Burying of daughters—A brutal crime!

Women in Pre-Islamic Arabia had almost no rights. They were not considered equal to men
and were thus dictated under a strict system. They were viewed as objects and were
constantly humiliated. Women had very little control over their marriages and could not
inherit property. In the family, their purpose was nothing more but for bearing children
although they did not have any rights to them. When a female baby was born it was
considered a disgrace to the family and female infanticide was a common response. The
Pre-Islamic era, known as the age of Jahiliya, meaning the age of barbarism, darkness, and
ignorance of God's guidance. Burial of newborn girls was a common practice in the pre-
Islamic era in the Arabian Peninsula
In pre-Islamic Arabia killing of female infants was very common and very often the
moment a female was born she was buried alive. The quran mentions in “Surah Al-Takvir
“When the female (infant), buried alive, is questioned, for what crime she was killed.”

Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) always spoke about justice and kindness towards a child
whether it be a daughter or a son. Once a person in the presence of Prophet Muhammad
(Pbuh) kissed his son and put him on his lap and did not do the same for his daughter who
was with him. The Prophet (Pbuh) objected and told the man that he was being unjust and
that he should have also kissed his daughter and placed her on the other lap. The Prophet
(Pbuh) with any doubt preached about equal justice to sons and daughters.

Since the advent of Islam this custom was abandoned and the girl child's dignity was
restored to her. For the Prophet was the iconoclast of all the wrong and horrible customs
of pre-Islamic era called Jahiliya, which were prevalent in the days of ignorance. Islam
restored the status of woman.
The Prophet gave the good tiding of Paradise to the person who raises the girl child and
marries her off.

The people who today kill their girl child in the womb of her mother are no less oppressive
and tyrannical than the pagan Arabs of Jahiliya period -- the pre-Islamic days when Islam
was on the verge of about to rise like the rising Sun. The Quran questions for which sin
was the girl buried alive. (Surah Takweer(81) Verse-9)

A famous story during the prophet’s time, once a companion came and told prophet a heart
trembling story. A daughter was born to my wife," said the Prophet's companion. "But my
wife concealed this fact from me for fear that I would bury her alive for that was the
custom among the Pagan Arabs -- The Arabs of Pre-Islamic i.e. Jahiliya period to bury
alive their daughters. The mother hid the girl in the neighbourhood so that she could see
her everyday and cool her eyes by looking at her. The daughter frequented her house and
the father also was attracted by her for after all she was his own flesh and blood. Seeing
her husband so inclined towards the girl the mother one day divulged the secret to him
that it was their own daughter -- their own flesh and blood. The father felt a stab his
heart. Since then he was making up his mind to bury this beautiful girl -- his own daughter
to bury alive as per the pagan custom. So one day he took the girl to the graveyard at the
outskirts of the town with the intention to bury her alive as per the custom of the pagan
Arabs in Pre-Islamic era called Jahiliya -- Ignorance. Reaching the maidan, he chose a plot
for her grave and began to dig his own living daughter's grave. While he was digging the
grave the soil would fly to his beard and stick to it.
The innocent girl began to brush the earth from her father's beard by her innocent tiny
fingers. Yet the father's heart didn't melt. At last he dig the grave and buried the
innocent girl alive and returned home, gratified that he had removed the cause of stigma.
When the companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, recounted this real story to him
the tears welled up in his eyes and began to trickle from his gracious cheeks for he was
the Mercy of the worlds (Rahmatul-lil-Alameen).

This evil practice has been discontinued for the last 1,400 years but unfortunately it is
yet prevalent in India
In a BBC documentary film titled “Let her die” shown in the programme “Assignments”, the
statistics of female infanticide was given by Emetic Buchanan. It has to be a Britisher who
came all the way from Britain to give us the statistics and make a documentary film in a
country which has the maximum rate of female infanticide in the world. According to the
statistics compiled by them, everyday more than 3,000 foetuses are being aborted in
India on being identified that they are female. If you multiply this figure with the number
of days in a year (365 days) we understand that more than one million female foetuses are
aborted every year in India. It is practised maximum in the state of Tamil Nadu and
Rajasthan. There are big bill boards and advertisements saying “Invest Rs.500/- and save
Rs.500,000, signifying that you do tests like Amino sentesis or ultra sonography which cost
about Rs.500/- and on identifying the gender of the foetus if it is a girl you can always
abort her and thus save Rs.5,00,000/- which is usually spent in the upbringing of a girl and
giving dowry in her marriage.

