Episode 2

Episode 2: The Hand That Held Back out of Fear of Allah

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Facing a death threat, the believing brother chose an astonishing stance: he would not be the initiator of evil, even though his life was in danger. Allah said, "‘If you should raise your hand against me to kill me — I shall not raise my hand against you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds’" (Qur'an 5:28). This was not weakness, but piety. He held back his hand not because he was unable to defend himself, but because he feared Allah and refused to be the one to begin the shedding of blood. Then he warned his brother of the consequence of the deed in the Hereafter: "‘Indeed, I want you to obtain [thereby] my sin and your sin so you will be among the companions of the Fire. And that is the recompense of wrongdoers’" (Qur'an 5:29). He reminded him that wrongdoing ultimately falls back on the one who commits it: the murderer would carry his own sin along with the sin of the injustice he committed, and his destination would be the Fire. Reflection: true courage sometimes lies precisely in holding back from evil, not answering it with the same evil. Fear of Allah is the strongest brake that restrains a person's hand from wronging others. Source & Note: evidence from the Qur'an, 5:28-29. The words of restraint and the warning about sin and the Fire are the Qur'an's own text, not additions.

Episode 3: The Crow, Regret, and the Sanctity of a Single Soul