Episode 3

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah. Dear brothers, we are still with the great Ten Commandments in Surah Al-An'am. In the previous episode, we stopped at the first two commandments in His saying: ((Say, 'Come, I will recite to you what your Lord has forbidden you: Do not associate anything with Him, and do good to your parents.')). What is the third commandment? Allah, the Almighty, said: ((And do not kill your children out of fear of poverty; We provide for you and them)). Look how Allah, the Almighty, is more merciful to the children than their parents...((And do not kill your children)). Killing a soul without right is generally forbidden. But killing a child out of poverty, fearing competition for sustenance, is a greater crime, worse than the crime of one who kills out of anger or greed. In the Sahihain, from Abdullah ibn Masud, he said: I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, which sin is the greatest?' He said: ((That you set up a rival to Allah while He created you)) - I said, 'Then which?' He said ((That you kill your child fearing he will eat with you)) - I said, 'Then which?' He said: ((That you commit adultery with your neighbor's wife)). One of the reasons this sin is greater than other forms of killing - and Allah knows best - is that the one who kills his child out of fear of poverty has a flaw in his belief in the names and attributes of Allah. He has a flaw in his belief that Allah, the Almighty, is the Provider. He imagines that if Allah's provision goes to his child, it will decrease his own provision! As if Allah's treasures are depleted, far be it from Allah. Killing a child out of poverty is evidence of weakness or lack of reliance on Allah, the Almighty. This is not a call to negligence and leaving work after procreation, but for those who abandon their families and do not strive for their sustenance, the Prophet's hadith applies: ((It is enough sin for a man to neglect those he supports))...This commandment, my brothers, establishes a general principle, which is the prohibition of aggression resulting from fear of sustenance and weakness in reliance on Allah. If the motive for sin is weakness in reliance and fear of sustenance, this increases the ugliness of the sin and its evil.

The merchant who competes with his neighbor using forbidden methods, trying to harm him, break him, and drive him out of the market for fear of being outcompeted and becoming poor one day...this merchant has weak reliance on Allah and weak faith that He is the Provider...this flaw in perception increases the ugliness of his sin and aggression, just as it increases the ugliness of killing a child. The employee who slanders his colleague, diminishes his achievements, and exaggerates his mistakes because he fears the company will do without him...this also shows weakness in his reliance and faith...All of them should remember His saying: ((We provide for you and them)). If Allah provides for your colleagues and peers, it will not decrease your provision. So this was the third commandment of Allah's commandments... ((And do not kill your children out of fear of poverty; We provide for you and them)). We ask Allah, the Almighty, to grant us sincerity in relying on Him. And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.