CHAPTER I.

STATE OF WOMEN AMONG THE ARABS OF THE JAHILIYEH, OR THE "TIMES OF THE
IGNORANCE."


In that eloquent Sura of the Koran, called Ettekwir, (lxxxi.) it is
said, "When the _girl buried alive_ shall be asked for what sin she was
slain." The passage no doubt refers to the cruel practice which still in
Mohammed's time lingered among the tribe of Temîm, and which was
afterwards eradicated by the influence of Islam. The origin of this
practice has been ascribed to the superstitious rite of sacrificing
children, common in remote times to all the Semites, and observed by the
Jews up to the age of the Captivity, as we learn from the denunciations
of Jeremiah. But in later times daughters were buried alive as a matter
of household economy, owing to the poverty of many of the tribes, and to
their fear of dishonor, since women were often carried off by their
enemies in forays, and made slaves and concubines to strangers.

So that at a wedding, the wish expressed in the gratulations to the
newly-married pair was, "with concord and sons," or "with concord and
permanence; with sons and no daughters." This same salutation is
universal in Syria now. The chief wish expressed by women to a bride is,
"may God give you an arees," _i.e._ a bridegroom son.

In the Koran, Sura xiv, Mohammed argues against the Arabs of Kinaneh,
who said that the angels were the daughters of God. "They
(blasphemously) attribute daughters to God; yet they _wish them not for
themselves_. When a female child is announced to one of them, his face
grows dark, and he is as though he would choke."