17-31 And kill not your children for fear of poverty — We provide for them and for you. Surely the killing of them is a great wrong.a
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَوْلَـٰدَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلَـٰقٍۢ ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ قَتْلَهُمْ كَانَ خِطْـًۭٔا كَبِيرًۭا (۳۱)
17-31a: The teachings of the previous section and this section are similar in content to the teachings of Section 19 of Surah Al-An‘am except that more details are given here. In both places, the subject of the Unity of God is accompanied by the exposition of moral precepts. Polytheism is prohibited and people are urged to do good to parents in Section 19 of Surah Al-An‘am and this subject is covered here in the third section. A more detailed exposition of moral teachings follows. The previous section imparts the doing of good to others while this section prohibits doing harm to others. Thus, one urges doing good and the other prohibits injustice and these two things complement and complete the moral aspects in any undertaking. The major things that are mentioned here are: killing of offspring, indecency and adultery, prohibition against consuming the belongings of orphans, accurate measurement in transactions, and fulfilment of covenants. In the discussion about killing one’s children, the reason given in Section 19 of Al-An‘am is من املاق for poverty (6:151) and here it is خَشْيَةَ إِمْلَـٰقٍۢ for fear of poverty, for which see 6-151a. Similarly, in Al-An‘am it is stated نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ (We) provide for you and for them, while here the wordings are نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ (We) provide for them and for you. In the first case the parents are very poor and in the second, there is a fear of poverty. خِطۡأ and خَطَاء both mean wrong or incorrect. See 2-82a. The reference in kill not your children is not to burying girls alive because that was a practice resorted to by the aristocracy out of a mistaken sense of honor, rather this means to deprive children of knowledge and to not bring them up with the right values. See 6-151a.
17-32 And go not nigh to fornication: surely it is an obscenity. And evil is the way.a
وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلزِّنَىٰٓ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَـٰحِشَةًۭ وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًۭا (۳۲)
17-32a: The meaning of go not nigh to fornication is to avoid situations which may lead to such an outcome. Islam is remarkable since it not only prohibits evil but also shows the way to avoid committing it, and gives the reason for the prohibition by pointing out its evil consequences. The evil consequences of fornication are stated to be that it is obscene as it increases indecencies and erodes moral growth. In addition, there are other negative consequences such as the perishing of the lineage, discord, conflict and even war.
17-33 And kill not the soul which Allah has forbidden except for a just cause. And whoever is slain unjustly, We have indeed given to his heir authority — but let him not exceed the limit in slaying. Surely he will be helped.a
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلنَّفْسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَمَن قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًۭا فَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا لِوَلِيِّهِۦ سُلْطَـٰنًۭا فَلَا يُسْرِف فِّى ٱلْقَتْلِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مَنصُورًۭا (۳۳)
17-33a: Limits on death penalty: The word soul does not mean a special person, rather Allah has sanctified the soul of every individual and forbidden its killing. وَلِيِّ has been taken to mean the murdered person’s heir and if the person does not have an heir, then it is the person who is in authority. The heir is not allowed to kill the murderer personally because that would amount to exceeding the limits since, as the verse states, the heir will be helped, which means the government or ruler will assist the heir by investigating the crime and rendering a verdict. The ruler has also been instructed not to exceed the limits, and to not order the killing of many persons to avenge the killing of a single individual as, for example, some cruel rulers do when they avenge the killing of their citizen by destroying many towns and killing many innocents along with the guilty ones. When exceeding the limits is prohibited, even in the case of murder, it follows that excessive punishment in other crimes is also not permissible. The punishment should fit the crime, and the accused should not be punished excessively. The innocent should not be penalized with the guilty, as is done even in many civilized countries under the pretext of maintaining law and order. The reality is that the ethical teachings of the Quran remain unmatched, even by the most advanced systems of government.
17-34 And draw not nigh to the orphan’s property, except in a goodly way, till he attains his maturity. And fulfil the promise; surely, the promise will be enquired into.
وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ مَالَ ٱلْيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ حَتَّىٰ يَبْلُغَ أَشُدَّهُۥ ۚ وَأَوْفُوا۟ بِٱلْعَهْدِ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْـُٔولًۭا (۳۴)
17-35 And give full measure when you measure out, and weigh with a true balance. This is fair and better in the end.
وَأَوْفُوا۟ ٱلْكَيْلَ إِذَا كِلْتُمْ وَزِنُوا۟ بِٱلْقِسْطَاسِ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌۭ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًۭا (۳۵)
17-35a: قِسْطَاسِ – For قِسْطَ see 3-18a. قِسْطَاسِ means میزان a balance or scale, and just as the balance is a symbol of equity, میزان also means fairness and justice. وَزِنُوا۟ بِٱلْقِسْطَاسِ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمِ has been interpreted to indicate that a person should be fair and just in his speech and actions in all endeavors (R). Imam Raghib has discussed this under the root قِسْطَ but a majority are of the opinion that the word has been adopted into Arabic from Latin.
