His Face Darkens — Revelation of the Verse on Burying Daughters Alive
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Level: intermediate
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وَإِذَا بُشِّرَ أَحَدُهُم بِٱلۡأُنثَىٰ ظَلَّ وَجۡهُهُۥ مُسۡوَدًّا
— النحل 58
Verse: "And when one of them is given news of a girl, his face darkens and he suppresses grief." (16:58)
Pre-Islamic context: Wa'd (burying daughters alive) out of shame or poverty — a known Jahili practice. The Quran described the psychological state with painful precision: "He hides from people because of the evil of what he was told."
The Islamic revolution: Islam radically transformed this value — making girls a mercy and blessing.
Lesson: Corrupt social values need a religious revolution to change — Arabs didn't abandon burying daughters by law alone but through faith.
Source: Ibn Kathir (4/566); Al-Sadi; Al-Qurtubi (10/112)
Question: How did the Quran address the practice of burying daughters alive?
Answer: Described the killer's psychological state to expose its ugliness, then declared the prohibition "do not kill your children," and through the Prophet's words made daughters a mercy and blessing.