Tafseer of The Bee · An-Nahl · 16:59
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.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
يَتَوَارَى مِنَ الْقَوْمِ مِنْ سُوءِ مَا بُشِّرَ بِهِ (He hides himself from the people because of the bad news brought to him) — that is to say: he withdraws from the people and conceals his face from them, ashamed at the disgrace of having been given a daughter. أَيُمْسِكُهُ عَلَى هُونٍ (Shall he keep her in humiliation?) — that is to say: he deliberates within himself: shall he keep this daughter alive despite the humiliation and disgrace that this means for him? أَمْ يَدُسُّهُ فِي التُّرَابِ (Or shall he bury her alive in the dust?) — that is to say: or shall he bury her alive? For the Arabs used to bury their daughters alive.
أَلا سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ (Behold: how evil is what they judge!) — this is Allah's judgment upon them, and a condemnation of their conduct and behavior. It means: how evil is this judgment, that they take for themselves what they reject for Allah, and assign to Allah what they themselves disdain.
Mention of who said that:
Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words يَتَوَارَى مِنَ الْقَوْمِ مِنْ سُوءِ مَا بُشِّرَ بِهِ أَيُمْسِكُهُ عَلَى هُونٍ أَمْ يَدُسُّهُ فِي التُّرَابِ : he said: some of them kept her alive in humiliation, and others buried her alive in the dust. أَلا سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ : this refers to the custom of the people of ignorance (jāhiliyya) regarding their daughters.
