Twin sisters of Cain and Abel

Lore & Background

In Muslim tradition, Cain was born with a twin sister named Aclima, and Abel with a twin sister named Labuda (or Lubada). Adam wished Cain to marry Labuda and Abel to marry Aclima, but Cain did not consent. Adam proposed to refer the question to God by means of a sacrifice; God rejected Cain's sacrifice to signify disapproval of his marriage to Aclima, and Cain slew Abel in jealousy. In another tradition, Abel's twin sister is named Aclima, while Cain's twin sister is not named in mainstream Islamic sources.

Reader's Guide

The twin sisters of Cain and Abel serve as a narrative device to resolve a gap in the Genesis account—namely, where Cain found a wife. Their inclusion in texts such as the Book of Jubilees, the Cave of Treasures, the Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan, and various Jewish and Christian works shows how later traditions expanded on biblical stories to address theological and practical questions. The wide variation in names—Aclima, Kalmana, Lusia, Cainan, Luluwa, Âwân, Azura, Balbira—reflects the diversity of these traditions and the lack of a single authoritative source. The story also touches on themes of marriage, divine will, and sibling rivalry, as the dispute over whom Cain should marry is directly linked to the first murder. These figures are not central to mainstream biblical theology but are important in understanding how apocryphal and interpretive literature developed.

Did You Know?

• The twin sister of Cain is given different names across traditions, including Aclima, Kalmana, Cainan, Luluwa, and Âwân.
• In Muslim tradition, Adam wished Cain to marry Abel's twin sister Labuda (or Lubada), but Cain refused and instead married his own twin sister Aclima.
• According to the Book of Jubilees, Âwân was both the wife and sister of Cain.
• In the Jewish work Seder Hadorot, Cain's twin sister is called Kalmana, but Abel's twin sister is not named.