According to a report of the Tamil Nadu Government Hospital, out of every 10 female
children born, 4 are put to death. Female infanticide has been present in our country for
centuries. No wonder the female population of India is less than the male population.

In the pre-Islamic era of Arabia, fathers commonly became extremely angry and disgraced with the birth
of a female child into their family. Some considered it an evil omen. Allah, the Exalted, describes the
father's reception of the news about the birth of a daughter:
(When the news of (the birth of) a female is brought to any of them, his face becomes dark, and he is
filled with inward grief! He hides himself from the people because of the evil (and shame) of that
which he has been informed. Shall he keep her with dishonor, or bury her in the dirt? Certainly, evil is
their decision...)
Burying of new born girls

In Pre-Islamic Arabia had almost no rights. Women were not considered equal to men and were thus
dictated under a strict system. They were viewed as objects and were constantly humiliated. Women
had very little control over their marriages and could not inherit property. In the family, their purpose
was nothing more but for bearing children although they did not have any rights to them. When a
female baby was born it was considered a disgrace to the family and female infanticide was a common
response. The Pre-Islamic era, known as the age of Jahiliya, meaning the age of barbarism, darkness, and
ignorance of God's guidance. Burial of newborn girls was a common practice in the pre-Islamic era in
the Arabian Peninsula

Once a companion came and told prophet a heart trembling story. A daughter was born to my wife,"
said the Prophet's companion. "But my wife concealed this fact from me for fear that I would bury her
alive for that was the custom among the Pagan Arabs -- The Arabs of Pre-Islamic i.e. Jahiliya period to
bury alive their daughters. The mother hid the girl in the neighborhood so that she could see her
everyday and cool her eyes by looking at her. The daughter frequented her house and the father also
was attracted by her for after all she was his own flesh and blood. Seeing her husband so inclined
towards the girl the mother one day divulged the secret to him that it was their own daughter -- their
own flesh and blood. The father felt a stab his heart. Since then he was making up his mind to bury this
beautiful girl -- his own daughter to bury alive as per the pagan custom. So one day he took the girl to
the graveyard at the outskirts of the town with the intention to bury her alive as per the custom of the
pagan Arabs in Pre-Islamic era called Jahiliya -- Ignorance. Reaching the maidan, he chose a plot for her
grave and began to dig his own living daughter's grave. While he was digging the grave the soil would fly
to his beard and stick to it.
The innocent girl began to brush the earth from her father's beard by her innocent tiny fingers. Yet the
father's heart didn't melt. At last he dig the grave and buried the innocent girl alive and returned home,
gratified that he had removed the cause of stigma. When the companion of the Prophet, peace be upon
him, recounted this real story to him the tears welled up in his eyes and began to trickle from his
gracious cheeks for he was the Mercy of the worlds

According to the 1901 census of India, there were 972 females for every 1000 males. According to the
1981 census, there were 934 females for every 1000 males in India and the latest statistics of 1991 tell
us that for every 1000 males there are 972 females in India. One can realise from these census reports
that the ratio of female population is declining every year. Earlier only female infanticide was being
resorted to, but now with the advancement of Science and Medicines to suit this act, there has been
added another crime of aborting female fetuses. It is no wonder, therefore, that the urban areas of
Bihar and Goa showed 1054 and 1091 females respectively for every 1000 males. No wonder the female
population of India is less than the male population.

Prophet says: There should be no partiality in bringing up of sons and daughters.

Some fathers used to bury their female children alive if the child was leprous, lame or with birth defect.
Allah (The Almighty) states in the Glorious Qur'an:
(And kill not your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and you. Surely,
the killing of them is a great sin.)