لَئِنۢ بَسَطتَ إِلَىَّ يَدَكَ لِتَقْتُلَنِى مَآ أَنَا۠ بِبَاسِطٍ يَدِىَ إِلَيْكَ لِأَقْتُلَكَ ۖ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
La'im basatta ilaiya yadaka litaqtulanee maaa ana bibaasitiny yadiya ilaika li aqtulaka inneee akhaaful laaha Rabbal 'aalameen
Jeśli nawet wyciągniesz rękę ku mnie, aby mnie zabić, to ja nie wyciągnę ręki ku tobie, aby ciebie zabić. Zaprawdę, ja lękam się Boga, Pana światów!
Even if you raise your hand against me to kill me, I will not raise my hand against you to kill you. Truly, I fear God, the Lord of all the worlds.
Arabic marks the answer as a disposition rather than a forecast: the threat is put as a condition, and the reply comes back as a negated participle, a standing state instead of a future act. The reason offered is fear of God, with nothing said about the brother's strength or his own. Commentators divided over whether this was a rule binding in their law or one man's choice, and the passage does not settle it.