maw’ooda – wa’ada/ ja’idu wa’dan – to bury someone alive (female infant)
In the pre-Islamic era if a daughter was about to be born, it would be an ugly event. When a woman was about to give birth, she would go to a ditch, and if the child born was a daughter – they would bury the girl alive. If it was a boy, the woman would take him home. They did this because they thought it was a questioning of their manhood (i.e. Why can’t you have sons?). Or If she grows up and gets married into another tribe – it will be humiliation for our tribe of Quraysh. This was the mindset of the people before Islam.
Why would the Arabs buried their daughters alive…
1. Fear out poverty
They would fear they would not be able to financially provide for their daughters. But more specifically they feared their daughters where seen as a financial burden. Unlike sons who can work and bring in money, daughters could not they could not.
2. Shame
Shame to the Arabs was the worst experience in life. The Arabs where involved in a lot of tribal warfare and one of the common things that would happen is that if the enemy was victorious over a tribe they would capture their girls and these girls would end up growing up with the tribe that captured them and in the end the daughter would end up preferring to stay with the enemy over her own family and that would bring a lot of shame to any man so they didn’t want to take any risk.
3. In the pre-Islamic time of ignorance the Arabs would bury their daughters due to their hatred of girls
4.
Why would the infant girl be questioned on the day of judgment?
Ibn Kathir said Therefore, on the Day of Judgement, the female infant will be asked what sin she committed that caused here to be murdered. This will be a means of frightening her murderer. For verily, if the one who was wronged is questioned, what does the wrongdoer (the one who is guilty of the oppression) think then
The ones who did not have a voice or any power – they will be empowered first. The ones who waited for justice so long. This small girl who couldn’t talk in this world, the one who was innocent and couldn’t talk or defend herself. Allah gives her power to talk and show her innocence in front of the people.
Allah is so angry with her father who buried her, that He does not talk to him. Keep in mind that this surah is addressing the worst of skeptics – who deny the Day of Resurrection and continue in their evils.
Just think how – when Allah is angry with the Christians who say Allah has a son – He does not talk to them – due to his anger. Who does He talk to instead? Jesus son of Mary . [see end of al Maa’ida].
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A question: When someone commits a crime, who do we question? The oppressor or the oppressed? Of course we question the criminal? So why here is the one how has been oppressed asked?
There is one thing that all criminals cannot stand and that is when the voice of the oppressed is raised. It is the worst form of humilation for a criminals; that they do not even deserve to be spoke to that they do not even asked.
This also demonstrates Allahs anger that he doesn’t even want to speak to them/ask
Ishaar and maw’oodah are 2 pregnancies mentioned within this Surah. The arab before Islam would take pride in his female she camel giving birth (they loved female children camels being born because they would grow upto provide them with more camels). = more wealth and respect in the sight of the people.
The total contrast – showing the ignorance of society before Islam – is of the people feeling ashamed to have a daughter of their own blood. So to ‘keep their respect’ – they killed her.
Honoring a female she camel more than your own daughter is disgraceful, but this is what would happen in a society without Islam.
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