Daughters-Burden or Blessing? Part II

Position of a daughter in Islam.

Daughter is not a burden rather she is a blessing for her parents. She is that door that can lead her parents to Paradise. And here is it’s proof:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If anyone cares for three daughters, disciplines them, marries them, and does good to them, he will go to Paradise. (Sunan Abudawood: Book 41, Hadith 5128)

‘A’isha, the wife of Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him), said: A woman came to me along with her two daughters. She asked me for (charity) but she found nothing with me except one date, so I gave her that. She accepted it and then divided it between her two daughters and herself ate nothing out of that. She then got up and went out, and so did her two daughters. (In the meanwhile) Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) visited me and I narrated to him her story. Thereupon Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: He who is involved (in the responsibility) of (bringing up) daughters, and he accords benevolent treatment towards them, there would be protection for him against Hell-Fire. (Muslim: Book 32, Hadith 6362)

Islamic guidelines which prevent female feticide.

The best way to save female child is spreading the message of Islam, which includes the awareness among Muslims about the following:

1. God consciousness. 

 

The Prophet (pbuh) said: Verily Allah, the Glorious and Majestic, has forbidden for you: disobedience to mothers, and burying alive daughters, withholding the right of others in spite of having the power to return that to them and demanding that (which is not one’s legitimate right). And He disapproved three things for you; irrelevant talk, persistent questioning and wasting of wealth. (Sahih Muslim: Book 18, Hadith 4257)

Following the Islamic guidelines increases the Taqwa (God consciousness) among the believers. And obviously, a person having Taqwa will always try to refrain from sinful deeds.

2. Equality of honor. 

Allah say’s: And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference. (Qur’an: Surah al-Isra, chapter 17,ayat/verse 70)

Reading the above ayat/verse we see that Allah has honored the “children of Adam” (both male and female) and not just men. When Allah (swt), our Creator has not preferred male over female then who are we to discriminate? 

3. Collective resistance against the exploitation of women/ Securing rights of women/ Implementation of Qur’anic laws of inheritance.

Many a times women are pressurized into a marriage with a man that they dislike. We know from the ahadith of Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) that a marriage without the consent of the girl is invalid. Women must not be deprived of this right of theirs. And the bridegrooms even after being told that truth go ahead with such an unlawful marriage. Allah (swt) say’s:

O you who have believed, it is not lawful for you to inherit women by compulsion. (Qur’an: Surah an-Nisa, Chapter 4, ayat/verse 19)

Here we see that marrying a woman against her will is haraam.

Although Allah (swt) has given women the rights of inheritance yet unfortunately they are often deprived of their share of property as well. It’s time we try to implement the Qur’anic laws of inheritance strictly so that the women in our society won’t be robbed off of their rights. 

4. Social & economic security/ Special care of orphan girls/Support from the ummah.

 

The best support from the Muslim ummah is Zakah. More the Muslims get attached to Islam, more of them will pay zakah which will contribute in redistribution of wealth and prevent its concentration in few hands. As Allah (swt) say’s:
Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous. (Qur’an: Surah al-Baqara, Chapter 2, ayat/verse 177)

We all know that zakah is obligatory on Muslims but how many of us really do pay zakah? We should not be in this delusion that it’s “our” money and by giving zakah we are being “generous” to poor people. Not at all! On the contrary Zakah is the right of those people and by giving zakah we are just delivering our responsibility and by not giving zakah we are stealing the rights of the poor people. And wouldn’t that amount to stealing from poor people? 

It will be a huge sin on our part if we have the means and yet don’t pay zakah, because then in a way we will also be responsible for female feticide.

And as for the orphan girls, we are commanded to be just to them:
And they request from you, [O Muhammad], a [legal] ruling concerning women. Say, ” Allah gives you a ruling about them and [about] what has been recited to you in the Book concerning the orphan girls to whom you do not give what is decreed for them – and [yet] you desire to marry them – and concerning the oppressed among children and that you maintain for orphans [their rights] in justice.” And whatever you do of good – indeed, Allah is ever Knowing of it. (Qur’an: Surah an-Nisa, Chapter 4, ayat/verse 127)

Although punishment prescribed in the Qur’an and Ahadith for those who abuse women would have been an important step as well but unfortunately that and the above mentioned laws can be fully implemented in an Islamic state only but by the help of Allah (swt) we as Muslims can and must do our bit individually to some extent as well.