Islam honors women greatly and daughters especially are cherished in Islam. Although there are many ways a daughter is honored in Islam, here are few highlights to give you a picture about the rights of women in Islam as a daughter.

1. Glad tidings for parents who are blessed with daughters:

There are plenty of hadith where Prophet Muhammad talks about the rewards the parents shall get for raising daughters with great care and dedication. Daughters were popularly known in the history a source of shame and therefore burnt alive. There were treated very harshly and they were considered a burden for the family. Qur’an acknowledges in the verse:

"And when one among of them receives the glad tidings of a daughter, his face turns black for the day, and he remains seething. Hiding from the people because of the evil of the tidings; "Will he keep her with disgrace, or bury her beneath the earth" pay heed! Very evil is the judgment they impose!" [Surah al-Nahl, Verse 58-59]

Qur'an also mentions that the parents who had been burying their daughter would be so disgraced that instead of questioning them, Allah would ask the daughter:

And when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked; For what sin she was killed. [Surah At-Takwir, Verse 8/9]

She will tell her story of how heartlessly she had been treated by her barbarous parents and buried alive. This implies that whoever does any harsh treatment done to the daughters will be called to account for it.

Prophet (PBUH) rectified such false and heinous belief and made raising of daughters beautifully a pathway to Paradise by creating responsibilities and guidelines for the parents. Islam put an end to this inhumane practice and set the bringing up of daughters and facilitating their education as an act of great virtue. This is reported in many Hadith which are as follows:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him):

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: If anyone has a female child, and does not bury her alive, or slight her, or prefer his male children to her, Allah will bring him into Paradise. (Ahmad, authenticated by Al-Hakim, graded Hasan by Ahmad Shakir)

'Prefers his male child to her' – also promotes equality with sons and that daughters deserve the same rights as the son from the parents in terms of good treatment and upbringing if doing so would not harm her in anyway. Islam considers a woman equal to a man and banned the discrimination against them.

Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said:

Whoever has three daughters and he accommodates them, show mercy toward them, and supports them, Paradise is definitely guaranteed for him. Here Islam teaches the parents the quality of treatments the daughters should be given. They should be given a space to live comfortably, treated with mercy when they are being a challenge and that she should be supported through thick and thin in every aspect of her life.

Someone asked the Prophet, what if they are two daughters only and he replied, "[He gets that reward,] even if they are [only] two." (Authenticated by Al-Albani)

The daughters who were previously burnt alive have also secured a place for them in Paradise.

Narrated Hasana' daughter of Mu'awiyah:

She reported on the authority of her paternal uncle: I asked the Prophet (?): Who are in Paradise? He replied: Prophets are in Paradise, martyrs are in Paradise, infants are in Paradise and children buried alive are in Paradise.

2. Parents could also be saved from fire through just and merciful treatment of daughters:

Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported:

A woman came to me with her two daughters. She asked me (for charity) but she found nothing with me except one date-fruit, so I gave it to her. She [accepted it and then] divided it between her two daughters and ate nothing out of it. Then, she got up and went out. When the Messenger of Allah came in, and I narrated to him the story, he said, “He who is tested with these girl children, and he is benevolent towards them, they will become a protection for him against Hell fire.” (Muslim)

In another hadith, Uqbah ibn Aamir narrated, I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say:

"Whoever has three daughters and is patient towards them, and feeds them, gives them to drink, and clothes them from his wealth; they will be a shield for him from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection." (Authenticated by Al-Albani)

3.Muslim parents are also promised companionship of Prophet in Paradise for raising daughters devotedly in this life:

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said.

"Whoever supports two girls till they attain maturity, he and I will come on the Day of Resurrection (close to each other) like this –The Messenger of Allah joined his fingers to illustrate closeness." (Muslim)

These evidences from the ahadeeth implies that Islam highly promotes caring and bringing up of daughters. The kind of care that covers both the daughters physical, mental and emotional needs and parents who are able to do it are not only promised any rank in Paradise, but a rank where the parents get a high status which is beside the Prophet of Allah (PBUH)

4. Her consent in marriage is of utmost importance:

In Islam, the consent of the daughter is highly significant when it comes to marriage. The daughter has the rights to accept or reject a man comes to ask her hand for marriage. This shows that daughters cannot be forced into marriages if they do not prefer it. This is more valued because a Muslim woman is permitted to have only one Muslim husband until she is divorced or widowed.

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:

"A previously married woman should not be married until her consent has been sought, and a virgin should not be married until her permission has been sought." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, what is her permission?" He said: "If she remains silent."

5. Daughter also have the rights to seek divorce if it is absolutely necessary:

Elaboration of this context can be done upon request under woman’s rights in seeking divorce.

6. Daughter in Islam also has the rights to seek education:

The right of females to seek knowledge is not different from that of males. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

"Seeking knowledge is mandatory for EVERY Muslim". (Al Bayhaqi).

Muslim as used here including both males and females. Daughters in Islam has every right to seek education and excel in her studies and improve her skills. Even though, religious knowledge and knowledge/skills about homemaking and raising children is given the priority and recommended, her education is not given the value of secondary importance compared to a males. Henceforth, Islam does not prevent the daughters to seek other knowledge which are beneficial given that it does not bring her any harm given that she is observing proper modesty and does not free-mix with men.

7. Islam gives daughters her the right to her father’s property. Her share is half of her brother’s share:

Narrated Ibn Abbas:

(In the Pre-Islamic Period) the children used to inherit all the property but the parents used to inherit only through a will. So Allah cancelled that which He liked to cancel and put decreed that the share of a son was to be twice the share of a daughter, and for the parents one-sixth for each one of them, or one third, and for the wife one-eighth or one-fourth, and for the husband one-half, or one-fourth.

8. Islam gave her the right to speak and express her views and ideas.

There are misconceptions a Muslim woman does not have the right to express her opinions which is not accurate. There is an incident which took place in the story of Al-Hudaybiyyah where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) made a deal with Quraysh to not go to Makkah that year so he asked his companions to offer the sacrifice from where they were. Due to disheartenment, none of them listened to Prophet (PBUH) therefore he went to his wife Umm Salamah and shared with her the reaction of the companions. Umm Salamah advised him to not say a word to them until he sacrificed his camel and shaved his head. When he (PBUH) did as he was advised, the companions got up and did the same. (Zad al-Ma'ad, 3:295, al-Tabari, 2/124.)

Ibn Battaal said in his commentary on Saheeh al-Bukhaari (8/133): This indicates that it is permissible to consult women of virtue and wisdom.

9. She in equal to a man when it comes to rewards in the Hereafter:

  Islam elevated the status of women, and women are made equal to men in terms of reward in the Hereafter. Because she is the twin half of man in rulings and rewards, except those where an exception is stated in the texts. Allah says:

"So their Lord accepted of them (their supplication and answered them), Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female. You are (members) one of another, so those who emigrated and were driven out from their homes, and suffered harm in My Cause, and who fought, and were killed (in My Cause), verily, I will expiate from them their evil deeds and admit them into Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise); a reward from Allah, and with Allah is the best of rewards" [Al Imraan 3:195]

The aforementioned evidences imply that Islam gave high rank to women, especially daughters. We accept that all women are not treated well in today’s society, but this does not only pertain to Muslim women. Women of other communities also face injustice and ill-treatment that needs to reform and Islamic teachings can help reform oppression and injustices happening to the women in the society. May Allah protect all our daughters and blessed them with all the happiness of the world.