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The society in fact spanned all'the contradictions and opposite extremes.
While some fathers are seen to be burying their daughters alives others
are reciting poetry that urges people to love their daughters.
As we have said, burying daughters alive was not a widespread
practice. " Some fathers kept their daughters as Smith mentioned:
"Osaim the Faza rite did not dare to save his daughter Lacita without
concealing her from his people, although she was his only child. " 1
Such fathers preferred to love their daughters and to offer them
good education. Man blAws had three daughters whom he considered to
be better than boys. 2 Daughters were loyal to their fathers, they
nursed their fathers in illness. visited them in sickness and wept
over them after death.
3
The idea concerning father's hatred of
their daughters and burying them alive just after birth is widely
known. However, if we look at the Arab community before Islam, we
find many women who had high positions among their people. If this
custom was so common, then how did the community come into being ?
Women are one half of the community. Further. how did women get
married to men ? And, how can we neglect the instinct for maintaining
species and the desire for survival with it, particularly if we realize,
as Ali says, "That obtaining many children was the major aim of marriage
as far as an Arabian is concerned. So, he had as many wives as he could.
particularly if he had money. An Arab was also keen to choose his wives
to betas young as possible so that they could give birth to as many
children as possible and because of this. it could be noted that a, tribaL
head wa s usually a man of many wives.
1. See Smith. op. cit.. P. 293
2. al-tCui-i. op. cit.. P. 279
3. Ibid
4. See Ali. op. cit.. Vol. 4, P. 349
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