Cain and Abel

Cain and Abel (Hebrew: הֶבֶל ,קַיִן Qayin, Hevel) were, according to the Book of Genesis, two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain is described as a crop farmer and his younger brother Abel as a shepherd. Cain was the first human born and the first murderer, and Abel was the first human to die. Cain committed the first murder by killing his brother. No motive is given in the Genesis narrative for the murder. Exegesis of Genesis 4 by both ancient and modern commentators have typically assumed that the motive was driven by jealousy. A millenniums old explanation for Cain being capable of murder is that he may have been the offspring of a fallen angel or Satan himself, rather than being from Adam. Allusions to Cain and Abel as an archetype of fratricide persist in numerous references and retellings, through medieval art and Shakespearean works up to present day fiction.

In Islamic tradition, the Quran mentions the Cain and Abel story, referring to them as the two sons of Adam (Arabic: ابني آدم). Although their story is cited in the Quran, neither of them is mentioned by name.