Ramadan #05 – Women in the Qur’an Banning Female Infanticide

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que Al hamdu lillah wa salatu salam ala Rasulillah Dear brothers and sisters Assalamu alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

In today's session of women in the Quran, it's going to be a bit of a shorter session, but we're going to be reflecting for a moment in sha Allah on the topic of

you know, one of the very important changes that the Quran made

with regards to women

and that is

in the idea of sort of sorted queer

whatever my order to so ealerts be a them being kottelat Right, in this very simple

and, you know, subhanAllah beautiful ayah of Quran, Allah Subhana Allah Allah

revealed to human beings that

harming the newborn baby to children, their baby daughters was something that they would be

questioned about. So the topic today is about female infanticide. And I don't know if you realize, but even in modern times, female infanticide is one of the biggest problems in the world when it comes to

children and babies and their deaths.

I'm just going to read to you some of the stats regarding

female infanticide.

And you'll be shocked, you'll be shocked.

And then I'm going to explain to you the context of the Quranic idea. And then you'll see what are the amazing impact Islam had on

on it on the society in which you know, Islam or the Quran was revealed when it comes to

women and girls. Okay, so what does female infanticide mean? It's basically the deliberate killing of newborn, female children. Okay.

And

you might be shocked by the idea of it. But actually, even in modern times.

Sometimes it's done because people want to select a particular particular gender for their child and they're disappointed that they're, that their, their baby is a female, okay.

Sometimes it's done because there's some kind of limit, like a,

you know, for example, in China for many years, there was a, a one, a one child limit, right? Like, there's only one child allowed for what for each family. And so parents for some reason, or other decided that they'd rather have sons and daughters.

And so this led to many deaths amongst

you know, baby girls now, I don't want to say deaths. It's murder, right? That's what it is. It's killing the killing of baby girls. of newborn

female children. Right.

Let me just give you some stats regarding this. So the countries in which

there's actually a severe, very severe case numbers of cases. Two countries that come to mind are China and India. Okay. And unfortunately, the Pakistan is also mentioned as one of those countries Right.

Which is very disappointing when you understand the context in which the ayah of Quran was revealed. Okay.

So here it says

China has a history of female infanticide, spanning 2000 years. Okay.

Even when Christian missionaries arrived in China, in the late 16th century, they discovered female infanticide was being practiced. Newborns were seen thrown into rivers or onto rubbish piles.

And there are various historians that documented the practice of female infanticide.

Sometimes the baby girls are drowned, suffocated starved.

I mean, this is chilling stuff, right?

I mean, it's utter cruelty to cruelty.

And I think what else does it say here it says

the majority of China's provinces practice female infanticide during the 19th century. In 1878, French Jesuit missionary Gabrielle poetry collected documents from 13 provinces, and he found no evidence of female infanticide.

Okay.

A white paper published by the Chinese government in 1980, stated that the practice of human funds was a feudalistic evil.

You know, the UN they passed resolutions, or they tried to make these treaties and documents of banning female infanticide. But really, it hasn't really had any effect. You know, in India, it says the dowry system in India is one given reason for female infanticide. So, in India, when a girl gets married, she's expected. So this is this is a Hindu custom. It's nothing to do with Islam.

Although some Muslims have adopted this from the Hindus,

the dowry system, which is basically that girls, when they're getting married, have to provide a lot of things like money, sometimes property sometimes,

you know, goods

to the husband site, right of the family, which is utterly ridiculous. But anyway,

because of that system, and because parents, especially poor parents know that in the future, they're gonna have to provide so much

there's a high rate of female infanticide in India, there are rubbish dumps

for babies in India.

I mean, it's really, really heart wrenching, even though apparently the government has tried, you know, to to ban it and to put certain measures in place. Sometimes people are aborting baby girls instead, right? So instead of killing them after they're born, they'll do it before just before they're born.

The children's rights group Cry Cry has estimated that of the 12 million females born yearly in India

1 million will have died within their first year of life.

The United Nations has declared that India is the most deadly country for female children and that in 2012 female children aged between one and five, where 75% more likely to die as opposed to boys

and you know, it's actually like a,

like a prevalent practice amongst certain costs in India

and in Pakistan, although the practices are punishable according to Islamic law

There are cases of female infanticide.

And it's mainly to do with, you know, if children are born out of wedlock,

etcetera.

And due to ignorance, basically due to ignorance right now.

So Pamela, one of the one of the negative causes, of course, apart from the fact that it's murder, and it's killing human beings.

In some countries, there's a huge surplus of males because of this. Okay? So it's causing all sorts of problems.

And of course, it's an evil practice that the Quran 1400 years ago condemned. And so the context of that is that in Arabia, at the time of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu, alayhi, Salam

female infanticide was

a cultural practice, okay.

And the Quran even describes it

the Quran even describes it, Subhan Allah.

