Twice God tells us in the Quran not to kill our children due to fear of poverty 17:31 and 6:151, but there is a slight difference to how God assures the believers in these two verses.
In 17:31 it says God provides “for them and for you” while in 6:151 God informs us that He provides “for you and for them.” Why the difference?
It is interesting to note that the word for “fear” in Arabic “خَشْيَةَ” only appears in 17:31 (them & you) and not in 6:151 (you & them). I believe there is a particular reason for this.
When we fear, it is for something that may happen in the future. If someone is already poor their fear is different than someone who is not poor, but fears they will become poor if they have a child.
Therefore, the parents in 17:31 are NOT poor prior to having their child, but fearing the possibility of falling in poverty, and God is assuring them that He provides for “them (their children who they fear they will not be able to feed), as well as for you (the parents).”
The opposite is true for 6:151. As these are parents who are currently experiencing poverty and fear that they will not be able to provide for themselves let alone any additional children, therefore, God is assuring them that He “provides for you (the parents who are poor) and for them (the children).”
_ _
Subscribe to the podcast
Quran translation App on iOS
Quran translation website
Additional Resources
Quran Talk Blog 