Surah An-Nahl — Verse 59

Word Meanings:

• يَتَوَارَىٰ (Yatawārā): He hides himself, conceals his presence, or seeks to disappear from sight.
• مِن سُوءِ مَا بُشِّرَ بِهِ (Min sū'i mā busshira bihī): Because of the evil and distressing nature of the news he has received — namely, the birth of a daughter.
• أَيُمْسِكُهُ عَلَىٰ هُونٍ (A-yumsikuhū 'alā hūn): Should he keep her (the daughter) alive while enduring humiliation, disgrace, and contempt?
• أَمْ يَدُسُّهُ فِي التُّرَابِ (Am yadussuhū fī t-turāb): Or should he bury her alive in the earth — the practice of wa'd (female infanticide) among the pre-Islamic Arabs?
• أَلَا سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ (Alā sā'a mā yahkumūn): Indeed, evil is the judgment they make — attributing daughters to Allah while despising them for themselves.

Tafsir (Explanation):

When one of the pre-Islamic Arabs was given the glad tidings of a newborn daughter, his face would darken with grief, and his heart would fill with overwhelming sorrow. He would immediately slip away from his people, hiding himself in shame and distress, unable to face them with this "disgraceful" news — as he perceived it. He would then stand alone, torn by a painful inner conflict: should he keep this child alive, enduring a life of perceived humiliation and social scorn? Or should he bury her alive in the dust, ending her existence before she could bring further shame upon him?

This verse exposes the sheer darkness of their mentality — a mindset that saw daughters as a burden and a source of dishonor. Yet, astonishingly, the very same people attributed daughters to Allah, the Lord of the heavens and the earth! They assigned to their Creator what they themselves abhorred and considered degrading. How corrupt and evil was this judgment! How far had they fallen from sound reason and natural human decency!

A Call to Reflection and Gratitude:

Dear reader, pause and reflect on the immense blessing of Islam, which came to abolish such cruelty and elevate the status of women. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever has a daughter and does not bury her alive, does not insult her, and does not favor his son over her, Allah will admit him to Paradise" (Sunan Abi Dāwūd). Islam honored daughters as a source of mercy and a means of drawing closer to Allah. A father who raises his daughters with kindness and justice is promised Paradise — a reward far greater than any worldly prestige.

How beautiful is the guidance of the Qur'an, which calls us to see every child — male or female — as a trust from Allah, a gift to be cherished, and a means of eternal reward. Let us thank Allah for the light of Islam, which liberated hearts from ignorance and filled them with compassion, justice, and love. And let us strive to embody these noble values in our own lives, treating every soul with the dignity that Allah has bestowed upon it.