Infanticide among the Arabs Before Islam

Abstract

    The phenomenon of infanticide of girls is a negative and inhuman phenomenon and we will highlight the reasons that led some Arab tribes to infant their daughters or even kill their children and from the tribes that used to do this to infant the girls are Rabia, Kinda, Tamim and some Quraysh tribes. It should be noted that the Arab society before Islam is based on the male element, which is the main condition of the family and its protection if it is exposed to a threat. On the other hand, The Arab tribes were proud of the large number of boys and preferred them to girls. This does not mean that these Arab tribes were practicing the phenomenon of infanticide. The reasons that led these tribes or their origins to kill may have economic, social or political reasons, which were the cause of this phenomenon, namely, infanticide.

       However, there are many opponents of this negative phenomenon, such as Saesaa, ben Najia, grandfather of the poet Al-Farazdaq, and Zaid ben Nophil. In our research, we also address the emergence of many women who had a role in the social and political life of Zenobia, queen of Tadmur, and Ms. Khadija Bint Khoeld, wife of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him).