Sacrifice
The Sacrifice of Kain and Abel
The Quranic narrative, describing act of sacrifice of the two sons of Adam - Cain and Abel, cannot be considered apart from the Old Testament. As, however, and vice versa. We can fully enjoy the depth and beauty of the divine wisdom, only if we combine two stories describing the same episode.
Both stories, like puzzle elements, harmoniously uniting, revealing the graceful psychological pattern of human relationships. We will analyze the texts using the method of Systemic Family Psychotherapy.
History must begin with the reinterpretation of The Fall of Adam and Eve, their deportation from Paradise. I will bring to your attention our interpretation of this case:
The Garden of Eden, where we first meet Adam and Eve, is not some kind of supernatural or paradise-like world. As an option, it can be sub-Equatorial tropical forest, which is quite familiar to us. The reconstruction of the archetype of the ancestors of mankind, their psychological portrait before and after the fall, definition of the very essence of The Fall, and fixing the response to the described events in own souls, are more significant than the description of the local fauna and flora.
In our opinion, two concepts - "Time" and "Death" - are keys to understand human's presence (being) in "paradise" or "hell". The mind, which is not familiar with the concept of "Death", has no reason to label any phenomena or event as "good" or "bad", and perceives “Being” holistically, all in one. The "personal" experience of “Being” in the mother’s womb can be a good example, experienced by every person. There, in the womb, “I” - not yet “I”, “I” - still does not have gender, nationality, religion, does not know about time and death, good and bad. The fetus simply resides in reality, permanently receiving a hormonal maternal cocktail through the umbilical cord. Outside, a wide variety of events can occur - terrible, beautiful, endangering the life of the mother...Everything that happens, will be reflected in a kaleidoscope of reactions of the nervous system for the fetus. This is what we can call "Paradise." (see (53:32), where the fetal status in the womb is described by the noun “أَجِنَّةٌ - ajinnatun”, cognate with the word “jannat - Garden of Eden”)
Conversely, "hell" starts from the moment of birth, with the division into opposites: light-darkness, cold-hot, hungry-full, “I” - “not me”... and then, consciousness of a person begins to acquire terrible concepts: time, fear, life, illness, death, end, good, bad, past, future...
The stay of Adam and Eve in the rainforest can be described by the expression “here and now” while they arrive in ignorance regarding the meaning of certain words: “death”, “immortality”, “children”, “time”. The way, our ancestors perceive the reality, is similar to wild animals, or street cats and dogs, it is not yet clouded by worries about the future, regret for mistakes made in the past, worries about food supplies, health, death...
The Tree, which Adam and Eve should not approach, is the "family tree". And the process of its branching begins with the conception of a “child”, from the first acquaintance with the taste of the “forbidden fruit” - an allegorical representation of sexual intercourse. Next steps - the experience of a new feeling, called “Shame”, and the subsequent need to cover up “shameful places”....
The process of expulsion from the "Garden of Eden" does not look like deportation, or like the overthrow from the Kingdom of Heaven to mortal earth. Adam and Eve stayed in the same tropical forest, but now they were burdened with the awareness of impending death, with the regret for mistakes, they made, and with gloomy prospects for the future. Here, we must note, that the cultural environment and the type of living, characterizing human society of the era of Adam and Eve, corresponds to the “Hunter-gatherer” prehistory period.
So, Eve gave birth to Cain...To understand the motives of Cain's fatal act, we need to recreate the atmosphere in which the first-born of Adam and Eve grew up. It was the couple, who were completely deprived of parental experience, who changed the Paradise reality to the terrifying prospect of the inevitable end, probably, blaming each other for the mistake they made… And the newborn Cain - as an obvious evidence, a reminder of their misconduct, the personification of The Fall. We can imagine his nervousness and mental imbalance, intensified by the unconscious guilt, with which Adam's son grew up.
And then a second son is born. Parents gave him a nam - Abel. He finds himself in an even more difficult psychological situation. The communicative problem, Abel has to solve, is one level higher. He has to maneuver between his neurotic brother and anxious parents. Periodic beatings and pressure from Cain, can be a quite logical assumption in this situation.
