Kindness to Daughters

Even now daughters are considered an unwanted burden in some societies
and instead ofrejoicing, anatmosphere of grief and disappointmentis
produced in the family at their birth. This is the position, today,
but in the pre-Islamic times the daughters were positively considered
a shame and disgrace among the Arabs, so much so that even the right
to live was denied to them. Many a hard-hearted parent used to
strangle his daughter to death, with his own hands, when she was born,
or bury her alive.
The Qur'an says:
"When news is brought to one of them, of thebirth of a female, his
facedarkensand he is filled with inward grief. He hides himself with
shame, from the people, because of the bad news he has had. (Asking
himself): shall he keep it in contempt or bury in the dust.Ah: What an
evil choice they decide."
Abdullah ibn Abbas (ra) reports that the Prophet (saw) said
"Whoever becomes the father of a girl, he shouldneither hurt her nor
treat her with contemptnor show preference over her to his
sonsinkindnessandaffection. (Both boys and girls should be treated
alike.) Allah willgrant him Paradisein return forkind treatment
towards the daughter."
It is narrated that a very poor woman, with two daughters, came to
Ayesha's (ra) place to beg. By chance, Aisha (ra) had only one date
with her, at that time, which she gave to the woman. The woman broke
the date into two parts and gave one part each to the girls. She did
not eat anything of it herself. When after some time, the Prophet
(saw) came, Aisha (ra) related the incident to him, upon which he
remarked:
"The believing man or woman upon whom there is the responsibility of
daughters and he or she discharges it well andtreats them with
affection, the daughters will become a means offreedom, for him or
her, in thehereafter."
It is related by Anas (ra) that the Prophet (PBUH) said
"The believer who bears the responsibility of two daughters and
supports them till they attain puberty,he and Iwill beclose to one
anotherlike this on the Day of Judgment."
Anas (ra), adds that the Prophet (saw) showed, by joining the fingers
of his hand, that as the fingers were close to one another, in the
same way will the believer be close to him on the Day of Judgment.
Abu Saeed Khudri (ra) relates that the Prophet (saw) said "Whoever
bears the responsibility of three daughters or sisters or even of two
daughters or sisters, and bears it well, and looks after their
training and welfare properly, and then, gets them married, Allah will
reward him with Paradise."
In these Ahadith, the Prophet (saw) has not only stated thatkind
treatment was the natural rightorclaim of the daughters, but, also
that thebelievers who fulfilledthe obligation towards them in a good
and proper manner would berewarded with Paradisein the hereafter. He,
further, gives the joyful tidings that such a man will be close to
him, on the Day of Judgment, as the fingers of a hand are, when joined
together.