Episode 3
Episode 3: The Crow, Regret, and the Sanctity of a Single Soul
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Desire and envy finally overcame the wrongdoer. He truly killed his own brother — the first murder in human history. Allah said, "And his soul permitted to him the murder of his brother, so he killed him and became among the losers" (Qur'an 5:30). After the killing, he was at a loss for what to do with his brother's body. So Allah taught him through a crow. Allah said, "Then Allah sent a crow searching in the ground to show him how to hide the disgrace of his brother. He said, ‘O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the body of my brother?’ And he became of the regretful" (Qur'an 5:31). His regret came too late — after a life had been taken. From this very event Allah affirmed how precious and sacred a single human life is. Allah said, "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" (Qur'an 5:32). Reflection: a single act of injustice, if allowed to grow from the heart, can end in a grave sin and endless regret. Islam places the highest value on human life — killing one soul unjustly is likened to killing all of humanity, and saving one soul is likened to saving them all. Source & Note: evidence from the Qur'an, 5:30-32. The account of the crow and the principle of the sanctity of a single soul are the Qur'an's own text. Details beyond that (e.g. a rivalry as the cause) circulating in some tafsir are not certain and are not included here.