Islam on Fathers and Daughters
Islam on Fathers and Daughters
God the Almighty created all people, both men and women, so that they would worship only Him.
At the same time, He created men and women to be different physiologically and psychologically. They also differ in their duties and responsibilities.
A man, as the head of a family, is responsible to the Creator not only for himself, but also for the spiritual and material condition of his loved ones, so he must endure all life’s difficulties with steadfastness.
The birth of a child, regardless of gender, is a gift from the Almighty. However, some fathers, including Muslims, may be dissatisfied with the birth of a daughter. At least, at the birth of a daughter, this contingent of fathers does not rejoice as much as at the birth of a son. The most offensive thing is that many relatives, especially men, agree with them on this. Such behavior is not appropriate for sincerely religious people.
A true believer should rejoice at any gift from Almighty Allah and be satisfied with His predestination.
Raising children according to the orders of religion is a form of worship. For raising his daughters, a father can receive a large reward and this can become the reason for his entry into Paradise and protection from the fire of Hell.
From Jabir ibn Abdullah it is reported that he once heard the Messenger of God ﷺ say, “For one who is the father of three daughters, to whom he will provide shelter, show mercy, support and marry them, Paradise will become obligatory.” Then he was asked, “What if he has two daughters, O Messenger of God ﷺ?” To which he replied, “Even if he has two daughters.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Ahmad). Such joy awaits fathers who have raised daughters.
There are a lot of such sayings of the Prophet ﷺ, which tell about countless benefits for those who have raised daughters. Girls come into this world with a reward from the Almighty for their parents.
Heaven awaits those fathers who give care, love, support and education to their daughters. And those fathers who were sad at the birth of their daughters and did not raise and support them as expected will face the same sadness on the Day of Judgment. The Arabs of the times of Jahiliya (i.e. before the arrival of Islam) had a terrible tradition - the burial of newborn girls. But this tradition was abolished and strictly prohibited with the prophecy of the Messenger of God ﷺ.
Recently, blackmailing of girls under the threat of posting their photos on the Internet has become widespread. Unfortunately, in such cases, daughters often do not see their father as a protector, because some of them rush to blame their daughters for everything and, no matter what, punish them instead of listening and jointly finding a way out of the current situation. Blackmailers, threatening to post personal photographs online, which may be edited, are counting precisely on the fact that girls, fearing their fathers, will comply with their demands. They often they get their way.
While a father should become a support for his daughter, on the contrary through an aloof attitude, may push her to make a mistake.
A father must raise, provide for and, first of all, protect his daughter from all negativity. He should be a support not only for his son but also for his daughter, since she is in greater need of support and understanding.
An example for fathers in maintaining a relationship with their daughter should be the attitude of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ towards his daughters, especially Fatima, whose life is also an example for all women in the world.
The Prophet ﷺ loved and treasured Fatima very much. When he walked the streets of Mecca and called people to Islam, he took her with him. The Messenger of God ﷺ met Fatima standing and gave her the pillow on which he was sitting. When the Messenger of God ﷺ went to his daughter, she also met him standing, respectfully kissed his hands and sat him down in her place.
The Prophet ﷺ thus showed how fathers should treat their daughters and commanded his followers to be loving and patient towards their family.
