5:32
Al-Ma'idah
المائدة
مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا
Translation
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.
Tafsir (Commentary)
This verse establishes the absolute sanctity of human life in Islamic law. The comparison between one life and all of humanity demonstrates that in God's view, each individual life has infinite value.
Context of Revelation
This verse occurs in the context of the story of Cain and Abel, establishing a universal principle about the sanctity of life that applies to all of humanity.