۞ قُلْ تَعَالَوْا۟ أَتْلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ أَلَّا تُشْرِكُوا۟ بِهِۦ شَيْـًٔا ۖ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـٰنًا ۖ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَوْلَـٰدَكُم مِّنْ إِمْلَـٰقٍ ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ ۖ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ ۖ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلنَّفْسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ 151
Translations
Say, "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. [He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment, and do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them. And do not approach immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed. And do not kill the soul which Allāh has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason."
Transliteration
Qul ta'aalaw atlu maa harrama rabbukum alaikum allaa tushrikoo bihi shai'an wa bil-waalidaini ihsanan wa laa taqtuloo awladakum min imlaq nahnu narzuqukum wa iyyahum wa laa taqraboo al-fawahisha maa zahara minha wa maa batin wa laa taqtuloo an-nafsa allati harrama Allahu illa bil-haq dhalikum wassaakum bihi la'allakum ta'qiloon
Tafsir (Explanation)
In this ayah, Allah commands the Prophet (ﷺ) to invite people to hear the prohibitions He has ordained for them, beginning with the prohibition of shirk and followed by essential moral and legal commandments. The ayah encompasses five major prohibitions: ascribing partners to Allah, mistreating parents, infanticide born of poverty, indulging in obscenities, and unlawful killing. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir emphasize that these commandments represent the foundational pillars of Islamic morality, with shirk being the most severe sin and the others addressing the preservation of faith, family, life, and honor.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-An'am, a Meccan chapter that emphasizes tawhid (monotheism) and refutes polytheism. The ayah comes as part of a comprehensive summary of Islamic laws and ethics, likely revealed to address the pagan Arabian practices of the time, including infanticide due to poverty and moral transgressions. It serves as an invitation to the polytheists to understand the rational and humane basis of Islamic law.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The greatest sin is to ascribe a partner to Allah while He alone created you' (Sahih Bukhari 4477). Additionally, the Prophet emphasized: 'Shall I not inform you of the greatest of the great sins? To ascribe partners with Allah and to be disobedient to parents' (Sahih Bukhari 2654).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Islamic ethics are rationally comprehensible and serve human welfare; believers should recognize that Allah's prohibitions protect society's foundation and individual dignity, and that trusting in Allah's provision should never drive us to transgress His boundaries. The commandments remind us that true obedience stems from understanding the wisdom behind divine law, not mere mechanical compliance.