Say, “Come forth, I shall recite to you that which your Lord has made unlawful for you that you do not ascribe any partner to Him, and be kind to parents, and do not kill your children due to poverty; We will give sustenance to you and them;[1] and do not go near inward and outward indecency, and do not kill the life Allah has forbidden except with justice.[2] This He has commanded you that you may comprehend.
Commentary
[1]
In the Age of Ignorance, one reason for infanticide was fear of poverty.
Some people thought that they would not be able to provide adequate clothing,
food, and other necessities for children so they resorted to this most heinous
deed. Unfortunately, many Muslims have committed this grave offence in our era
too; they have killed unborn children due to the fear of expenses related to
their education and upbringing, especially when they came to know that the
unborn child was a girl.
[2]
There are some scenarios in which the Islamic ruler
is allowed to implement a death penalty for a guilty party, e.g. Islamic
retribution (qiṣāṣ) for murder, stoning for
adultery, and death for apostasy; however, it must be remembered that the
aforementioned scenarios are only implemented by the Islamic ruler, not the
public.
