Muhammad Abdul Hayee Nasir, Student, Jamia Ahmadiyya International Ghana
In the Holy Quran, Allah the Almighty commands:
وَلَا تَقۡتُلُوٓاْ أَوۡلَٰدَكُمۡ خَشۡيَةَ إِمۡلَٰقٖ ۖ نَّحۡنُ نَرۡزُقُهُمۡ وَإِيَّاكُمۡ ۚ إِنَّ قَتۡلَهُمۡ كَانَ خِطۡـٔٗا كَبِيرٗا
“Kill not your children for fear of poverty. It is We Who provide for them and for you. Surely, the killing of them is a great sin.” (Surah Bani Isra’il, Ch.17: V.32)
And yet, it is very rare to see a parent killing their child, unless in a case where the parent is mentally unstable. So, what is the real meaning of this phrase?
Interpretations given by non-Ahmadi commentators
Non-Ahmadi exegetes of the Holy Quran more often than not adopt the literal approach when explaining most verses. The same approach has been taken with this phrase, and it has been explained in the literal sense. It is written in Tadabbur-e-Quran, a famous Urdu commentary by the renowned Pakistani Islamic scholar, Maulvi Amin Ahsan Islahi, that:
“[…] Meaning, when the true reality is that God alone is the true Provider, then what right does anyone have to take another’s life out of the fear of what that person will eat. In the period of ignorance, one of the major reasons behind the cruel practice of Arabs burying daughters alive was this very mindset: since women were not seen as earners, then why should they bear the burden of raising girls? The Quran struck directly at the root of this heartless crime and brought an end to such barbarity.” (Tadabbur-e-Quran, 2009, Vol. 4, p. 499)
Another famous Pakistani commentator, Maulvi Muhammad Shafi, writes in his commentary:
“This sixth commandment addresses a cruel custom of the age of ignorance. In those days, some people would kill their children, especially daughters, immediately after birth out of fear that they would become a financial burden. In this verse, God Almighty exposes the ignorance behind such thinking, reminding them that they are not the providers. Sustenance lies entirely in the hands of Allah alone. It is He Who provides for you, just as He provides for you, He will also provide for them. Why then would you become guilty of the grave sin of killing your children out of such misguided fear?” (Ma‘arif-ul-Quran, 2008, Vol. 5, p. 474)
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’sra commentary
While non-Ahmadi scholars have linked this to the barbaric act of some Arabs burying their daughters alive during the period of ignorance, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud, Khalifatul Masih IIra explained that this verse is not pointing to the killing of girls because the Arabs did not kill their daughters for the fear of financial expense.
He writes:
“[…] That is, ‘Do not kill your children out of fear that they will cost you money’ does not refer to the killing of daughters because this reason is not stated anywhere in the Quran that people killed girls out of fear of financial expense. Rather, the reason given is that they consider their birth a cause of humiliation for themselves, and therefore, they kill them.
“Similarly, this verse cannot be interpreted to mean ‘do not kill children because of poverty or financial hardship,’ because the word imlaaq does not mean poverty or hardship. Rather, its meaning is the spending of wealth. Thus, the meaning of the verse is that, do not kill your children out of the fear that money will be spent.” (Tafsir-e-Kabir, 2023, Vol. 6, pp. 332-333)
Huzoorra then raises a question: does anyone actually kill their children out of fear of spending money? He explained that our experience of the world leads us to conclude that such cases are not found among sane people. In fact, even those who do not have enough money do not kill their children. Therefore, it becomes clear that this command addresses a different meaning of killing.
The true meaning of the phrase ‘do not kill’
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra explained three meanings of the phrase “do not kill”:
1. When we observe the conditions of different humans, we learn that some people, out of stinginess, do not provide proper care for their children. They do not provide them with sufficient food or the nutrition necessary for growth. Such stingy people are indeed found only among the mentally unstable, who would poison or strangle their children out of fear that their wealth would be spent.
However, there are many ordinary, sane individuals who, despite having money, withhold good food from their children due to stinginess. They do not provide proper clothing, to the extent that sometimes children become ill due to the lack of nutrition. Occasionally, inadequate clothing can lead to illnesses such as pneumonia. Such people exist in the thousands and millions across the world in every country.
2. Similarly, “killing” can also refer to the moral and spiritual killing, which occurs when, out of fear of spending money, they do not provide good education, therefore causing the moral or spiritual death of the child. In this verse, Allah advises believers to avoid such behaviour and never withhold the expenses necessary for the child’s physical health or moral upbringing. (Ibid., p. 333)
3. The meaning of this verse can also be in the way some Sufi scholars interpret it. That is, it is forbidden to stop the birth of children merely out of fear that if the family grows, how will it be fed. Keeping this point in mind, preventing childbirth falls under the category of “killing children,” and killing one’s children is prohibited in every situation. Thus, the meaning becomes that killing a child (in the sense of preventing childbirth) due to fear of spending wealth is not allowed. (Ibid., p. 334)
Why did Allah use the word ‘kill’?
Explaining why Allah used the word “kill”, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra writes:
“The word ‘kill’ is used because, naturally, humans feel aversion to physically killing their children. By using this term, attention is drawn to the fact that while you would never consider physically killing your child, you do not think that you are unknowingly committing another kind of ‘killing’ – neglecting their food and clothing and thus harming their health, or ignoring their moral education and thereby destroying their character.
“In my view, another reason for using the word ‘kill’ is that if the verse had simply said, ‘spend on your children,’ it would not have highlighted the indirect effects that negligence can have on a child’s life. But by choosing this specific word, all such indirect consequences are also included.
“For example, not ensuring proper food and clothing for the wife, or overburdening her with work during pregnancy or while she is nursing. All these are matters which negatively affect the child. As a result, children are lost before birth, or their health becomes weak.
“The expression la-taqtulu [do not kill] therefore forbids all these harmful practices, and this meaning could not have been conveyed as powerfully with any other wording.” (Ibid., pp. 333-334)
At the end, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra writes:
“Thus, by using the words la taqtulu [do not kill] and then adding the condition khashyata imlaaq [for fear of spending wealth], the Quran presents a comprehensive teaching regarding the upbringing of children, their nourishment, the care of the mother, and the value of her life.
“And it expresses this in such concise words that no other scripture offers anything comparable. In fact, the truth is that this matter is so subtle and profound that no other religious book has even touched it.” (Ibid., p. 334)
Conclusion
This phrase of Surah Bani Isra’il contains a message deeper than the literal meaning of the prohibition of killing children. While non-Ahmadi scholars understood it as a condemnation of the barbaric custom of burying daughters during the period of ignorance, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra offered a broader picture and a more insightful explanation. He explained that the Quran is not addressing the physical killing of children, rather it is pointing out the subtle, everyday forms of negligence that can ruin a child’s life, health and character.
This interpretation reveals the remarkable depth of the Quranic language. In a single, brief command, Allah encompasses the entire philosophy of parental responsibility and the bringing up of children, reminding believers that sustenance comes from Him alone.