We should note the differences in the emerging psychotypes of the two sons of Adam. From one side, this is a rude, embittered, cruel Cain. And from other side, it is the vulnerable Abel, who knows how to endure, but dreams of restoring justice. This is the first-born Cain, who grew up in the framework of a trivial psychological scheme - father-mother-son and Abel, who mastered the complicated family model. We can add to Abel’s piggy bank his burden of guilt, the burden of which turned out to be Cain’s unconscious choice. As a result, we have a more complex and finely tuned psyche of Abel against the rough and “ordinary” psyche of Cain.
Perhaps the described differences in the psyche became a determining factor in the selection of brothers in the agricultural industry. Cain became a farmer, and Abel became a breeder. The choice of professions marked the beginning of the next stage in the psychological development of the individual. The question raised raises another unexpected, but important topic - domestication of livestock.
The psychological environment in which Abel was more saturated and contributed to the development and qualitative growth of the personality. Communication with animals, addressing them by name, animal response, empathy during illness developed sensitivity and empathy. And the process of slaughtering cattle, watching the bleeding and decay of the animal's life brought Abel back to the question of his own mortality.
The production process of Cain was a planned work, repeated from year to year. Their significant difference was a stable increase in acreage. Stocks in bins were predictably increased. During the lull between planting and harvest, Cain carefully considered and counted the cost and projected profit, making plans for product line expansion and arable land. His household became more substantial and the reserve fund more and more accumulated in the barns of elder brother, but in his soul there was less and less place for God. The kind of activity of Cain and Abel, as a phenomenon, marks the beginning of the transition of human communities from the primitive economy of hunters and gatherers to agriculture based on agriculture and animal husbandry - in the process of the "Neolithic revolution".
Taking as the beginning of the history of mankind - the plot about Adam, described in the Old Testament and the Quran, we can fix the origin of the first "religious" tradition - the ritual of sacrifice. From the very first days of “expulsion from paradise”, Adam and Eve lived with a “good” habit inherited from their best days, namely, they were content with daily “pasture”: fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts …
(29:60) Many a creature does not carry its provision; God provides for it, as well as for you. He is the Hearer, the Knowledgeable.
(11:6) There is not a creature on earth except that its provision is due from God. He knows their habitat and their depository. All is in a clear record.
Being in a heavenly state, they didn’t even think about food set aside, because the feeling of hunger and weather discomfort did not yet have the negative markings that they had acquired after the “exile”. In the changed living conditions of Adam and Eve, with the advent of a number of new concepts, such as: time, past, future, death, as a result, more and more fears and anxieties began to appear, which gradually began to supplant the previously familiar state of trust. And in moments of insight, the couple desperately tried somehow to restore the lost status quo. Adam and Eve began to practice regular stripping of stockpiles. Surplus provisions burning in the fire of a bonfire seemed a real confirmation of their trust in God.
The regular burning of excess food, which later became known as the sacrifice, which Cain and Abel witnessed many times, laid the foundation for the action. This later turned into an unreasonable ritual for one, and a vital process for the other.
Let us return to the texts of the Quran and Torah, and lose the sacrificial episode.
(Torah, Genesis 4:2-5) Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. At the designated time Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest of them. And the Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering, but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. So Cain became very angry, and his expression was downcast.
In this episode of the text of the Torah, the terms “sacrifice”, “kurban” or “slaughter” are not used. The process of sacrifice is twice described by the verb “come” - “וַיָּבֵ֨א”, in the expression “come with a gift”. And it is precisely in the description in the Quran of the burnt offering sacrifice in (3:183) that the same toric expression is used: “... until he comes to us with a sacrifice that the fire will devour ...”, whereas in both verses of the Quran: about the “burnt offering "- (3:183); and about the “sacrifice of Cain and Abel” - (5:27), the same term is used - “kurban”.
