۞ Relate to them, the true story of the two sons of Adam. When they both presented an offering, it was accepted from one of them and not from the other. The latter said, "I shall kill you!" The former said, "God accepts [things] only from the righteous. 27 If thou stretchest forth thine hand against me to slay me, I shall not be stretching forth my hand against thee to slay thee, verily I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds. 28 "For me, I intend to let thee draw on thyself my sin as well as thine, for thou wilt be among the companions of the fire, and that is the reward of those who do wrong." 29 At last his evil soul drove him to the murder of his brother, and he killed him, whereby he himself became one of the losers. 30 Thereupon God sent forth a raven which scratched the earth, to show him how he might conceal the nakedness of his brother's body. [And Cain] cried out: "Oh, woe is me! Am I then too weak to do what this raven did, and to conceal the nakedness of my brother's body?" - and was thereupon smitten with remorse. 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 Those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and go about the earth spreading mischief -indeed their recompense is that they either be done to death, or be crucified, or have their hands and feet cut off from the opposite sides or be banished from the land. Such shall be their degradation in this world; and a mighty chastisement lies in store for them in the World to Come 33 except those who repent before you have power over them. For you must know that Allah is Forgiving, the Most Merciful. 34