Al-Isra: (31) And do not kill your children...

This is the fifth type of obedience mentioned in these verses.

Issues:

First Aspect: Since Allah, the Exalted, clarified in the preceding verse that He is the Provider for the servants' sustenance, saying: {Indeed, your Lord extends provision for whom He wills and restricts it} (Al-Isra: 30), He followed it up with: {And do not kill your children for fear of poverty; We will provide for them and for you}.

Second Aspect: Since Allah, the Exalted, taught the manner of dutifulness to parents in the previous verse, He taught in this verse the manner of dutifulness to children. For this reason, some scholars said that those named al-Abrar (the righteous) are named so because they were dutiful to both fathers and sons. Dutifulness to fathers is obligatory as a recompense for the types of kindness they showed to their children. Dutifulness to children is obligatory because they are in the utmost state of weakness and have no caretaker other than their parents.

Third Aspect: The refusal of children to be dutiful to their fathers leads to the ruin of the world. If fathers know this, their desire to raise their children will decrease, leading to the ruin of the world, based on the reasoning we established. Thus, the flourishing of the world is only achieved when kindness exists between fathers and children from both sides.

Fourth Aspect: If the killing of children is due to the fear of poverty, it is bad assumption about Allah. If it is due to jealousy concerning daughters, it is an attempt to ruin the world. The first contradicts the glorification of Allah's command, and the second contradicts compassion for Allah's creation. Both are blameworthy. And Allah knows best.

Fifth Aspect: The kinship of children is a kinship of the essential part and the component, which is one of the greatest causes of love. If love does not arise, it indicates extreme harshness in the soul and hardness in the heart, which are among the most blameworthy characteristics. Therefore, Allah encouraged kindness toward children to remove this blameworthy trait.

The Arabs used to kill female infants because they were incapable of earning, whereas males were capable due to their engagement in raiding and plundering. Also, they feared that her poverty would repel a suitable match, forcing them to marry her off to someone not of equal standing, which brought severe shame.

Therefore, Allah said: {And do not kill your children}. This is a general term for both males and females. The meaning is that the cause necessitating mercy and compassion is the state of being a child, and this meaning is a shared attribute between males and females. As for the fear of poverty concerning daughters, a similar fear may exist for sons when they are young, and it may also be feared for sons who are incapable.

Then Allah, the Exalted, said: {We will provide for them and for you}. This means that provisions are in Allah's hands. Just as Allah opened the doors of provision for men, He also opens the doors of provision for women.

The majority of reciters read it as khaṭa'an kabīran (a great error/sin), meaning a great sin. It is said: khaṭi'a yakhṭa'u khaṭa' (he erred), similar to athima ya'thimu ithman (he sinned). Allah said: {Indeed, we were sinners} (Yusuf: 97), meaning sinful.

Ibn 'Amir recited it as khaṭa'an (with fatḥa on the khā'). It is said: akhṭa'a yukhṭi'u ikhṭā'an wa khaṭa' when one commits what is improper without intention, and khaṭa' can be the noun form of the verbal noun. The meaning based on this recitation is that killing them is not correct.

Al-Qaffal, may Allah have mercy on him, said that Ibn Kathir recited it as khitā'an (with a long kasra on the khā'). Perhaps these are two linguistic variations, like daf'un and difā'un, or libs and libās.