16:63 An-Nahl (The Bee)

بيَّن تعالى لرسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه ليس هو أول رسول كُذِّب فقال [تعالى]: { تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَى أُمَمٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ } رسلا يدعونهم إلى التوحيد، { فَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ } فكذبوا الرسل، وزعموا أن ما هم عليه، هو الحق المنجي من كل مكروه وأن ما دعت إليه الرسل فهو بخلاف ذلك، فلما زين لهم الشيطان أعمالهم، صار وليهم في الدنيا، فأطاعوه واتبعوه وتولوه. { أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِي وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ بِئْسَ لِلظَّالِمِينَ بَدَلًا } { وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ } في الآخرة حيث تولوا عن ولاية الرحمن، ورضوا بولاية الشيطان فاستحقوا لذلك عذاب الهوان.

يذكر تعالى أنه أرسل إلى الأمم الخالية رسلا فكذبت الرسل فلك يا محمد في إخوانك من المرسلين أسوة فلا يهيدنك تكذيب قومك لك وأما المشركون الذين كذبوا الرسل فإنما حملهم على ذلك تزيين الشيطان لهم ما فعلوه "فهو وليهم اليوم" أي هم تحت العقوبة والنكال والشيطان وليهم ولا يملك لهم خلاصا ولا صريخ لهم ولهم عذاب أليم.

Finding Consolation in the Reminder of Those Who came before

Allah says, `He sent Messengers to the nations of the past, and they were rejected. You, O Muhammad, have an example in your brothers among the Messengers, so do not be distressed by your people's rejection. As for the idolators' rejection of the Messengers, the reason for this is that the Shaytan made their deeds attractive to them.'

فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ الْيَوْمَ

(So today he (Shaytan) is their helper,) meaning they will be suffering punishment while Shaytan is their only helper, and he cannot save them, so they have no one to answer their calls for help, and theirs is a painful punishment.

The Reason why the Qur'an was revealed

Then Allah says to His Messenger that He has revealed the Book to him to explain the truth to mankind in matters which they dispute over. So the Qur'an is a decisive arbitrator for every issue that they argue about.

وَهَدَى

(and (as) a guidance) meaning, for their hearts.

وَرَحْمَةً

(and a mercy) meaning, for the one who adheres to it.

لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

(for a people who believe.) Just as Allah causes the Qur'an to bring life to hearts that were dead from disbelief, so He brings the earth to life after it has died, by sending down water from the sky.

إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ

(Surely that is a sign for people who listen.) meaning those who understand the words and their meanings.

By God We verily sent to communities before you messengers. But Satan adorned for them their deeds their evil deeds so that they considered them to be good deeds and therefore they denied the messengers. So he is their patron the guardian of their affairs today that is now in this world and for them there will be a painful chastisement in the Hereafter. It is also said that by al-yawm ‘today’ is meant the Day of Resurrection narrating the events as though they are taking place now. In other words they have no guardian other than him in other words Satan and as he is incapable of helping himself how could he possibly help them?

Also at the end of the third verse (60), in: وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (And He is the Mighty, the Wise), there is a hint that taking the birth of a baby girl to be nuisance and disgrace, and hiding from people because of it, amount to challenging Divine wisdom - as the creation of male and female among the created is the very requisite of wisdom. (Ruh a1-Bayan)

Ruling:

Clear indications are visible in these verses that taking the birth of a girl in the family to be a disaster or disgrace is not permissible under Islam. This is done by disbelievers. Quoting Shr'ah (شرعہ ) Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan also says that a Muslim should be happier at the birth of a girl in the family so that it becomes a refutation of the act of the people of Ja-hiliyyah. Says a Hadith: Blessed is the woman who gives birth to a girl in her first pregnancy. That the Arabic word: اِنَاث (inath: females) has been made to precede the word for 'males' in the verse of the Qur’ an: وَيَهَبُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ الذُّكُورَ‌ (He bestows on whomsoever He wills females and bestows on whomsoever He wills males - 42:49) indicates that the birth of a girl from the first pregnancy is better.[

In another Hadith, it is said: Whoever finds any of such girls en-trusted to his care, and he treats them fairly and favourably, then, these girls will stand as a curtain between him and Hell. (Ruh al-Bayan)

To sum up, it can be said that taking the birth of a girl to be bad is a detestable custom of the pagan period. Muslims must abstain from it. In fact, they should be pleased and satisfied with the promise of Allah against it. Allah knows best.