The older Arab Proverbs show that the burying alive of female children
was deemed praiseworthy.

"To send women before to the other world, is a benefit."

"The best son-in-law is the grave."

The Koran also says, that certain men when hearing of the birth of a
daughter hide themselves "from the people because of the ill-tidings;
shall he keep it with disgrace, or bury it in the dust." (Sura xvi.)

It is said that the only occasion on which Othman ever shed a tear, was
when his little daughter, whom he was burying alive, wiped the dust of
the grave-earth from his beard!

Before the Seventh Century this practice seems to have been gradually
abandoned, but was retained the longest in the tribe of Temîm. Naman,
king of Hira, carried off among his prisoners in a foray, the daughter
of Kais, chief of Temîm, who fell in love with one of her captors and
refused to return to her tribe, whereupon her father swore to bury alive
all his future female children, which he did, to the number of ten.

Subsequent to this, rich men would buy the lives of girls devoted to
inhumation, and Sa Saah thus rescued many, in one case giving two milch
camels to buy the life of a new-born girl, and he was styled "the
Reviver of the Maidens buried alive."

The following Arabic Proverbs having reference to women and girls _will
illustrate_ the ancient Arab ideas with regard to their character and