ভূমিকা

"(O' Prophet!) Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam when they offered each a sacrifice, hut it was accepted from one of them and was not accepted from the other, (The one) said: 'I shall certainly slay you,' (The other) said: 'verily Allah accepts only from the pious ones." The objective meaning of 'reciting the truth', maybe, is an indication to the idea that the explanation of this event has been distorted in the Torah and it has been combined with superstitions; hence, what is stated in the Qur'an is the 'truth'.

"(O' Prophet!) Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam, when they offered each a sacrifice, hut it was accepted from one of them and was not accepted from the other, (The one) said: 'I shall certainly slay you.'…" In Islamic literature and in the Torah, (Genesis, Chapter 4, No.3 to12),[^1] it is recorded that Abel was a shepherd and he offered his best lamb as the sacrificial animal. But, Cain who was a farmer brought the worst part of his agricultural product to sacrifice.

The Qur'an also says: "You will never attain righteousness unless you spend out of what you love..." [^2] Therefore, the main principle is striving to draw near to Allah, no to simply sacrifice. Whatever the sacrificial thing may be, the criterion o the acceptance of deeds is piety. "…'verily Allah accepts only from the pious ones '." Also, we must know that the expansion of envy stretches forth up to slaying one's brother; so, we must avoid this quality. "....