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so wished, with their captors, A daughter of Qays (the chieftain of TaZlm)
chose to stay with her captor and refused to return to her husband.
Qays was provoked to anger. His vengeance was that he killed all his
daughters by burying them alive and he never again allowed any
daughter to live. It is. however, illogical. as al-HZýd has observed
G
to say that Qays was the first man who practised the custom because he
became Muslim later in the prophet Muhammad's period whereas the
tradition of burial alive must have begun long before.
2 However
that may be, the story of Qays is worth noting for its extreme nature. ý
One day, Qays was talking to the prophet Muhammad after he became a
Muslim. telling him that in Jahiliyyah days, he buried many daughters
alive. but one daughter was born when he was away and she was sent by her
mother to her tribe. When Qays returned, he was told that his wife
had been delivered of a dead child. The years passed and the girl grew up.
One day. the girl came to visit her mother. Qays told the prophet that
when he came in, he saw the girl, so he asked, "Who is this pretty girl? "
Her mother answered, "She is your daughter. I sent her away to be saved., '
"One day I dug a grave and laid her in it, " said Qays. The girl was
crying. "Father what are you doing to me. your own child? Father, are
you going to bury me alive and leave me alone? " Then I covered her up
with the sand until I did not hear her cries and that was the only time
I, felt pity when I buried a daughter alive. " The Prophet cried much
and then he recited Q. 81,8
.
3
Besides being logically unsound to nominate Qays as the originator
of this custom. because of the time-span involved. it is also difficult
to believe that this custom could have originated in one tribe alone.
1. Ali, op. cit., Vol* 5, P. 90 and C AiTfF. op. cit., Vol. 19 P- 50
and al-Aghani, Vol. 12, P. 143 and al-HUfi. P. 295
2. al-HCCi,, op. cit., P. 295 0
3. al-Luia-rarri. al-MazU wa al-IslZm. Vol. 2. P. 28
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