This section mostly contains prohibitions with a few exceptions, such as commands for fulfilling promises and measuring and weighing equitably. The purpose of both commands and prohibitions is to protect the rights of others, because breaking oaths and not measuring or weighing fairly violates the rights of others. As explained in the meaning of the word قِسْطَ, the measuring and weighing justly applies not only to accuracy with the scale, but to fairness and justice in all endeavors. The current Western civilization, despite advancing greatly in Christianity, has two sets of balances. Justice for Muslims and other Asian nations is administered by one set of rules and for Western nations by another set, regardless of how barbaric they may be. When dealing with other nations, they have unfair standards for giving and for receiving.
17-36 And follow not that of which thou hast no knowledge. Surely the hearing and the sight and the heart, of all of these it will be asked.a
وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْبَصَرَ وَٱلْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْـُٔولًۭا (۳۶)
17-36a: تَقْفُ – قَفَا is the nape of the neck, and the meaning of قَفَرۡتُهٗ is to strike the nape of the neck and to follow by walking behind a person. The literal meaning of اقَتِفَاء is to follow the nape of somebody, and it has the negative connotations of talking ill and finding faults of somebody behind their back. The meaning of لَا تَقْفُ is not to act on guess work and conjectures. According to some, the word قِیَافَة tracking, following, pursuit is derived from اقَتِفَاء (R).
After forbidding all violations of the rights of others, another evil is discussed which leads to great moral depravity: talking ill of people behind their backs, finding faults with them in absentia, and spreading rumors and misinformation without credible witnesses or sources. Such practices are the root of many vices widely prevalent in social situations.
17-37 And go not about in the land exultingly, for thou canst not rend the earth, nor reach the mountains in height.a
وَلَا تَمْشِ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّكَ لَن تَخْرِقَ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَن تَبْلُغَ ٱلْجِبَالَ طُولًۭا (۳۷)
17-37a: مَرَحًا – مَرَح is an intensive form of joyfulness and gaiety beyond reason, and the word is also used for stubborn and arrogant behavior or an exultant gait, as in:
ذَٰلِكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَفْرَحُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَمْرَحُونَ :That is because you exulted in the land unjustly and because you behaved insolently (40:75).
After prohibiting all kinds of acts that violate the right of others and after stopping people from finding faults of others, in the end some actions are pointed out that do not violate rights but which are morally reprehensible and prevent one from acquiring the best morals, such as an arrogant manner. A manifest and obvious example of arrogance is strutting around exultingly, a behavior from which one gains nothing but is deprived of much, and includes showing conceit and vanity in any affair a person is involved in. In the next verse, the word رَبِّكَ your Nourisher is brought in to show that all these things are a hurdle in a person’s progress to become a moral being.
17-38 All this, the evil thereof, is hateful in the sight of thy Lord.
كُلُّ ذَٰلِكَ كَانَ سَيِّئُهُۥ عِندَ رَبِّكَ مَكْرُوهًۭا (۳۸)
17-39 This is of the wisdom which thy Lord has revealed to thee. And associate not any other god with Allah lest thou be thrown into hell, blamed, cast away.a
ذَٰلِكَ مِمَّآ أَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ ٱلْحِكْمَةِ ۗ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتُلْقَىٰ فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومًۭا مَّدْحُورًا (۳۹)
17-39a: أَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ – The term used is revealed to thee although the address is general because the revelation is, in reality, towards everybody even though a person receives it through the prophet. The revelation is called حِكْمَةِ because it contains teachings which are wise, firm, and of a high quality.
17-40 Has then your Lord preferred to give you sons, and (for Himself) taken daughters from among the angels? Surely you utter a grievous saying.a
أَفَأَصْفَىٰكُمْ رَبُّكُم بِٱلْبَنِينَ وَٱتَّخَذَ مِنَ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنَـٰثًا ۚ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَقُولُونَ قَوْلًا عَظِيمًۭا (۴۰)
17-40a: After imparting a comprehensive lesson in ethics and morality, the section once again draws attention to the primary principle of the Oneness of Allah, as is shown the last part of the previous verse. The section ends by citing an obvious polytheistic practice that prevailed in Arabia where polytheism had increased to an extent that they imputed to Allah what they did not like for themselves, which was having daughters, by calling angels the daughters of Allah. This topic has been comprehensively dealt with in Surah Al Nahl in verses 57 to 62 and note 16-60a.
Bayan-ul-Quran 