And let me just, and of course, we already mentioned whatever you want to say, let it be a them being put on Allah says, When the female infant is buried alive, who is buried alive is questioned, for what crime was she killed, so into sort of queer sorry, so it's the queer, which is chapter 81, I a number eight and nine, Allah says,

What either muda to soil or to be a human being postulate.

So the purpose of this ayah, or the meaning of this ayah is that Allah is telling us that on the Day of Judgment, the female infant who was buried alive, who was killed, is going to be asked, Why was she killed, and so in other words,

her death will be counted, and those who killed her will be brought brought to account will be brought to account. And so Islam not only forbids female infanticide, but it forbids all types of infanticide, irrespective of whether the infant is male or female, but in this ayah, in particular, the female infant is mentioned. And so the Arabs at the time of the prophets of Barcelona before Islam, you know, it was common for them to be to think of it as shameful when, you know, they had a baby girl. And so that's a natural ayah number 58 and 59.

A lot describes that when news is brought to one of them of the birth of a female child, his face darkens, and he's filled with inward grief, with shame, does he hide himself from his people, because of the bad news he has had? shall he retain it? On sufferance? The choice, they decide? When one of them is informed of the birth of a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses his grief?

He hides himself from the people because of the bad news that he's been informed with? Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? And question unquestionably evil is what they disk decide. Right? So ALLAH SubhanA, Allah describes in the Quran, that a man a father, being given the news that he has just had a newborn daughter, and it's so terrible, you know, the way Allah subhanaw taala describes it, the scene is so terrible, you know, he's he's been given glad tidings that he has a daughter. And yet his face darkens his face, there's like a shadow over his face, because of how

embarrassed and sad he is Subhanallah

and

he hides himself from the people, right from his, from his people from his, you know, his clan,

and his Klansmen

because of the evil of the news that he was given, and now he's in the state of worrying or like he's got a dilemma. Should he keep the baby or should he bury it in the ground? Can you just imagine that unquestionably, unquestionably. Evil is what they decide law says, answer to Nahal i a number 58.

And 59 So you see, in these two places in the Quran,

specifically about females, girls, baby girls who are born, ALLAH SubhanA, Allah, Allah makes it very clear that this is a shameful thing, a shameful practice of the pre Islamic Arabs. And that, not only that, but that, you know, the person who is who who does this is and look in, you know, in this example, it's the father, right? Who's making this decision, which is terrible, even worse. And He, Allah subhanaw, Taala is mocking the person, you know, like making fun or kind of

pointing out the, how terrible and how

shameful is that this is even happening, you know, how inhumane it is.

And in the other is in

In either mode or two. So a lot that we mentioned, sort of the queer, Allah as far as making clear that the person will be brought to account on the day of judgment, they might think that they're killing a baby girl who insignificant, voiceless, baby girl, right, the baby girl that couldn't speak or defend or fend for herself. But on the day of judgment, that baby girl is going to be a proof against that parent who caused that baby girl's death.

And of course, in certain Surah, Allah subhanaw taala says, in general, kill more your children, for fear of poverty, we shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily, the killing of them is a great sin.

Okay.

So 1400 years ago, this practice was prevalent in Arabia. But what you must realize is that within 20 years, within 20 years of Islam being established in Arabia,

within about two decades, right, this practice was completely wiped out of Arabia, completely wiped out.

And so this is the power of the Quran. This is the power of Islam and the power of the Quran, that the Quran has the power to remove, and change and completely turn upside down cultures. You know, Islam keeps the best of the culture, right. So there were elements of Arab culture that were beautiful, that were good, those things were kept, those things were magnified, even, you could say, right, but there were elements of Arab culture, that were evil and terrible, like female infanticide. And those were spoken up against by the Quran. And not only that, but they because of the power of the Quran, because of the power of Islam. And the power of the Prophet Muhammad

sallallahu alayhi wa sallam his message, female infanticide was wiped out of Arabia within a couple of decades.

And so what we must understand is that

the power of the Quran is that if a nation really takes it to heart, and really applies it and really becomes truly, you know, submits to Allah Truly, it also has the ability to wipe out things that are very culturally ingrained,

that are cruel, and that are crimes like this,

you know, places like India, places like China

and Pakistan even right, I mean, it's an it's an embarrassment, really to mention Pakistan, in the same breath, because, you know,

Pakistan is a is a Muslim country. But we know that Pakistan used to be part of India, and, you know, cultural things, you know, are very run very deep. And it shows you also that Muslims have moved so far away from Islam. Right, and from actually applying Islam and adopting the Quran into their lives, that, you know, they haven't allowed it to have the effect that it should have right on their faith.

Instead, Allah subhanaw taala through the prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam conveyed conveyed to us in the Sunnah, that Bringing Up Baby Girls is a blessing children of all you know

All children are a blessing and that a person should never fear poverty.

