Al-Qur'an Surah Al-An'am Verse 140

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Losers are those who kill their children foolishly, without knowledge, and hold as prohibited what Allah has provided them, falsely ascribing it to Allah. They have gone astray, and they are not on the right path.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Lost indeed are those who have murdered their own children foolishly out of ignorance and have forbidden what Allah has provided for them—falsely attributing lies to Allah. They have certainly strayed and are not ˹rightly˺ guided.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Losers indeed are those who kill their children foolishly out of ignorance, and prohibit what Allah has provided for them – fabricating lies against Him. They have gone astray and are not guided.

A. J. Arberry

Losers are they who slay their children in folly, without knowledge, and have forbidden what God has provided them, forging against God; they have gone astray, and are not right-guided.

Abdul Haleem

Lost indeed are those who kill their own children out of folly, with no basis in knowledge, forbidding what God has provided for them, fabricating lies against Him: they have gone far astray and have heeded no guidance.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Surely lost are they who slay their offspring foolishly and without knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allah had provided for them: a fabrication against Allah: surely they have strayed and have not become guided ones.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Lost are those who slay their children, from folly, without knowledge, and forbid food which Allah hath provided for them, inventing (lies) against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and heeded no guidance.

Abul Ala Maududi

Those who slayed their children in folly, without knowledge,. and forbade the sustenance that Allah has provided them, falsely ascribing that to Allah, are utter losers; they have gone astray, and are certainly not among those guided to the right way.

Ahmed Ali

They will surely perish who kill their offspring in ignorance foolhardily, and forbid the food that God has given them by fabricating lies against God. Misguided are they surely, and will never come to guidance.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Indeed ruined are those who slay their children out of senseless ignorance and forbid the sustenance which Allah has bestowed upon them, in order to fabricate lies against Allah; they have undoubtedly gone astray and not attained the path.

Ali Quli Qarai

They are certainly losers who slay their children foolishly without knowledge, and forbid what Allah has provided them, fabricating a lie against Allah. Certainly, they have gone astray and are not guided.

Ali Ünal

Assuredly those are lost who, in folly and without knowledge, kill their children (either in the wombs of their mothers or after birth), and make unlawful (the lawful and pure, wholesome things) that God has provided them as sustenance, falsely attributing that to God. Assuredly, they have gone astray, and have never been able to find the right way.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Certainly, they suffer a loss (those) who kill their children in folly (and) ignorance, and forbid (themselves) what Allâh has provided for them; forging lies in the name of Allâh. They have indeed gone astray and they are not rightly guided.

English Literal

Those who killed their children ignorantly/foolishly without knowledge, had lost/misguided and perished, and they forbade/prohibited what God provided for them, fabrication on God, they had misguided, and they were not guided.

Faridul Haque

Indeed ruined are those who slay their children out of senseless ignorance and forbid the sustenance which Allah has bestowed upon them, in order to fabricate lies against Allah; they have undoubtedly gone astray and not attained the path.

Hamid S. Aziz

Losers are they who slay their children, from folly, without knowledge, and who forbid what Allah has bestowed upon them, inventing lies against Allah. They have, indeed erred and heeded not guidance.

Hilali & Khan

Indeed lost are they who have killed their children, from folly, without knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allah has provided for them, inventing a lie against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and were not guided.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And they say: That which is in the wombs of such and such cattle is reserved for our males, and forbidden to our wives, and if it be stillborn, they are partners in it. He will reward them for their (false) attribution. Surely He is Wise, Knowing.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

They are lost indeed who kill their children foolishly without knowledge, and forbid what Allah has given to them forging a lie against Allah; they have indeed gone astray, and they are not the followers of the right course.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

They are losers who besottedly have slain their children without knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allah bestowed upon them, inventing a lie against Allah. They indeed have gone astray and are not guided.

Muhammad Sarwar

Those who foolishly and ignorantly murdered their children, ascribed falsehood to God and made unlawful what He had given to them for their sustenance, have certainly lost much. They had gone far away from the right guidance.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Lost are those who, without knowledge, have foolishly slain their own children and made unlawful that which Allah has provided them, fabricating lies about Allah. They have gone astray and are not guided.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Indeed lost are they who have killed their children, foolishly, without knowledge, and (they) have forbidden that which Allah has provided for them, inventing a lie against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and were not guided.

Wahiduddin Khan

Losers indeed are they who kill their children foolishly and without knowledge and declare as forbidden what God has provided for them as sustenance -- a fabrication against God: they have gone astray and have not chosen to be rightly guided.

Talal Itani

Lost are those who kill their children foolishly, with no basis in knowledge, and forbid what God has provided for them—innovations about God. They have gone astray. They are not guided.

Tafsir jalalayn

They are losers who slay (read qatal or qattal) their children, by burying them alive, in folly, out of ignorance, without knowledge, and have forbidden what God has provided them, of what has been mentioned, in calumny against God. Verily they have gone astray and are not guided.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Allah says that those who committed these evil acts have earned the loss of this life and the Hereafter

Allah says;

قَدْ خَسِرَ الَّذِينَ قَتَلُواْ أَوْلَادَهُمْ سَفَهًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَحَرَّمُواْ مَا رَزَقَهُمُ اللّهُ افْتِرَاء عَلَى اللّهِ

قَدْ ضَلُّواْ وَمَا كَانُواْ مُهْتَدِينَ



Indeed lost are they who have killed their children, foolishly, without knowledge, and (they) have forbidden that which Allah has provided for them, inventing a lie against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and were not guided.

As for this life, they lost when they killed their children and made it difficult for themselves by prohibiting some types of their wealth, as an act of innovation that they invented on their own. As for the Hereafter, they will end up in the worst dwellings, because they used to lie about Allah and invent falsehood about Him.

Allah also said,

قُلْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ لَا يُفْلِحُونَ

مَتَـعٌ فِى الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ نُذِيقُهُمُ الْعَذَابَ الشَّدِيدَ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ

Say;"Verily, those who invent a lie against Allah will never be successful." (A brief) enjoyment in this world! And then unto Us will be their return, then We shall make them taste the severest torment because they used to disbelieve. (10;69-70)

Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr bin Marduwyah recorded that Ibn Abbas commented,

"If it pleases you to know how ignorant the Arabs used to be, then recite the Ayat beyond Ayah one hundred and thirty in Surah Al-An`am,

قَدْ خَسِرَ الَّذِينَ قَتَلُواْ أَوْلَادَهُمْ.
وَمَا كَانُواْ مُهْتَدِينَ


Indeed lost are they who have killed their children, foolishly, without knowledge, and (they) have forbidden that which Allah has provided for them, inventing a lie against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and were not guided."

Al-Bukhari also recorded this in the section of his Sahih on the virtues of the Quraysh