he fell asleep. As the sun descended, Cain approached with the jawbone of a dead donkey, his first weapon on earth. He found Abel asleep, and, raising the jawbone, he struck Abel in the face. Blood spurted from Abel's face, filling Cain's chest. The sinful hand hovered over the innocent face again, but in the fifth strike, Cain's hand hit the clay of the field, and the sinful movement ceased.
The crow, the lowest among us, had its own laws. When a crow violated another crow's nest, trespassed on its food, or attempted to rape another female crow, retribution was exacted. One crow was condemned to death, and the verdict was executed. I was assigned to carry it for burial in a distant place. Unintentionally, I found myself approaching Cain, but a sublime command, above my comprehension, guided my wings. One of the noble angels directed me, saying, "O crow, Allah has sent you to see the son of Adam and how he conceals the disgrace of his brother."
I immediately landed before Cain and placed the dead crow in front of him. I went to dig the ground, using my claws and beak. I leveled the ground, making the wings of the dead crow lie next to it. I lifted it with my beak, shouted two short cries, then sprinkled dirt on it. After that, I looked at the son of Adam. When I soared in the air, I heard Cain's words, "Woe to me! I could not be like the crow, to conceal the disgrace of my brother." It was a cry burning with regret, a regret for not knowing how to bury his brother. Was he regretful because he killed him unjustly? I do not know; all I wanted to know was the state of Abel's wife, full of peace, when she learned that she was expecting. I wanted to reassure myself about the human race, descendants of a noble man who feared God. I knew that the sons of the killer, Cain, would fill the earth, and I knew that the conflict would not cease between them and the descendants of the righteous martyr, Abel. Perhaps the tragedy of the father with the sons would repeat itself.
