Adam knew he bade farewell to peace and he left Paradise. On earth he had to face conflict and struggle.
No sooner had one ended than another began. He also had to toil to sustain himself. He had to protect himself with clothes and weapons and protect his wife and children from the wild
beasts.
Above all, he had to struggle with the spirit of evil. Satan, the cause of his expulsion from
Paradise, continued to beguile him and his children in an effort to have them thrown into the
eternal hellfire.
The battle between good and evil is continuous, but those who follow Allah’s
guidance and should fear nothing while those who disobey Allah and follow Iblis will be damned along with him.
Adam grasped all of this and with the knowledge of this suffering he started his life on the earth.
The only thing that allowed his grief was that he was master of the earth and had to make it yield to him. He was the one who had to perpetuate, cultivate and construct and populate the earth. He was also the one who had to procreate and raise children who would change and improve the world.
The First Four Children
The pinnacle of earthly bliss was reached when Adam and Eve witnessed the birth of their first
children, a set of twins. Adam was a devoted father and Eve a contented mother.
The twins were Cain (Qabil) and his sister. Later Eve gave birth to a second set of twins, Abel (Habil) and his sister.
The family enjoyed the bounties and fruits of the earth provided by their Lord. The children grew up to be strong and healthy young adults.
Cain tilled the land while Abel raised cattle.
Cain’s Disobedience
The time arrived when the two young men desired life partners.
This was part of Allah’s plan for mankind, to multiply and form nations with different cultures and colors.
Allah revealed to Adam that he should marry each son to the twin sister of the other.
Adam instructed his children according to Allah’s command, but Cain was displeased with the partner chosen for him, for Abel’s twin sister was not as beautiful as his own.
Commentary: Cain’s Disobedience
It appears that since the beginning of time, physical beauty has been a factor in the attraction
between man and women. This attraction caused Cain to envy his brother Abel. He rebelled
against Allah’s command by refusing to accept his father’s advice.
At first glance Cain’s rebellion might appear strange, but we should remember that although man has a pure nature, the potential for dichotomy exists.
In other words, he had both good and bad qualities. He can become greedy, covetous, possessive, selfish and even destructive.
Man is, therefore capable of seeking self-satisfaction even if it leads to failure in this life and in the hereafter.
The path to goodness lies in harnessing the enemy within him, his baser self by
controlling evil thoughts and deeds and practicing moderation in his desires and actions. His
reward then will be the delights of this world and the hereafter. Thus Allah tests us through our
divided nature.
Cain’s Jealousy of Abel
Adam was in a dilemma. He wanted peace and harmony in his family, so he invoked Allah for
help. Allah commanded that each son offer a sacrifice, and he whose offering was accepted would have right on his side.
Abel offered his best camel while Cain offered his worst grain. His sacrifice was not accepted by Allah because of his disobedience to his father and the insincerity in his offering.
This enraged Cain even further. Realizing that his hopes marrying his own beautiful sister were fading, he threatened his brother.
“I will kill you! I refuse to see you happy while I remain unhappy!” Abel feeling sorry for his brother, replied, “It would be more proper for you, my brother to search for the cause of your unhappiness and then walk in the way of peace. Allah accepts the deeds only from those who serve and fear Him, not from those who reject His Commands.”