The Quran

Preface

۞ وَاتلُ عَلَيهِم نَبَأَ ابنَي آدَمَ بِالحَقِّ إِذ قَرَّبا قُربانًا فَتُقُبِّلَ مِن أَحَدِهِما وَلَم يُتَقَبَّل مِنَ الآخَرِ قالَ لَأَقتُلَنَّكَ ۖ قالَ إِنَّما يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ المُتَّقينَ

Yusuf Ali

Recite to them the truth¹ of the story of the two sons² of Adam. Behold! they each presented a sacrifice (to God.: It was accepted from one, but not from the other. Said the latter: “Be sure I will slay thee.” “Surely,” said the former, “God doth accept of the sacrifice of those who are righteous.

Literally, “recite to them in truth the story”, etc. The point is that the story in Gen. 4:1-15 is a bare narrative, not including the lessons now to be enforced. The Prophet is told now to supply the truth of the matter, the details that will enforce the lessons.
The two sons of Adam were Habil (in the English Bible, Abel) and Qabil (in English, Cain). Cain was the elder, and Abel the younger-the righteous and innocent one. Presuming on the right of the elder, Cain was puffed up with arrogance and jealousy, which led him to commit the crime of murder. Among the Christians, Cain was the type of the Jew as against Abel the Christian. The Jew tried to kill Jesus and exterminate the Christian. In the same way, as against Muḥammad, the younger brother of the Semitic family, Cain was the type of the Old Testament and New Testament people, who tried to resist and kill Muḥammad and put down his people.