The Qur'an recounts the story of Prophet Adam's عليه السلام creation and the trial of his sons Habeel (Abel) and Qabeel (Cain). They fought over who would marry a particular beautiful woman. The two were instructed by Adam عليه السلام to make offerings and whosever was chosen would be considered the proper suitor. Habeel's offering was accepted as he chose the best of what he had, he was sincere and righteous whereas Qabeel's offering was rejected as he chose the most inferior of what he had and he was insincere. Consumed by envy, Qabeel threatened to kill Habeel. Despite Habeel's peaceful demeanour and warnings about the gravity of such a sin, Qabeel murdered him.
This was the first murder and the first major deviation from righteousness among the children of Adam عليه السلام. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Any soul that is unjustly killed, then the first son of Adam will carry a burden of its shedding, for he was the first to commit the crime of murder.” [Tirmidhi]
The death of Habeel filled Prophet Adam عليه السلام with immense grief. Allah eventually blessed him with another son named Sheeth (Seth) عليه السلام. We know nothing about Prophet Sheeth from the Qur’an or authentic Sunnah. All stories or narrations about him are taken from the Israeliyat. It is reported that Prophet Adam's عليه السلام descendants initially lived in areas of Palestine and Shaam, guided by Sheeth, who carried forward the Message of monotheism after his father. After the death of Prophet Adam عليه السلام, his righteous son Prophet Sheeth عليه السلام was chosen by Allah to carry forward the divine guidance and lead humanity in worship and obedience to Allah. He would remind them of the beginning of man, the deception of Shaytan, and how they had been outcast from Jannah because of him. He and his descendants were known for their piety and righteousness, living in the mountains, adhering to the laws of Allah.
On the other hand, Qabeel (Cain), the one who had murdered his brother Habeel (Abel) out of envy, had moved to the plains and settled there with his descendants. Unlike the righteous lineage of Sheeth, the people of Qabeel were known for their rebellious nature, indulgence in worldly pleasures, and disobedience to Allah. They gradually drifted away from the worship of Allah and engaged in immoral activities.
Disguised as a young apprentice and introducing himself as one of those who had defected from Sheeth's people, Shaytan worked for a blacksmith and designed a flute and other musical instruments, which attracted Qabeel’s people. He played it for everyone, and they had never heard anything like it before. It was a completely new sound because there had been no music before. Next, made a small drum and began to beat it, to the surprise of everyone. They would gather around him as he performed, and when he began banging a piece of metal, the sound it made alerted them to his approach. They reportedly began to move their bodies to the sound of the flute as soon as Shaytan played it. He taught them how to make musical instruments, including drums and wind instruments. These instruments gave Shaytan power over them, and they began to set aside days and nights for music and dancing. They organized the first festivals with singing, dancing, and music, enticing the people into gatherings where both men and women mixed freely. This was the first time that music was used as a tool of corruption to stir desires and break barriers of modesty.
The women of Sheeth's righteous lineage were known for their modesty and chastity. They covered themselves properly and did not adorn themselves in a way that would attract the attention of men. The women of Qabeel’s descendants, however, began adorning themselves, applying makeup, wearing revealing clothing, and beautifying their voices to seduce men. Shaytan whispered to them that if they displayed their beauty, they could control men, leading to widespread fitnah.
Initially, there was a separation between the righteous people of Sheeth and the corrupt people of Qabeel. Sheeth’s people (the righteous ones) lived in the mountains, while Qabeel’s people lived in the lowlands. For generations, they remained separate—until Shaytan deceived one of Sheeth’s men. Shaytan didn't tell him to directly come and listen to the music. Instead, he started with planting doubts in his mind. The people began to question Sheeth as to why they weren’t allowed to go down the valley. Sheeth explained to them that Allah had Commanded them not to go there and narrated the story of Habeel and Qabeel. Despite this, the young man from Sheeth’s people heard the sounds of music from below and became curious. He wanted to explore the wisdom behind the prohibition of mixing with the people of Qabeel for himself. He descended from the mountains to the lands of Qabeel’s people, and there he saw the women dressed in beauty and dancing. He was mesmerized and soon became attached to them, forgetting the teachings of Sheeth. Other men followed, and this led to the first moral corruption among the righteous descendants of Adam. The men of Sheeth, who had never seen women displaying their beauty so openly, were captivated and entranced. The first instances of fornication and adultery (zina) occurred due to this intermingling and temptation.
When Prophet Sheeth عليه السلام saw that his people were being corrupted, he warned them sternly. However, many had already been influenced. The righteous were now weakened by the temptations of the world.
Allah tells us about the plots of Shaytan in the Qur'an,
وَٱسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ ٱسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُم بِصَوْتِكَ وَأَجْلِبْ عَلَيْهِم بِخَيْلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ وَشَارِكْهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَوْلَـٰدِ وَعِدْهُمْ ۚ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا
And incite (to senselessness) whoever you can among them with your voice and assault them with your cavalry and infantry, manipulate them in their wealth and their children and make them promise. But Satan does not promise them except delusion. [Surah al-Isra, 64]
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَشْتَرِى لَهْوَ ٱلْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍۢ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌۭ مُّهِينٌۭ
And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech to mislead (others) from the way of Allah without knowledge and who takes it (ie, His way) in ridicule. Those will have a humiliating punishment. [Surah Luqman, 6]
Imam Qatadah said, "By Allah, he may not spend money on it, but his purchasing it means he likes it, and the more misguided he is, the more he likes it and the more he prefers falsehood to the truth and harmful things over beneficial things." [Tafsir Ibn Kathir]
From this we see:
- The pattern seen in this story repeats itself throughout history, showing that music and immoral gatherings often lead to loss of modesty.
- Shaytan did not tell them to commit zina directly—he introduced music, beautification, and free mixing first. Music was used to soften the heart towards sin and make immoral acts appear more acceptable.
- The separation of the righteous and corrupt groups was a divine protection, but when that barrier was broken, fitnah spread rapidly.
Imam Ibn Kathir رحمه الله said, "After Adam’s death, Sheeth led his people upon the path of righteousness, while Qabeel’s descendants became more corrupt. Shaytan introduced music and beautification to the women, leading to the first acts of immorality." [Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah]
Imam Al-Tabari رحمه الله narrates a similar account in his Tarikh al-Umam wal-Muluk (History of Nations and Kings), discussing how the descendants of Qabeel were led into corruption. He said, "When the people of Qabeel abandoned the way of Adam and Sheeth, they indulged in music, dance, and beautification, leading to intermingling and immorality." In Tafsir al-Tabari, he mentions early reports that suggest Shaytan introduced musical instruments to corrupt people. He said, "Shaytan was the first to create wind instruments and encouraged people to use them in gatherings."
Imam Ibn al-Jawzi رحمه الله narrates, "One of the greatest tricks of Shaytan was to introduce music and entertainment to make people negligent of Allah. This was first seen among the people of Qabeel, who became immersed in enjoyment, leading them away from obedience." [Talbis Iblis]
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله narrates, "The first occurrence of zina (fornication) was after the introduction of music and beautification among women, which was taught by Shaytan to the people of Qabeel." [Ighathat al-Lahfan]
