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Examples of the Prophet’s Mercy upon Girls
first: his urging for benevolence towards girls:
'a'isha, the wife of allah's messenger (pbuh), said: a woman came to me along with her two daughters. she asked me for charity but she found nothing with me except one date, so i gave it to her and she divided it between her two daughters and left. (in the meanwhile) allah's messenger (pbuh) visited me and i told him this story. thereupon allah's messenger (pbuh) said: “the one who is involved in the responsibility of bringing up daughters, and accords benevolent treatment towards them, they would be a protection for him against hell-fire.”
brining up daughters in islam has no reward but heaven, it is the protection against hell-fire on the day of judgment for those who are benevolent to them. in another hadith, allah's messenger (pbuh) said "whoever had three daughters whom he feeds and dresses from his own earnings and to whom he is patient, they would be protection to him against hell-fire on judgment day."
second: his sympathy towards them:
abu qattada narrated that he saw allah's messenger (pbuh) carrying umama daughter of abil'as on his shoulder. he started praying and when he prostrated he used to put her down and when he stood up he used to carry her again.
narrated by um khalid: ( the daughter of khalid bin said) i went to allah's messenger (pbuh) with my father and i was wearing a yellow shirt. allah's messenger (pbuh) said, "sanah, sanah!" ('abdullah, the narrator, said that 'sanah' meant 'good in the ethiopian language). i then started playing with the seal of prophethood (in between the prophet's shoulders) and my father rebuked me harshly for that. allah's messenger (pbuh) said. "leave her," and then allah's messenger (pbuh) (invoked allah to grant me a long life) by saying (thrice), "wear this dress till it is worn out and then wear it till it is worn out, and then wear it till it is worn out."
observe how allah's messenger (pbuh) had allowed a little child to play around with his garment and body as she pleases without reproaching her. he was even kidding and playing with her and smiling at her and talking to her in the ethiopian tongue commenting on her dress and saying -wear it till its worn out as a muslim would say to his fellow muslim when he's wearing a new dress.
third: his honoring to the destitute of daughters:
abu azza, amr son of abdullah aljumahi, was among the captives of the battle of badr (17th of ramadan in the second year of hijra / march 13th, 624). he was a needy man who had many daughters and he had no money to pay his ransom, so he said to allah's messenger (pbuh): o allah's messenger you knew that i don’t have enough money and that i’m a father of many daughters, so be kind to me.
allah's messenger (pbuh) was kind to him and let him go on condition that he won’t support anyone against allah's messenger (pbuh). abu azza wrote this verse in praise of allah's messenger (pbuh) for such kindness:
who would inform the prophet muhammad on my behalf
that he is truly a prophet & allah is the all praise worthy
and that you are a person who had reached a high stature amongst us
a stature that has an easy stair to climb
whoever you fight deserves to be fought
and whoever you make peace with is the happy
but if i ever remembered badr and its people
i remember the heartbreak and shame i suffered
