Surah Al-Isra Ayat 31 (17:31 Quran) With Tafsir

Ala-Maududi

(17:31) (vii) Do not kill your children for fear of want. We will provide for them and for you. Surely killing them is a great sin.^[31]

31. This verse cuts at the very root of the movement of birth control, which has been going on from ancient times to our present age. It was the fear of want that induced people to kill their children or resort to abortion. In our age another plan has been added to these, i.e. contraception. This article of the Islamic manifesto prohibits the people from reducing the number of mouths by artificial means but exhorts them to increase the means of production according to the natural methods enjoined by Allah. According to this article, it is one of the biggest mistakes of man to check birth rate as a solution to the want and scarcity of provisions. Therefore, it warns him, as if to say: O man, it is not you who make arrangement for food, but Allah, Who settled you in the land and has been providing for you and will provide for those who will come after you. History tells us that the food resources have always expanded in proportion to the number of inhabitants of a country. Nay, often they have exceeded far more than the needs of the inhabitants. Thus it is a folly on the part of man to interfere with the arrangements of Allah.

It is very significant that as a result of this teaching, no movement has ever been started to control birth nor has there been any inclination to infanticide among the Muslims ever since the revelation of the Quran.

Ibn-Kathir

31. And kill not your children for fear of poverty. We shall provide for them as well as for you. Surely, the killing of them is a great sin.

This Ayah indicates that Allah is more compassionate towards His servants than a father to his child, because He forbids killing children just as He enjoins parents to take care of their children in matters of inheritance. The people of Jahiliyyah would not allow their daughters to inherit from them, and some would even kill their daughters lest they make them more poor. Allah forbade that and said:

(And kill not your children for fear of poverty.) meaning, lest they may make you poor in the future. This is why Allah mentions the children’s provision first:

(We shall provide for them as well as for you.) In Surat Al-An`am, Allah says:

(kill not your children because of poverty.) ﴿6:151﴾

(We provide sustenance for you and for them) ﴿6:151﴾ and,

(Surely, the killing of them is a great sin.) means, a major sin. In Two Sahihs it is recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said: “I said, `O Messenger of Allah, which sin is the worst’ He said,

(To appoint rivals of Allah when He has created you.) I asked, `Then what’ He said, (To kill your child lest he should eat with you.) I asked, `Then what’ He said, (To commit adultery with your neighbor’s wife.)”