By Raza UllahA true Muslim’s life is full of virtues. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala creates several ways for us to do good deeds and get a reward. Even a husband spends on his family from his halal earning is considered as a reward for him.
Abu Mas’ud reported Allah’s Messenger (صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) as saying:
إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمَ إِذَا أَنْفَقَ عَلَى أَهْلِهِ نَفَقَةً وَهُوَ يَحْتَسِبُهَا كَانَتْ لَهُ صَدَقَةً
“When a Muslim spends on his family seeking reward for it from Allah, it counts for him as sadaqa.”
(Sahih Muslim, 1002)
Allah the Almighty has blessed us with children; it’s His division, though, to whom he gives sons, to whom He gives daughters, and to whom He blesses with both — along with upon whom He bestows other blessings but children.
As Allah سبحان وتعالى mentions in Quran:
لِّلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ يَهَبُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ إِنَاثًا وَيَهَبُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ الذُّكُورَ
أَوْ يُزَوِّجُهُمْ ذُكْرَانًا وَإِنَاثًا ۖ وَيَجْعَلُ مَن يَشَاءُ عَقِيمًا ۚ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ
“To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He grants females to whom He wills, and grants males to whom He wills. Or He combines for them couples, both males and females, and makes whom He wills barren. Surely, He is All-Knowing, Very-Powerful.”
[Ash-Shuraa, 42:49-50]
This is the harsh reality of our society whose hearts get saddened on getting news of a daughter being born. The same situation is mentioned in the Quran; as Allah (the All-Knowing) knows His creatures the best:
وَإِذَا بُشِّرَ أَحَدُهُم بِالْأُنثَىٰ ظَلَّ وَجْهُهُ مُسْوَدًّا وَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ
“And when the news of (the birth of) a female (child) is brought to any of them, his face becomes dark, and he is filled with inward grief!”
[An-Nahl, 16:58]
This is Islam that has honored our daughters. In the pre-Islamic era, daughters were treated very badly, so much so, they were buried alive. Even in present times, female feticide is common in many Asian countries.
There is an utmost reward for raising daughters. If Allah سبحان وتعالى chooses to give us daughters, then there’s no reason to be worried and saddened because of it, as they will be the protection against hellfire for us, if we raise them according to Islamic teachings.
In the recent study called Ending Discrimination at the Womb: Ethical Perspectives on Tackling Female Feticide in Asian Countries, it is mentioned that “Due to the advancement of the latest medical technology to screen for sex detection, female feticide has become an even bigger problem, resulting in various serious and unprecedented sex-ratio imbalances.”
And, it is concluded that “Female feticide is the worst form of discrimination against women, thus eliminating and eradicating female feticide is of vital importance.”
In Islam, this kind of activity is prohibited and strongly condemned as mentioned in Quran and hadith:
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلَاقٍ ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ قَتْلَهُمْ كَانَ خِطْئًا كَبِيرًا
“And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide sustenance to them and to you, too. Killing them is a great sin indeed.”
[Al-Isra, 17:31]
وَعَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الوائدة والموؤدة فِي النَّار
“Ibn Mas’ud reported God’s messenger as saying, “The one who buries her daughter alive and the one who is buried alive go to hell.”
Grade: Sahīh (Zubair `Aliza’i)
(Mishkat al-Masabih 112)
Islam teaches us to honor our daughters, and our Prophets set an example for us of how we treat our daughters.
عَنْ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، عَائِشَةَ رضى الله عنها أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ مَا رَأَيْتُ أَحَدًا كَانَ أَشْبَهَ سَمْتًا وَهَدْيًا وَدَلاًّ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ فَاطِمَةَ كَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَجْهَهَا كَانَتْ إِذَا دَخَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ قَامَ إِلَيْهَا فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِهَا وَقَبَّلَهَا وَأَجْلَسَهَا فِي مَجْلِسِهِ وَكَانَ إِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا قَامَتْ إِلَيْهِ فَأَخَذَتْ بِيَدِهِ فَقَبَّلَتْهُ وَأَجْلَسَتْهُ فِي مَجْلِسِهَا
Ummul Mu’minin Aisha (رضيَ الله عنها) narrated:
“I never saw anyone more like the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in respect of gravity, calm deportment, pleasant disposition than Fatimah, may Allah honor her face. When she came to visit him [the Prophet] he got up to [welcome] her, took her by the hand, kissed her, and made her sit where he was sitting; and when he went to visit her, she got up to [welcome] him, took him by the hand, kissed him, and made him sit where she was sitting.”
(Sunan Abi Dawud 5217)
There is an utmost reward for raising daughters. If Allah سبحان وتعالى chooses to give us daughters, then there’s no reason to be worried and saddened because of it, as they will be the protection against hellfire for us, if we raise them according to Islamic teachings.
مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ ثَلاَثُ بَنَاتٍ فَصَبَرَ عَلَيْهِنَّ وَأَطْعَمَهُنَّ وَسَقَاهُنَّ وَكَسَاهُنَّ مِنْ جِدَتِهِ – كُنَّ لَهُ حِجَابًا مِنَ النَّارِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
Uqbah bin Amir said:
“I heard the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) say: ‘Whoever has three daughters and is patient towards them, and feeds them, gives them to drink, and clothes them from his wealth; they will be a shield for him from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection.’”
(Sunan Ibn Majah: 3669)
In another hadith Allah’s Apostle (صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) mentioned
مَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ تُدْرِكُ لَهُ ابْنَتَانِ فَيُحْسِنُ إِلَيْهِمَا مَا صَحِبَتَاهُ أَوْ صَحِبَهُمَا إِلاَّ أَدْخَلَتَاهُ الْجَنَّةَ
“There is no man whose two daughters reach the age of puberty, and he treats them kindly for the time they are together, but they will gain him admittance to Paradise.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah: 3670)
If we act upon these teachings as individuals, a day will come, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, when we will be successful to form a peaceful and happy society — a place where there will be no discrimination against women.