Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad
avoiding all people because of the [alleged] evil of the glad tiding which he has received, [and debating within himself:] Shall he keep this [child] despite the contempt [which he feels for it]-or shall he bury it in the dust? Old, evil indeed is whatever they decide
M. M. Pickthall
He hideth himself from the folk because of the evil of that whereof he hath had tidings, (asking himself): Shall he keep it in contempt, or bury it beneath the dust. Verily evil is their judgment
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
With shame does he hide himself from his people, because of the bad news he has had! Shall he retain it on (sufferance and) contempt, or bury it in the dust? Ah! what an evil (choice) they decide on
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab
He hides himself from the people because of the bad news he has received. Should he keep her in disgrace, or bury her ˹alive˺ in the ground? Evil indeed is their judgment!
Safi Kaskas
Ashamed, he avoids people because of the supposed bad news he has received, [and debates with himself] should he keeps her despite the disgrace [which he feels] or should he bury her in the ground? How dreadful is their judgment?
Wahiduddin Khan
In his shame he hides himself away from his people, because of the bad news he has been given. Should he keep her and feel disgraced or bury her in the dust? How ill they judge
Shakir
He hides himself from the people because of the evil of that which is announced to him. Shall he keep it with disgrace or bury it (alive) in the dust? Now surely evil is what they judge
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar
He is secluded from the folk because of the dire tidings he was given. Will he hold it back with humiliation or will he trample it in the earth dust? Truly, how evil is the judgment they give!
T.B.Irving
He hides from folk because of the bad news that he has just received. Will he hold on to her and feel disgraced, or bury her in the dust? Whatever they decide is evil!
Abdul Hye
He hides himself from the people because of the evil of what he has been informed. (He asks himself) shall he keep her with dishonor or bury her in the earth? Certainly, evil is what they decide.
The Study Quran
He hides from the people on account of the evil of the tidings he has been given. Shall he keep it in humiliation, or bury it in the dust? Behold! Evil indeed is the judgment they make
Talal Itani & AI (2024)
He hides from people due to the bad news he received. Should he keep her despite the dishonor, or bury her in the dust? What a poor decision they make!
Talal Itani (2012)
He hides from the people because of the bad news given to him. Shall he keep it in humiliation, or bury it in the dust? Evil is the decision they make
Dr. Kamal Omar
He hides (himself) from the nation from ‘the evil’ in that what he has received as good news. (Under the whispers from Satan he plans): ‘shall he preserve this in dishonour or bury that under the soil’? Behold! Evil it is what decision they take
He hides himself from his people because of the bad news he has heard, asking himself whether he should retain her with disgrace or bury her in the dust. Beware! Evil is the Judgment they make about Allah
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali
He hides himself from (Literally: overlays himself beyond) (the sight) of the people because of the odious tidings (given) him, whether he should retain it in degradation or shove it in the dust. Verily, odious is (the way) they judge
Muhammad Sarwar
They try to hide themselves from the people because of the disgrace of such news. Will they keep their new born despite the disgrace or bury it alive? How sinful is their Judgment
Muhammad Taqi Usmani
He hides himself from people because of the (self-presumed) bad news given to him (and wonders): Shall he keep it despite the disgrace (he will face in the society), or put it away into the dust? In fact, evil is what they decide
Shabbir Ahmed
Ashamed, he hides himself from people, because of the bad news given to him. He even asks himself, "Shall I keep the baby grudgingly, or bury her deep in the dust?" Oh, evil indeed is what they decide
Dr. Munir Munshey
He hides this fact from his people and wonders, "Should he bear the shame in public? Or perhaps he should bury (the infant girl) in the ground?" Evil is what they decide
Syed Vickar Ahamed
He hides himself with shame from his people, because of the bad news he has! Will he keep it (the baby) with pain and disgrace, or bury her it in the dust? Oh! What an evil (choice) they decide on
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
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)
He hides from his people because of the bad news he has received. Shall he keep her with dishonour, or bury her in the sand Miserable indeed is how they judge
Abdel Haleem
In his shame he hides himself away from his people because of the bad news he has been given. Should he keep her and suffer contempt or bury her in the dust? How ill they judge
Abdul Majid Daryabadi
Skulking from the people because of the evil of that which hath been announced unto him: shall he keepit with ignominy or bury it in the dust! Lo'. vile is that which they judge
Ahmed Ali
And hides from people for shame at the news, (at a loss) whether he should keep her with shame, or bury her in the ground. How bad is the judgement that they make
Aisha Bewley
He hides away from people because of the evil of the good news he has been given. Should he keep her ignominiously or bury her in the earth? What an evil judgement they make!
Ali Ünal
He hides himself from the people because of the evil (as he wrongly supposes it) of what he has had news of. (So he debates within himself:) Shall he keep her with dishonor or bury her in earth? Look now! how evil is the judgment they make (concerning God, and how evil is the decision they debate)
Ali Quli Qara'i
He hides from the people out of distress at the news he has been brought: shall he retain it in humiliation, or bury it in the ground! Look! Evil is the judgement that they make
Hamid S. Aziz
He skulks away from the people, for the evil tidings he has heard; - is he to keep it with its disgrace, or to bury it in the dust? - Ah! How evil is their judgment (or choice)
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad
He hides from people because of bad news he was given. Should he keep her with disgrace, or bury her in the ground? Surely, what they judge is bad.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)
With shame, he hides himself from his people, because of the news he has received. Shall he keep her despite all this, or bury her in the ground? What an evil decision they make
Musharraf Hussain
he hides from the community because of the bad news he received, feeling undecided – will he keep her with shame or bury her in the dust? How immorally they judge!
