قَدْ خَسِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ قَتَلُوٓا۟ أَوْلَـٰدَهُمْ سَفَهًۢا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَحَرَّمُوا۟ مَا رَزَقَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱفْتِرَآءً عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ قَدْ ضَلُّوا۟ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ مُهْتَدِينَ 140
Translations
They will have lost who killed their children in foolishness without knowledge and prohibited what Allāh had provided for them, inventing untruth about Allāh. They have gone astray and were not [rightly] guided.
Transliteration
Qad khasira alladhina qatalū awlādahum safahan bighayri ilm wa-ḥarramū mā razaqahum Allāhu iftirāan alā Allāh. Qad ḍallū wa-mā kānū muhtadīn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns the pre-Islamic Arab practice of infanticide, particularly the killing of daughters out of ignorance and false shame. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that those who committed such acts not only caused immense harm but also invented false religious justifications (claiming it was permissible) and falsely attributed these practices to Allah's will, thereby compounding their sin with kufr (disbelief). The ayah establishes that such people have clearly lost (both in this life and the Hereafter) and have strayed far from guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the Meccan period and addresses the deeply entrenched tribal practice of female infanticide among pre-Islamic Arabs, who killed their daughters due to economic anxiety and social prestige concerns. The context within Surah Al-An'am is part of Allah's exposition of the idolaters' false practices and how they attributed lies to Allah, making this ayah part of a broader refutation of shirk (polytheism) and cultural superstitions.
Related Hadiths
The practice condemned here is referenced in Surah An-Nahl (16:58-59) and Surah At-Takwir (81:8-9). A relevant hadith in Sahih Muslim (Book of Paradise) describes the elevated status of daughters in Islam, contrasting sharply with the pre-Islamic practice: the Prophet (ﷺ) encouraged compassion toward daughters as a means to enter Paradise.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that harming the innocent, especially children, is among the gravest of sins—particularly when justified through false religious claims. For modern believers, it serves as a reminder that protecting vulnerable populations and seeking authentic knowledge before acting on religious matters are fundamental Islamic principles.