۞ 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 you stretch your hand to kill me, I shall not stretch mine to kill you; for I fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. 28 Lo! I would rather thou shouldst bear the punishment of the sin against me and thine own sin and become one of the owners of the fire. That is the reward of evil-doers. 29 So his soul incited him to kill his brother – he therefore killed him, and was therefore ruined. 30 Then Allah sent a raven scratching in the earth to show him in what wise he might cover the corpse of his brother. He said: woe unto me, I was incapable of being like unto this raven so that I might cover the corpse of my brother! And he became of the remorseful. 31 Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors. 32 Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment, 33 except those who repent before you have power over them. For you must know that Allah is Forgiving, the Most Merciful. 34