وَإِذَا بُشِّرَ أَحَدُهُم بِٱلْأُنثَىٰ ظَلَّ وَجْهُهُۥ مُسْوَدًّا وَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ 58
Translations
And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief.
Transliteration
Wa-itha bushira ahadduhum bil-untha thalla wajhuhoo muswaddan wa huwa katheemun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the pre-Islamic Arabian practice of grief and shame upon receiving news of a female child, wherein the father's face would darken with sorrow and suppressed rage. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as depicting the jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance) custom of viewing daughters as burdensome, contrasting sharply with Islamic teachings that honor and dignify women. The ayah serves as a condemnation of this cultural prejudice while implicitly elevating the status of daughters in Islam.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah An-Nahl's broader critique of pre-Islamic Arabian customs and idolatrous practices. It addresses the widespread cultural practice of female infanticide and the deep-rooted discrimination against girls prevalent in Meccan society, establishing the moral framework for Islam's revolutionary stance on women's rights and dignity.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, 'Whoever has daughters and treats them well will have them as a shield against the Hellfire' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Additionally, the hadith 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Sunan At-Tirmidhi) emphasizes kindness to female family members.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches Muslims to examine and reject cultural practices that contradict Islamic values, particularly regarding the treatment of women and girls, and to recognize that true honor lies in upholding divine principles rather than inherited customs. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of protecting vulnerable members of society and challenging discriminatory attitudes rooted in tradition rather than principle.