Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said: “Whoever had a daughter born to him, and he did not bury her alive or humiliate her, and he did not prefer his son over her, Allah will admit him to Paradise because of her.”
(Al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak 4/177)
Among many parents a discrepancy is noticed in their attitude towards sons and daughters. Many parents give more importance to the education of their sons and less to that of the daughters. When the son demands anything, it is managed on the instant; but when a daughter wants something, it becomes a different case. In this hadīth, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), besides prohibiting burying alive of a girl child and humiliating her, puts a stop to gender injustice. He also gives good tidings of admission in the Paradise to a parent who does not indulge in any of these inhuman acts.
Female infanticide was common among the Arabs because their traditions allowed the father to bury his daughter alive. In the Hereafter the victim herself will be asked to give evidence that she had committed no crime and that she had been innocent. The message of the ayah 81:8-9 is that the parents will be questioned if they made any sort of discrepancy in rearing their sons and daughters.
In contrary to the utilitarian attitude of some parents of the present world, the Islamic teachings to do justice between sons and daughters can be followed by the humanity.