O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for tomorrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do (Surah Al- Hashr: 18).
Daughters, a matter of pride
By ARAB NEWS
Published:Jun 30, 2011 22:48 Updated: Jun 30, 2011 22:48
Bringing up children with proper care is the primary duty of Muslim parents. Parents should not distinguish in a discriminatory manner between their male and female children when bringing them up. However, the fact remains that girls in many Muslim communities are the victims of their parents' bias against them.
If parents have any right to be biased, it should be in favor of girls. Almighty Allah mentioned girls first before mentioning boys while referring to His sovereign control over the universe and creation of human beings in the chapter Al-Shura (Poets).
"To God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills (and plans). He bestows female (offspring) upon whom He wills, and bestows male (offspring) upon whom He wills. Or He bestows both males and females, and He leaves barren whom He wills: for He is full of Knowledge and Power." (Verses 49 & 50)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), has clearly demonstrated that a girl is not a matter of humiliation to a family. On the other hand, she is a matter of pride. A man who brings up his daughters in a proper way will be among those who have the honor of standing close to the Prophet (pbuh) on the Day of Judgment.
"Anas bin Malik reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying, 'He, who brought up two girls properly till they grew up, he and I would come (together) (very closely) on the Day of Resurrection, and he interlaced his fingers (for explaining the point of nearness between him and that person).'" (Al-Bukhari)
In spite of such clear texts, a considerable section of Muslims in many parts of the world believe that spending money on the proper upbringing of girls, including educating them, is a waste of money.
It is also unfortunate to note that mothers in many Muslim societies, apart from aborting a female fetus, are reluctant to feed their girls properly. On the contrary, the parents struggle hard to feed their boys. Parents are also not keen to take sick girls to hospitals as they do with their sons. But this kind of discrimination between boys and girls is a gross injustice and a violation of the teachings of Islam.
In an incident narrated by Mother of Believers Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) the spiritual benefits of feeding and taking care of girl children are unequivocally clear.
"Ayesha reported: A poor woman came to me along with her two daughters. I gave her three dates. She gave a date to each of them and then she took up one date and brought that to her mouth in order to eat that, but her daughters expressed a desire to eat it. She then divided the date that she intended to eat between them. This action of the woman impressed me and I mentioned what she did to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). Thereupon he said: Verily Allah has assured Paradise for her, because of (this act) of her, or He has rescued her from hellfire." (Al-Bukhari)
This Hadith shows how important girls are to parents, particularly as a means to escape the hellfire.
The sayings of the Prophet should be the only guideline for any Muslim community in any part of the world. There is no justification for any Muslim community to be influenced by any other cultural sentiments that drive people to neglect and abuse girls.
In fact the model for the relationship between a father and daughter should be the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh).
The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Fatima is a part of me, so whoever angers her angers me." (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)
Media reports such as girls being married off and then tortured by their husbands and in-laws at tender age or young girls being discriminated against by parents show a growing tendency of girls' abuse prevalent in some Muslim countries.
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Amazing Admonition From Yunus Bin Ubayd to Those Complaining About Poverty and Hardship!
Ghassaan bin al-Mufaddal al-Ghulaabee said:
Some of our associates narrated to me that a man came to Yunus bin Ubayd (d. 139H) and complained of the hardship he was going through in his livelihood and of his anxiety because of it. So he said (to him), "Would you be happy to give up your eyesight for a hundred thousand (dinars, dirhams)?" He said, "No." He said, "Then what about your hearing?" He said, "No." He said, "Then what about your tongue?" He said, "No." He said, "Then what about your aql (intellect)?" He said, "No, [not] for any wants, needs." Then he reminded him of the favours of Allaah upon him after which he, Yunus, said, "I see that you have hundreds of thousands of (dinars, dirhams) yet you are complaining of need!
Al-Siyar of al-Dhahabi (6/292). And the meaning here is that since you have placed such monetary worth on your faculties granted to you by Allaah, then you can't be that destitute like what you are claiming, and in reality, Allaah's favours and bounties upon your are abundant by your own self-admission.
OUR RABB [Cherisher and Sustainer] BESTOW ON US MERCY FROM YOURSELF AND FACILETATE FOR US OUR AFFAIRS IN THE RIGHT WAY. Ameen.
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The importance of calling people towards Allah.
1379. Sahl bin Sa`d (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said to `Ali (May Allah be pleased with him), "By Allah, if a single person is guided by Allah through you, it will be better for you than a whole lot of red camels.'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Commentary: "Better for you than red camels'' is an allegory for every thing that is better than anything else. Red camels used to be precious in Arabia, and their reference here is to highlight the value of guidance. Thus, this Hadith brings into prominence the importance of calling people towards Allah. But before calling others to the path of Allah, one must himself know it, and for this purpose, the knowledge of the Qur'an and Hadith is essential because one cannot provide any guidance in this respect without this knowledge.
Ref.: Imam Al-Nawawi's Riyad-us-Saliheen # 1379.
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