Killing A Person Unrightfully Is Like Killing All Humans
God says in Verse 32 of Surah Al-Ma’idah: “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.”
God here teaches us a great lesson of wisdom, that is, if a person who has murdered no one is killed, it is as if all humanity has been killed and if he saves a person, it is like giving life to all mankind.
It is because killing a human being is killing humanity just as killing a good book is killing culture. Here quantity is not what matters but the deed itself is.
A criminal who steals a baby from a family makes all mothers worry and it is as if all children have been stolen from their mothers.
This verse comes after narration of the story of Adam, Abel and Cain. According to the Quran, Abel and Cain made sacrifices to God. God favored Abel’s sacrifice and rejected that of Cain’s.
Cain said: “I shall certainly kill you.” Abel replied: “If you kill me, it’s not in my desire to stretch my hand towards you because I fear God.” And finally Cain killed Abel.
This was the first murder in history and the first act of killing humanity. Cain did not recognize the great status of human being in this world and killed his brother.
He beheaded human identity by killing Abel. Moreover, if Abel had not been killed, his children would spread over the earth.
So Cain took the lives of a world.
God reminds us at the end of the verse that those committing this great sin, namely killing innocent people, know it is a despicable crime but do it anyway.
Many people do wrong on the earth and trample on one another’s rights due to their worldly desires. Some of them kill not one but thousands of people for their personal or group interests, making the prediction of angels who had said humans would do corruption on earth come true and fulfilling the intention of Satan who has said he would lead people astray.