Maududi
and he hides himself from people because of the bad news, thinking: should he keep the child despite disgrace, or should he bury it in dust? How evil is their estimate of Allah
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)
He hides from his people because of the bad news he has received. Shall he keep her with dishonor, or bury her in the sand? Miserable indeed is how they judge
Mohammad Shafi
He hides himself from the people because of the stigma of the news given to him. Shall he keep it despite the disgrace, or bury it in the dust? Verily, their judgment is vicious.
Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)
He hides himself from the people, because of the evil of this good tiding. Shall he keep it with disgrace or bury it in the dust? Lo! very bad, they judge.
Ashamed, he hides from the people, because of the bad news given to him. He even ponders: should he keep the baby grudgingly, or bury her in the dust. Miserable indeed is their judgment.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah
Because of the evil of the good news he hides himself from people, (pondering) whether he will keep her and be humiliated, or trample her into the dust. Evil is their judgement
Maulana Muhammad Ali
He hides himself from the people because of the evil of what is announced to him. Shall he keep it with disgrace or bury it (alive) in the dust. Now surely evil is what they judge
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira
He hides/conceals from the nation from (the) bad/evil/harm (of) what he was announced good news to with it, does he hold/grasp/cling to it on disgrace/weakness , or he buries/hides/conceals it in the dust/earth? Is (it) not bad/evil what they judge/rule
Bijan Moeinian
Such disbeliever becomes so upset (with what he considers as disgrace) that he hides himself from the people while considering to live with such “disgrace” or bury her alive! What an evil decision to make
Faridul Haque
Hiding from the people because of the evil of the tidings; "Will he keep her with disgrace, or bury her beneath the earth?"; pay heed! Very evil is the judgement they impose
Sher Ali
He hides himself from the people because of the bad news he has had. Shall he keep it inspite of disgrace or shall he bury it in the dust? Verily, evil is that which they judge
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
He seeks to hide himself from people due to the (presumed) bad news that is given to him. (He now gets down to thinking) whether he should keep her (alive) despite humiliation and disgrace, or bury her (alive) in the earth. See! How wicked is the decision that they make
Amatul Rahman Omar
He hides himself (in shame) from the people because of the (so called) bad news he has received, (considering) whether he should keep her (alive) inspite of disgrace, or commit her somewhere in the dust. Look! evil (in every way) is the judgment they make
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali
He hides himself from the people because of the evil of that whereof he has been informed. Shall he keep her with dishonour or bury her in the earth? Certainly, evil is their decision
New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame
He hides from the people due to shame of that which he was given the glad tidings of. Is He going to keep it with humiliation or thrust it inside the dust? Lo! How evil is that which they judge.
Munir Mezyed
He hides himself in shame from the people because of the bad news he received. Will he keep her with disgrace or bury her alive? Evil indeed is what they judge!
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher
He hides from the people on account of the news he received: should he keep it in shame or bury it in the ground? Bad is how they judge.
Linda “iLHam” Barto
With shame, he hides from his people because of the bad news he has received. Will he keep her despite contempt, or will he bury her in the sand? Oh, what an evil predicament!
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation
He hides himself from people because of the evilness of the glad tidings he has been given. Should he keep it, in shame, or bury it (alive) in the dust? Undoubtedly, evil is the way they judge!
Irving & Mohamed Hegab
He hides from folk because of the bad news that he has just received. Will he hold on to her and feel disgraced, or bury her in the dust? Whatever they decide is evil!
Samy Mahdy
He disappears from the kinfolk, from a bad of what he preached with it. Shall he withhold it in humiliation, or bury it secretly in the dust? Verily, bad was what they were judging.
Sayyid Qutb
He tries to avoid all people on account of the [allegedly] bad news he has received, [debating within himself ] shall he keep the child despite the shame he feels, or shall he bury it in the dust? Evil indeed is their judgement.
Ahmed Hulusi
He hides himself from his people because of (what he interprets as) the bad news he has been given... Will he keep her at the expense of being despised, or hide her in the dust (bury her alive)? Let it be known with certainty that evil is what they decide.
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli
He hides him from the people for the evil of the news which has been given to him, (asking himself) : shall he keep her with disgrace or bury her (alive) in the dust Beware! (How) evil is what they judge!
He hides from people or keeps out of sight to conceal the news, which allegedly defames him and blackens his repute. He does not know whether to keep his child alive and be both defamed and despised or bury her in the dust and consign her and the news to oblivion. Evil indeed is the resolution uniting their evil thoughts
Mir Aneesuddin
He hides himself from the people because of the (presumed) bad news which is given to him, shall he retain her in shame or bury her in the soil? Beware! evil is that which they decide.
The Wise Quran
He hides himself from the people from the evil of what he has been given glad tidings about. Should he keep it in disgrace or bury it in the dust? Lo, evil is what they judge.