59 Preface يَتَوارىٰ مِنَ القَومِ مِن سوءِ ما بُشِّرَ بِهِ ۚ أَيُمسِكُهُ عَلىٰ هونٍ أَم يَدُسُّهُ فِي التُّرابِ ۗ أَلا ساءَ ما يَحكُمونَYusuf AliWith shame does he hide himself from his people, because of the bad news he has had! Shall he retain it1 on (sufferance and) contempt, or bury it in the dust?2 Ah! what an evil (choice) they decide on?3“It,” in this and the following clause, refers grammatically to the “news” (ma bushshira bihi). In meaning it refers to the “female child”-by the figure of speech known as metonymy.Cf. 81:8-9. The practice of female infanticide is condemned in scathing terms. Female children used to be buried alive by the Pagan Arabs.It was an evil choice to decide on. Either alternative-to keep the poor girl as a thing of sufferance and contempt, bringing disgrace on the family, or to get rid of it by burying it alive-was cruel and indefensible. (Cf. 17:40 and 43:16-17).