۞ AND CONVEY unto them, setting forth the truth, the story of the two sons of Adam - how each offered a sacrifice, and it was accepted from one of them whereas it was not accepted from the other. [And Cain] said: "I will surely slay thee!" [Abel] replied: "Behold, God accepts only from those who are conscious of Him. 27 'Yet if thou stretchest out thy hand against me, to slay me, I will not stretch out my hand against thee, to slay thee; I fear God, the Lord of all Being. 28 Verily would that thou bear my sin and thine own sin, and then thou become of the fellows of the Fire; that is the meed of the wrong-doers. 29 Then his soul prompted him to slay his brother, and he slew him, and became one of the losers. 30 Then Allah sent down a crow, which dug the earth to show him how to bury the naked corpse of his brother. 'Alas' he said, 'am I unable to be like this crow and so I bury my brother's naked corpse' And he became among those who regret. 31 For this reason, We made it a law for the children of Israel that the killing of a person for reasons other than legal retaliation or for stopping corruption in the land is as great a sin as murdering all of mankind. However, to save a life would be as great a virtue as to save all of mankind. Our Messengers had come to them with clear authoritative evidence but many of them (Israelites) thereafter started doing wrong in the land. 32 This is the recompense of those who fight against God and His Messenger, and hasten about the earth, to do corruption there: they shall be slaughtered, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall alternately be struck off; or they shall be banished from the land. That is a degradation for them in this world; and in the world to come awaits them a mighty chastisement, 33 except for those who repent before you have overpowered them. Know well that Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate. 34