NOTE 71 many of their female children. This fearful custom, which was most prevalent among the tribes of Koreish and Kindah, was denounced in burning terms by Mohammed and was prohibited under severe penalties, along with the inhuman practice, which they in common with other nations of antiquity observed, of sacrificing children to their Gods.2 Mohammed's great contribution was to effect a drastic change in the position of women. Although he could not 'completely liberate them from the social tyranny of the tribe, he succeded in elevating their status in certain respects. One such contribution was the principle of respect for women. "Paradise is at the foot of the mother", said the Prophet to his followers. There are various other sayings in which he drove the point home:'Tear God in respect of your obligations to the womenfolk" and "You have rights over women and women have rights over you." Mohammed strongly disapproved of the custom of burning daughters alive8 and pointed his fingers at the inhuman practice.4 He clearly underlined the importance of daughters in the family. According to Abdulla Ibn Masud, the Prophet is reported to have said," if a daughter is born to a person and he brings her up, gives her a good education and trains her in the arts of life, I shall myself stand between him and hellfire/' Awas Malik quotes the Prophet as saying: "Girls are models of affection and sympathy and a blessing to the family. If a person has one daughter, God will screen him from the fire of hell because of his daughter, if he has two daughters, God will admit him to paradise; if he has three. God will exempt him from the obligations of charity and Jihad." Against Marriage Customs The custom of female infanticide meant paucity of women, and marriage by capture or purchase. Ayesha, the beloved wife of the Prophet thus gave an account of marriage and sex: During the Jahiliyyat (days of ignorance) there were four kinds of marriages. One of them was like our own form of marriage in which one person asked another for the hand of his daughter... fixed the dowry and then took her in marriage. Another form of marriage was this: as soon as a woman became clean after her period of menstruation, she was sent by her husband to another person who had sexual intercourse with her, until she became pregnant by the other person. When this happened the husband again had normal sexual relations with her and he did all this so that he may have a child of superior blood. This form of marriage was called Nikha-i-Istib^a. A third form of marriage was also current. About ten or less than ten persons gathered together and had sexual intercourse with a woman, turn by turn. When she became pregnant and gave birth to a child, she sent for all of them and none could refuse her invitation. When all her lovers gathered together she would say: "You all know what has