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Without a doubt, children are an immense blessing from the Almighty for the blessed couples and in return, they should express their gratitude towards him for conceding this blessing. Unfortunately, this is not the case especially when we talk about the gender of the newborn. Many of us rejoice the birth of a male child and show dissatisfaction when it is a female.
However, the preaching of Islam is contrary to this as Islam condemns this type of behavior and females have been given more importance over their male counterparts in many cases. We can get the idea through the verses of our beloved prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and can take giant strides in order eliminate and disrupt this prejudice of patriarchy:
“Daughters are a gift from Almighty Allah. Those parents who are kind towards them, then Almighty Allah is generous towards such parents. Those who are merciful to their daughters, Almighty Allah is Merciful towards them.”
It is quite evident from the Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) sayings, that a girl has always been a huge blessing for her parents and has proven to be the bestowed pathway for both her mother and father. Islam is a religion of peace and happiness, therefore, the moment of a female’s birth should be the opportunity to rejoice and be celebrated. However, the reality is far more opposite and contrary to this where couples desire for a male child more than a female.
Just imagine being a woman and growing up among the evils which never wanted her existence to be in the first place. It is like swimming all alone in a gigantic ocean with orcas measuring up for a deadly attack. But, the question is, why is this happening? Is being a girl a sin? Why is it that the birth of a male child is never questioned? Why are women rights just for the sake of scripting on the papers? Why are girls still buried alive?
This has existed throughout the history at a different point in time and in various shapes. In the dark ages, males dominated the society and females were merely looked down upon as domestic animals and threats to their hegemony. These wrongdoings, as per my understanding, happened for one reason only and that was that the male patriarchs were afraid of losing their hegemony.
In present time with the advent of modernization and frequent information sharing, people have become more aware and informed regarding everything that is happening around the globe. Human rights and women rights activists are raising their voice against all the harsh doings that are happening with the females. After this, females got the right to vote in early 1900’s, they soon won seats in the parliament and eventually became head of states, went to moon, climbed the top of Everest and by doing so they proved that there is nothing in this world which a female cannot do that a man can do.
However, this is not much of a generalizing concept that everybody has the same mindset. Since the majority of the population in Pakistan lives in rural areas with very low and sometimes no access to education, therefore, as per the stats, this is a popular concept among the masses. Every year on mother’s day or father’s day we see a lot of old aged parents calling upon their sons who have abandoned them.
Therefore, if you are a parent and thinking that your son is sincere and faithful and he will never abandon you, please think again. We need to devise a concrete strategy through the educational reforms that are most urgently required. Moreover, the religious preachers should also know their role in order to portray the right message of Islam regarding women and their rights. Nothing is impossible to do and the best place to start a reform is from one’s own home. We need to take the responsibility and start a mini-revolution which the need of the hour.