After reading this episode there are two reasonable questions: The first one - What made the brothers seek God's satisfaction? And the second one - How did Cain and Abel learn about God's reaction to their sacrifices?
The reason Adam's children had to part with some of their possessions was undoubtedly the same growing anxiety from day to day. It was the same anxiety that Adam and Eve received in retribution for their transgression. Anxiety and worries for the future, vague fear of approaching and inevitable death, desire to return God's lost favor. The fact that the brothers performed the sacrifice almost simultaneously indicates that Adam set a certain date (s) for him, that is, a kind of schedule.
The same psychology will help us answer the second question. The book of Genesis unequivocally informed us that Abel sacrificed (and most likely through a burnt offering) - "from among the best and most fat sheep from breeding cattle" (Torah, Genesis, 4:3). In other words, he committed an act in full accordance with the instructions of the Quran and Torah in this regard (Quran, 2:67-71), (Quran, 15:26), (Quran, 3:92), (Torah, Genesis, 18:7), (Torah, Leviticus, 22:17-25). One can imagine the condition of Abel after this a worthy example, step. Abel continued to live with a clear conscience and an inner feeling of duty performed before God, overcoming his own greed, which gave rise to distrust of God providing food. As already mentioned above, Cain most likely chose some questionable solution to this issue when making a sacrifice. Perhaps it was expressed in the burning of a bag - another low-grade grain. At the same time, he saved both on quantity and quality.
(2:267) O you who acknowledge, spend from the good things that you have earned, and from what We have brought forth from the earth. Do not choose the rotten out of it to give, while you would not take it yourselves unless you close your eyes regarding it. Know that God is Rich, Praiseworthy.
(22:36) The plump animals for offering, We have made them for you as decrees from God, in them is goodness for you. So mention God's name upon them while being orderly, so once their body becomes still, then eat from them and give food to the poor and the needy. It was thus that We have made them in service to you, that you may be thankful.
As a result, the problem of growing anxiety, which was to be resolved through the trustful destruction of part of the crop, was not only not eliminated, but on the contrary, it doubled. Now, remorse of the eldest of the brothers was added to it. As a result, perhaps somewhere in the depths of the Cain soul, an oppressive feeling of regret took root.
(5:27-28-29-30-31) Recite for them the news of Adam's two sons in truth. They had both made an offering, and it was accepted from one of them, and not accepted from the other. He said, "I will kill you!"; he said, "God only accepts from the righteous. "If you stretch your hand to kill me, I will not stretch my hand to kill you, for I fear God, the Lord of the worlds. "I want you to have both my sin as well as your own sin, and you will then be among the dwellers of the fire. Such is the reward of the wicked." So he found it in himself to kill his brother, and he killed him. He thus became one of the losers. So God sent forth a raven to scratch the land and show him how to bury his brother's body. He said, "Woes on me, I failed to be like this raven and bury my brother's body!" So he became of those who regretted.”
see also (4:93).
We came to consider the tragic part of the story. Moreover, as we will see below, it is tragic for Cain and inspiring for Abel, who is in mortal danger. The brothers are dating. The younger's face is bright, his eyes radiate peace and warmth. Opposite him, there is an older brother, containing many fears, but unconsciously manifesting them in the form of undisguised anger. The serenity of his younger brother infuriated Cain, who barely restrained his anger (Torah, Genesis 4:5). The background of the relationship between the two sons of Adam, in which Cain beat Abel, determined the course of subsequent events. Cain screamed furiously: “I swear! I will kill you!"...
And here the watershed passes, which revealed two archetypal attitudes towards death. Abel will become the bearer of the “right” attitude towards death, which later philosophers will write down mountains of paper. An example of his solution to the issue of his own mortality will serve as a kind of bar. This bar has to be reached and overcome by every person. In response to the threat of murder that was voiced, Abel informs his furious brother of the condition he discovered that defines the piousness of the sacrifice: “(5:27) ... "God only accepts from the righteous."...” The key word here is “takua - awareness”, which the translators of the Quran into Russian mistakenly endowed with the meaning - “god fear”. After all, it is the conscious process of sacrifice that reveals a number of philosophical and psychological problems encoded in the ritual such as: Contentment of God, Trust in God, meeting with death, bloodthirstiness, piety.
