qabil

Qabil is a male given name of Arabic origin, meaning “capable” or “able.” It is commonly transliterated as Qabil or Qabeel and is used across Arabic-speaking communities and many Muslim-majority societies. In addition to its use as a given name, it may appear in various cultural contexts influenced by Arabic language.

In religious tradition, Qabil is the name given in some Islamic exegesis to one of the two sons of Adam, with the other son often named Habil. The Qur’an recounts the story in which both brothers offer sacrifices; God accepts the sacrifice of the more righteous brother and rejects the other. Envy and anger lead Qabil to kill his brother. God rebukes him and instructs him on how to bury the victim, a narrative that underscores the sanctity of life and the prohibition against murder. Traditional interpretations identify the brothers as Qabil and Habil, paralleling the Cain and Abel narrative found in Judeo-Christian sources, though the Qur’anic text itself does not use those exact names in the core account.

Beyond religious context, Qabil is used as a personal name in various cultures and may be found in different spellings. Its meaning—connoting capability and acceptability—often informs its use as a virtue-inspired name. The term also appears in discussions of early human narratives across Islamic, Jewish, and Christian traditions, where the figures of Qabil and Habil serve as archetypes in moral and theological teachings.