The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 335
PT. 6 AL-MĀ'IDAH CH. 5 مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ On account of this, We. 33 الالم أَنَّهُ مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ prescribed for the children of Israel that whosoever killed a person unless it be for killing a person or for creating disorder had killed all mankind; and أحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا in the landit shall be as if he وَلَقَدْ جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِالْبَيِّنَتِ ثُمَّ اِنَّ whoso gave life to one, it shall كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فِي الْأَرْضِ be as if he had given life to all لَمُسْرِفُونَ mankind. And "Our Messengers came to them with clear Signs, yet even after that, many of them commit excesses in the land. 668 668. Commentary: 7:102; 9:70; 14:10; 40:23. This verse draws a great moral from the simple incident related in the foregoing verses. The incident of the two sons of Adam had a parallel in the history of nations, as hinted in the words, On account of this We prescribed for the Children of Israel, etc. If the incident simply related to "the two sons of Adam" it had obviously no direct bearing on the Israelites. As a matter of fact, what is hinted at is that an incident similar to that of the two sons of Adam mentioned here, but of much greater import, was to take place later. There was to appear among the brethren of the Israelites a Prophet whose offering God was to favour with acceptance, while that of his brethren, the Israelites, was to be rejected owing to their impiety and lack of 775 righteousness. This was to enrage the Israelites against that Prophet and they were to become thirsty for his blood on account of envy, even as Cain had become thirsty for the blood of his brother Abel. The story of Cain and Abel was, therefore, intended, as hinted in the opening words of this verse, to serve as a warning for the Israelites. The Prophet meant to be raised from among the brethren of the Israelites was to be no ordinary soul. He was to be a World-Reformer ordained to bring the eternal Law for mankind whose entire future depended on him and, therefore, his slaying was equivalent to the slaying of the whole of mankind, and the preservation of his life was, as it were, the preservation of the life of the whole of mankind. This great soul had killed no person, nor had it created disorder in the land.