Quran Universe
17:31

وَلَا تَقۡتُلُوٓاْ أَوۡلَٰدَكُمۡ خَشۡيَةَ إِمۡلَٰقٖۖ نَّحۡنُ نَرۡزُقُهُمۡ وَإِيَّاكُمۡۚ إِنَّ قَتۡلَهُمۡ كَانَ خِطۡـٔٗا كَبِيرٗا

Wala taqtuloo awladakum khashyata imlaqin nahnu narzuquhum waiyyakum inna qatlahum kana khitan kabeeran

And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, their killing is ever a great sin.

Word by word
  1. وَلَاAnd (do) not
  2. تَقۡتُلُوٓاْkill
  3. أَوۡلَٰدَكُمۡyour children
  4. خَشۡيَةَ(for) fear
  5. إِمۡلَٰقٖۖ(of) poverty
  6. نَّحۡنُWe
  7. نَرۡزُقُهُمۡ(We) provide for them
  8. وَإِيَّاكُمۡۚand for you
  9. إِنَّIndeed
  10. قَتۡلَهُمۡtheir killing
  11. كَانَis
  12. خِطۡـٔٗاa sin
  13. كَبِيرٗاgreat
Al-Isra · 17:31Makkah

We provide for them and for you.

Fear of poverty must never cost a child

The fear
a parentafraid of poverty
fears
another mouththe child
We providefor them, then for you
Whose provision
I feed my childrenit all depends on me
Allah feeds themtheir provision named first

In pre-Islamic Arabia some people killed their daughters for fear of becoming poorer. Ibn Kathir notes that the children's provision is mentioned first here, and that Allah is more compassionate to His servants than a father to his child. He calls the act a major sin.

You do the sums at the kitchen table. School fees, rent, another baby on the way. The fear grips your chest. The verse speaks straight to that fear. Plan wisely, but remember who has always fed this house.

My children's future depends entirely on how much I can earn.

Allah provides for my children before He provides for me.

Try this

When money worry about your family rises today, say: Allah provides for them and for me.

Related6:151
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

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 (31)

Prohibition of killing Children

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:

وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلَاقٍ

(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:

نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ

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

وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُم مِّنْ إِمْلَاقٍ

(kill not your children because of poverty.)[6:151]

نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ

(We provide sustenance for you and for them)[6:151] and,

إِنَّ قَتْلَهُمْ كَانَ خِطْئًا كَبِيرًا

(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,

أَنْ تَجْعَلَ لِلّهِ نِدًّا وَهُوَ خَلَقَكَ. قُلْتُ: ثُمَّ أَيٌّ؟ قَالَ: أَنْ تَقْتُلَ وَلَدَكَ خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يَطْعَمَ مَعَكَ. قُلْتُ: ثُمَّ أَيٌّ؟ قَالَ: أَنْ تُزَانِيَ بِحَلِيلَةِ جَارِكَ

(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.)"