Quran Universe
6:140

قَدۡ خَسِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ قَتَلُوٓاْ أَوۡلَٰدَهُمۡ سَفَهَۢا بِغَيۡرِ عِلۡمٖ وَحَرَّمُواْ مَا رَزَقَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱفۡتِرَآءً عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ قَدۡ ضَلُّواْ وَمَا كَانُواْ مُهۡتَدِينَ

Qad khasira allatheena qataloo awladahum safahan bighayri AAilmin waharramoo ma razaqahumu Allahu iftiraan AAala Allahi qad dalloo wama kanoo muhtadeena

Those will have lost who killed their children in foolishness without knowledge and prohibited what Allah had provided for them, inventing untruth about Allah. They have gone astray and were not [rightly] guided.

Word by word
  1. قَدۡCertainly
  2. خَسِرَ(are) lost
  3. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  4. قَتَلُوٓاْkilled
  5. أَوۡلَٰدَهُمۡtheir children
  6. سَفَهَۢا(in) foolishness
  7. بِغَيۡرِwithout
  8. عِلۡمٖknowledge
  9. وَحَرَّمُواْand forbid
  10. مَاwhat
  11. رَزَقَهُمُ(bas been) provided (to) them
  12. ٱللَّهُ(by) Allah
  13. ٱفۡتِرَآءًinventing (lies)
  14. عَلَىagainst
  15. ٱللَّهِۚAllah
  16. قَدۡCertainly
  17. ضَلُّواْthey have gone astray
  18. وَمَاand not
  19. كَانُواْthey are
  20. مُهۡتَدِينَguided-ones
Al-An'am · 6:140Makkah

They lost: their children, their provision, and the truth.

Foolishness without knowledge, and what it cost

What was lost
their childrenout of foolishness
Allah's provisionforbidden by invention
result
lossthis life and the next
What drove it
careful reasoning
without knowledgelies against Allah

Ibn Abbas said: if you want to know how ignorant the Arabs were, recite the verses after one hundred and thirty in Al-An'am. Ibn Kathir says they lost this life by harming their children and restricting their own wealth, and the next by lying about Allah.

You make big decisions on rumors, a cousin's advice, a viral post. Then you defend them as if Allah commanded them. Foolishness is acting without knowledge. Learning first protects your family and your faith.

I know enough to make religious decisions for my family on my own.

Acting on religion without knowledge cost people everything. I learn before I decide.

Try this

Before your next big family decision, ask someone knowledgeable and trustworthy first.

Related10:69
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Indeed lost are they who have killed their children, foolishly, without knowledge, and (they) have forbidden that which Allah has provided for them, inventing a lie against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and were not guided (140)

Allah says that those who committed these evil acts have earned the loss of this life and the Hereafter.

As for this life, they lost when they killed their children and made it difficult for themselves by prohibiting some types of their wealth, as an act of innovation that they invented on their own. As for the Hereafter, they will end up in the worst dwellings, because they used to lie about Allah and invent falsehood about Him. Allah also said,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ لَا يُفْلِحُونَ - مَتَاعٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ نُذِيقُهُمُ الْعَذَابَ الشَّدِيدَ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ

(Say: "Verily, those who invent a lie against Allah will never be successful." (A brief) enjoyment in this world! And then unto Us will be their return, then We shall make them taste the severest torment because they used to disbelieve.)[10:69-70]

Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr bin Marduwyah recorded that Ibn 'Abbas commented, "If it pleases you to know how ignorant the Arabs used to be, then recite the Ayat beyond Ayah one hundred and thirty in Surat Al-An'am,

قَدْ خَسِرَ الَّذِينَ قَتَلُوا أَوْلَادَهُمْ سَفَهًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَحَرَّمُوا مَا رَزَقَهُمُ اللَّهُ افْتِرَاءً عَلَى اللَّهِ قَدْ ضَلُّوا وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ

(Indeed lost are they who have killed their children, foolishly, without knowledge, and [they] have forbidden that which Allah has provided for them, inventing a lie against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and were not guided.)" Al-Bukhari also recorded this in the section of his Sahih on the virtues of the Quraysh.