And, you know, think of harming the child because of poverty. No, it's the opposite. Every time you have a child, Allah subhanaw taala promises that He will provide for that child in some way. You know, you will notice that your risk, your provision will increase when you have a child in some way because with that child comes the risk with that child will come there is

a prophets Allah what it was salam said in a hadith, anyone who brings up two daughters properly, they will be very close to me on the day of judgment. Right.

And, you know, he held up his two fingers and the sort of the, the

very, the difference in height between, you know, the middle and the index finger.

This is how close that person will be to the Prophet SAW Salem on the Day of Judgment.

In another Hadith, you know, whoever brings up two daughters properly and treats them kindly and justly shall enter paradise. We know that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself, had daughters and his sons passed away. You know,

some say he had like two sons, and some say even you know, other numbers, but they passed away in their childhoods.

Okay, and Subhan Allah.

You know, the Prophet SAW, Selim was known when his daughter Fatima, would enter the room, to actually kiss her and let her sit in his place. You know, this is the love that the Prophet SAW Selim showed his daughter, and he was not afraid to show love. And also he,

he wanted his daughters, his daughters were the coolness of his, his eyes.

He he himself was surrounded by daughters, you know, that's, that's what his children were

Subhanallah and all of his, like, descendants were from his daughter, right, Fatima, or the law. And so, we see that Islam completely changed this culture, which was this culture of preferring boys over girls.

And Islam. You know, we said that in India, for example, one of the reason is due to the, to the dowry, right, that people perceive that girls,

you know, come with this burden of dowry.

In Islam, there is no dowry.

There's only a dour and Dawa is the is different to a dowry. Dowry is what, in some cultures, like in the Hindu culture, you know, is the girls side of the family have to give when they get married, and when the girl gets married? In Islam, there's no dowry, there's nothing for the for the girl side to give. Right? It's the opposite. There's $1 and $1 is when the, the husband, the boy, the the male who's getting married, it's for his side or him to give provision to give gifts, you know, a certain amount of wealth, you know, as a Dawa

So

alhamdulillah you know, Islam changed people's attitudes towards having baby daughters and made daughters blessed. My daughters blessed.

I'd like to know from you if you have any thoughts on this topic.

The main message of today's session is that, you know, lost power to Allah in the Quran

brought so much change for women and girls. And one of the key things was Allah Subhana Allah,

you know,

rebuked people who used to kill their baby daughters, and he made it honorable. And he made children a blessing. He made it honorable to bring up

baby girls. And he, you know, he made it a blessing to bring up children and he promised to provide for parents.

And this, as I mentioned, changed Arabia. Within two decades. It wiped out female infanticide for

Rabia, and as we said at the beginning, the female infanticide is still very prevalent

in India, and in China, in particular in those two countries in particular, which is very, very sad. And the UN has passed so many like they had a whole conference where it was focused on female infanticide. And, you know, they drew up her treaty and

it still hasn't had the effect. The Quran, on the other hand, wiped out female infanticide. In two decades from a culture in which it was very ingrained from Arabia.

That is the power of the Quran, dear brothers and sisters, and that is the love that Allah Subhana Allah shows to his female servants in the Quran. So don't let anyone tell you otherwise, you know, sometimes sisters, they buy this narrative that the Quran is in some way against women, or that the Quran is in some way, you know, bias towards men. It's not the case at all, you know, they, they might be ignoring some very important monumental changes that the Quran brought about.

That no other document no other scripture has ever been able to bring about, you know, in the history of humankind.

And with that in sha Allah, with that powerful thought in sha Allah will leave you.

If you have any questions, or if you have any comments, please do share them. Now you can make a request, I think we try to make sure that you can make

Yep, you should be able to make a request if you have any questions or comments on this particular topic of female infanticide and how the Quran powerfully

rebuked those who indulged in female infanticide.

Allah Subhana Allah disparagingly describes a father who, you know, is sad when he has a baby daughter.

And the Quran, in no uncertain terms says that do not kill your children. You know, and our times it's not even just killing, you know, it's not even just female infanticide. It's abortion, right, like people killing babies that are fully formed. Babies, sometimes babies that could be born

and could could live if they if they were outside the womb, right? People killing them

is another type of

you know, female infanticide.

But it's all it's all rooted in ignorance. And it's rooted in a lack of Tawakkol a lack of belief and trust in Allah, you know, fear of poverty. It's rooted in a lack of understanding for the value of human life. If there are no comments and Charlo will I will leave you for this session. I hope that you found that beneficial. I hope that was powerful for you to reflect on the power of the Quran to wipe female infanticide from Arabia within two decades.

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support our work support our work today just come alive here and with that I will leave you Subhanak Allahumma behenic eyeshadow a Laila Highland stone Furukawa to boo like Jacqueline Lau Hiren Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah

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