يَتَوَٰرَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ مِن سُوٓءِ مَا بُشِّرَ بِهِۦٓ ۚ أَيُمْسِكُهُۥ عَلَىٰ هُونٍ أَمْ يَدُسُّهُۥ فِى ٱلتُّرَابِ ۗ أَلَا سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ 59
Translations
He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide.
Transliteration
Yatawara mina al-qawmi min su'i ma bushira bihi, ayumsikuhu 'ala hawnin am yaduSSuhu fi al-turab, ala sa'a ma yahkumun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the pre-Islamic Arabian practice of burying newborn daughters alive due to shame and fear of poverty, depicting the internal conflict of a father upon receiving news of a daughter's birth. He hides himself from people in distress, then faces the dilemma of whether to keep the child in humiliation or bury her in the earth—both options representing grave injustice. The concluding phrase condemns their judgment as evil, highlighting Islam's revolutionary protection of women's rights and dignity.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah An-Nahl's broader condemnation of pre-Islamic Arabian practices and customs. It appears in a section addressing the foolish beliefs and immoral deeds of the Jāhiliyyah period, particularly practices rooted in ignorance and economic anxiety. The context illustrates how Islam elevated the status of women and children in Arabian society.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever supports two daughters until they reach maturity, he and I will come on the Day of Resurrection like this'—joining his fingers together (Sunan Ibn Majah). Additionally, the Prophet condemned female infanticide as one of the great sins and emphasized the reward for raising daughters righteously.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah powerfully reminds modern believers that protection of vulnerable populations—especially women and children—is a core Islamic principle. The passage teaches that fear and shame cannot justify the abandonment of moral and spiritual responsibility, and that societal progress is measured by how we treat the weakest members.
Related Ayahs
وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
And if you should count the favors of Allāh, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ أَيْمَـٰنَكُمْ دَخَلًۢا بَيْنَكُمْ فَتَزِلَّ قَدَمٌۢ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِهَا وَتَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِمَا صَدَدتُّمْ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلَكُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
And do not take your oaths as [means of] deceit between you, lest a foot slip after it was [once] firm, and you would taste evil [in this world] for what [people] you diverted from the way of Allāh, and you would have [in the Hereafter] a great punishment.
وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَّجُلَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَبْكَمُ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍ وَهُوَ كَلٌّ عَلَىٰ مَوْلَىٰهُ أَيْنَمَا يُوَجِّههُّ لَا يَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ ۖ هَلْ يَسْتَوِى هُوَ وَمَن يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْعَدْلِ ۙ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
And Allāh presents an example of two men, one of them dumb and unable to do a thing, while he is a burden to his guardian. Wherever he directs him, he brings no good. Is he equal to one who commands justice, while he is on a straight path?
وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ ٱلضُّرُّ فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْـَٔرُونَ
And whatever you have of favor - it is from Allāh. Then when adversity touches you, to Him you cry for help.