INFANTICIDE AND NEONATICIDE IN THE LIGHT OF ISLAM
By Tayyiba Munir
An abusive action of our society is that we are playing with the life of innocent babies,whose lives are ceased before seeing the beauty of world.The ruthless humans show them that humans are very cruel,so its better that you do not persist in the society.Numerous children and infants are killed every year and the homicide of infants is usually done by their parents most often by mothers.
Children are the most precious asset.They have to lead the world by taking part as a leader,doctor,engineer,entrepreneur,manager,reformer or through any other contribution for the development of world.But many of them become the victim of cruelty by ways of terrorism,assasination and various other abrasive actions. Infanticide is explicitly prohibited by Quran:
“And do not kill your children because of poverty – We provide sustenance for you and for them.” [Qur’an 6:151]
It is clear that Islam forbids the killing of children, whether after their birth or before it (abortion), for economic or other reasons. Birth control today is encouraged apparently for economic reasons, especially in poorer countries, but, in truth, this is done to prevent an increase in population in those countries. The growth of population can never be an obstacle to economic development, nor does it cause poverty. On the contrary, population means a work force for a nation. Many of the rich countries of the world, such as Germany, England, France, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Japan, have a high density of population.
What people should do, as Al-Mawdudi says (5: 39, note 31), is not to waste their energy on the destructive task of reducing the number of mouths that have to be fed; instead, they should devote their energy to constructive tasks which will lead to an increase in the production of wealth. In many past societies, certain forms of infanticide were considered permissible. In some countries, female infanticide is more common than the killing of male offspring, due to sex-selective infanticide.
Our Holly Prophet (S.A.W.W) abolished the practice of female infanticide, overturning a prevalent cultural norm by the verse At-Takwir. The practice, however, still exists today. Prior to the advent of Islam, female infanticide was rampant in Arabia. Baby girls were buried alive the moment they emerged from their mother’s womb. A quick disposal was always the easiest, to eliminate any embarrassment the child could cause the family and tribe. Islam condemns this selection of one gender over the other. One of the first verses of the Qur’an that was relayed to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was entitled At-Takwir (The Folding Up). The verse warned that the crime of infanticide against innocent children would be revealed and questioned on the Day of Judgement.
The Holly Quran narrates:
“When the female infant, buried alive, is questioned – for what crime was she killed; when the scrolls are laid open; when the World on High is unveiled; when the Blazing Fire is kindled to fierce heat; and when the Garden is brought near – Then shall each soul know what it has put forward”. (At-Takwir: 8-15).
On 20th July,2011,CNN published a News having headline.
PAKISTAN:More than 1200 newborn baby girls killed and dumped in garbage last year
The excerpt of this news is following: “Sometimes they hang them, and sometimes they kill by the knife, and sometimes we find bodies which have been burned,” said Anwar Kazmi, a manager at Edhi Foundation, Pakistan’s largest privately run social service and relief agency. Records at Edhi Foundation show that more than 1,200 newborns were killed and dumped in Pakistan last year, an increase of about 200 from the previous year. Families view many of these children as illegitimate in a culture that condemns those born outside of marriage. Statistics show that roughly nine out of 10 are baby girls, which families may consider too costly to keep in a country where women frequently are not allowed to work.The babies are usually just days old. Their corpses are often dumped in Karachi’s sprawling garbage dumps, where they’re sometimes mutilated by street animals, Kazmi said. He estimates that hundreds of baby corpses are never found. The head of Edhi Foundation, 83-year-old Abdul Sattar Edhi, blames Pakistan’s crippling poverty and a government that, for decades, has failed to educate the masses, generate jobs and provide citizens with the most basic needs. “The distribution of resources by the government is wrong,” Edhi said. “Many people don’t pay taxes; there’s no charity, and what you get from the government is all based on your wealth.”
I have read the comments of many occidentals on this news in which they have given the abusive remarks about Islam,Muslim and Allah (S.W.T),Naodhbillah!!
But what they or we are doing as a human being??
It is a crime against every human when a child of any color or nationality killed around the globe.
Palestine:According to a report by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),on October 2,2002,”Thousands of Palestinian children denied access to schools” Israeli military is preventing students and teachers from going schools.Pierre Poupard, the UNICEF special representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said,”A generation of Palestinian children is being denied their right to education”.UNICEF noted that about 1million of Palestinian children are returned to schools or getting schooling through alternative means,almost 170,000 youngsters and around 6,650 teachers are unable to reach their regular classrooms,and at least 580 schools has been closed due to Israeli military curfews,closure and Home confinement.
Israel had an obligation to ensure education will accessible to every Palestinian child,in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Convention on the Rights of Child,UNICEF said.But in-spite of many endeavors of Amnesty International nothing has done so far.Some 317,000 children are still in the desperate need of assistance due to financial hardship.
Afghanistan: On 6 December 2003, by US air attack of A-10 on a mountain village Hutala neighboring Ghazni province left nine children died following the death of 6children on the previous day.Where were UNICEF when those children were destined to death without any crime or accusation?
In India,Bangladesh,China,England,Russia,Japan,Africa,Autralia,Canada and even in the great America infanticide practices are still undergoing.
The killing of children is a chronic crime wherever it is practiced around the globe across the world.The fierce killing of children is indeed an apocalypse for the humanity.So kindly feed the children on breads,nourish and nurture them with love not by hatred or vengeance.
We can stop it when we started thinking as humans and contemplating that with such actions we are going to demolish the world.
“Let the buds(babies) turn into a Flower to spread their fragrance in the orchard(world)”.