Tomb of Habil

This is alleged to be the tomb of Habil, the son of Prophet Adam (عليه السلام) and the first person to be murdered in the world. It is located on the outskirts of Damascus.

• The Prophet Adam (عليه السلام) and Hawwa (Eve) were blessed with two sons, Habil (Abel) and Qabil (Cain). When they grew up, Habil, the younger brother, became a shepherd. He herded sheep, goats and other animals. The elder brother Qabil, worked as a farmer, tilling the fields.
• One day both decided to make a sacrifice to please their Lord. Habil took the best of his flock, while Qabil brought his crops. Suddenly a spark of light came down and burnt Habil’s offering to ashes. Thus Allah (ﷻ) accepted Habil’s sacrifice, but rejected Qabil’s sacrifice. Qabil felt hurt at being disgraced and insulted. His face darkened with anger and his heart became hardened: “No,” cried Qabil, “I will kill you!” At this treat from his elder brother, Habil did not shout back. He just said calmly: ”Even if you raise your hand to kill me, I will not fight back, for I fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.”
• But Qabil’s anger got the better of him and he killed his innocent brother Habil. But soon Qabil’s anger cooled down and he felt very sorry: ”Now I have killed my brother,” said Qabil to himself in deep sorrow. Then Allah sent a raven, which landed on the ground near the body. The raven began to scratch the ground to tell Qabil that he should bury his brother’s dead body under the earth. “Woe is me!” Cried Qabil helplessly. “I am worse even than this raven, for I cannot hide my brother’s dead body.” Qabil felt his meanness all the more so, because even a raven could teach him a lesson. Narrating the story of the two brothers, the Quran reminds us in Surah al Ma’idah:

“On account of [his deed], We decreed to the Children of Israel that if anyone kills a person – unless in retribution for murder or spreading corruption in the land – it is as if he kills all mankind, while if any saves a life it is as if he saves the lives of all mankind…”

[Quran 5:32]

References:  Stories from the Quran – Saniyasnain Khan

Note that this entry has been shown for information purposes only. On no account should anybody pray to a grave or seek supplication through them as this is tantamount to committing shirk, associating partners with Allah (ﷻ)