Abel’s reaction deserves attention at the time of mortal danger described in the Quran. He is not trying to reason with his brother, he is not fleeing, he is not going to fight back. It seems that Abel deliberately raises the degree of confrontation, ignoring the danger of instinct of self-preservation. He announces his non-resistance to his brother’s lawlessness, and his prayer reveals Abel’s view of the principle of retribution and his eschatological views. According to the ideas of Abel, in the case of a murder, Cain will take on the burden of sins of a deprived brother, not to mention his own. Retribution according to Abel, it seems quite logical. After interrupting someone else’s life, at the same time the criminal cuts off every possibility of the victim to repent, correct mistakes, and atone for sins.
(5:28-29) "If you stretch your hand to kill me, I will not stretch my hand to kill you, for I fear God, the Lord of the worlds. "I want you to have both my sin as well as your own sin, and you will then be among the dwellers of the fire. Such is the reward of the wicked."
Abel’s last appeal to Cain, which resembles a curse in some way, can be explained within the framework of the Divine plan to fix and strengthen Cain’s DNA in the firmware - the first fact in the history of murder. So that the consequences of Cain's sin echoed in subsequent generations. The Torah complements the Quranic narrative with an essential fragment. God curses Cain for the crime: “...and now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” (Genesis 4:11-12). Cain’s tragedy continues to gain momentum, and now, in desperation, he begins to lament: My punishment is more than I can bear. Behold, you are now driving me from the face of the earth, and from thy face I will hide, and I will be an exile and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me will kill me (Genesis 4:13-14). In this inconsolable cry of the soul, it is necessary to note the fear voiced by Cain before the death awaiting him, which contrasts vividly with the Abel reaction described above. Also compare with (Quran 68:17-27). The next verse of Genesis requires further clarification. “The Lord said to him: anyone who kills Cain will be paid back seven times. The Lord put a sign on Cain so that no one who found him would assault him” (Genesis 4:15). These words reflect the same concern for the safety of the Cain DNA, which we noted earlier in the verse of the Quran. The unexpected patronage acquired by Cain resembles in some way the concern for the preservation of the Ethiopian jackal, which is listed in the Red Book and is on the verge of extinction. And the next two verses (Genesis 4:16-17) describe the beautiful ending of this instructive story. Cain is the carrier of the gene strain - the most valuable for the subsequent history of mankind (from ger. Stamm, literally - "trunk", "genus"). This gene is a perverted perception of the concept of "death." Cain marries and infects his descendant with this gene. Each person can diagnose infection with a “Cain strain” in himself , if you just have to come in contact with one of the faces of death. In the Quran Cain’s reaction is described as: “So he became of those who regretted” (5:31). Fear and regret are the quintessence of Kain’s attitude towards death.
The connection between the verse of the Torah and the verses of the Koran is traced: (Torah, Genesis 4:11-12) “...and now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth” and (Quran 56:63-64-65-66-67) “Have you noted the crops you reap? Did you grow them, or were We the Ones who grew them? If We wished, We could turn them into hay. Then you would be left in wonderment: We are lost. No, we are deprived!"
In the verses of the Quran describing the murder, you can find a reference to the Freudian description of the human psyche, where the Ego is, along with the Eid (It) and Super-Ego (Super-I), one of the three psychological entities that make up the personality:
(5:30) So he found it in himself to kill his brother, and he killed him. He thus became one of the losers.
It is interesting that the Quran assigns responsibility for the crime precisely to the Ego, which is in tune with Freud's representation on this subject.
The raven episode, presented in the verse (5:31), playing around the themes of death and the burial ritual, describes the raven's phenomenal attitude towards the death of a congener for a class of birds. Among birds only crows conduct something similar to a funeral ritual. They know what death is, and they know that it needs to be feared.
