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151
۞ قُل تَعالَوا أَتلُ ما حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُم عَلَيكُم ۖ أَلّا تُشرِكوا بِهِ شَيئًا ۖ وَبِالوالِدَينِ إِحسانًا ۖ وَلا تَقتُلوا أَولادَكُم مِن إِملاقٍ ۖ نَحنُ نَرزُقُكُم وَإِيّاهُم ۖ وَلا تَقرَبُوا الفَواحِشَ ما ظَهَرَ مِنها وَما بَطَنَ ۖ وَلا تَقتُلُوا النَّفسَ الَّتي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلّا بِالحَقِّ ۚ ذٰلِكُم وَصّاكُم بِهِ لَعَلَّكُم تَعقِلونَ

Muhammad Asad

Say: "Come, let me convey unto you what God has [really] forbidden to you: "Do not ascribe divinity, in any way, to aught beside Him; and [do not offend against but, rather,] do good unto your parents;1 and do not kill your children for fear of poverty - [for] it is We who shall provide sustenance for you as well as for them;2 and do not commit any shameful deeds, be they open or secret; and do not take any human being's life - [the life] which God has declared to be sacred - otherwise than in [the pursuit of] justice: this has He enjoined upon you so that you might use your reason;3
  • In the consensus of all the commentators, the phrase interpolated by me between brackets is clearly implied in the above commandment, since it is mentioned among the things which God has forbidden - and being good towards one's parents is not only not forbidden but, on the contrary, enjoined over and over in the Qur'an.
  • This may possibly refer to abortions dictated by economic considerations.
  • Sc., "and not resort to brute force whenever your private interests are involved". The expression "otherwise than in (the pursuit of) justice" refers to the execution of a legal punishment or to killing in a just - that is, defensive-war, or to individual, legitimate self-defence.