Treat your daughters like humans, not corpses.
There is a lot of jahiliya still in our Muslim circles.
Giving birth to a baby girl is considered a setback or a waste of time, instead of a blessing. Compound that with the mental setback daughters can have if the father feels the same way. He gives her no attention, letting her desperately seek male attention through other means, scarring her for life.
The only love she received from her father was when she was just a little child, but that slowly dwindled as she got older because now she is a woman, so she’s almost not a mahram anymore.
No affection, no hugs, no special treatment. Just the typical, “How are you doing?”
After all, when she gets married, she becomes someone else’s “daughter,” right?
Wrong.
Your daughter is still your daughter, and if things go south, she falls back under your protection, dad.
You’re not being a good Muslim by neglecting her, thinking you’re doing the right thing.
Why don’t you follow the example of the Prophet ﷺ and how he treated his daughter Fatima RA?
The Prophet ﷺ was firm when he had to be, and gentle and kind at the same time.
When the Prophet ﷺ gave his famous speech in Makkah at the declaration of Prophethood, he was telling his family to believe in Allah, and save yourselves from the hellfire. He mentioned all the tribes, and started naming individual family members, concluding with Fatima RA where he told her to, “fear Allah, because I won’t be able to save you from the fire of hell. But in this world, ask me for whatever I have and I will give it to you.”
Even in this pivotal moment of his life, he ﷺ was being strict and loving at the same time with his daughter.
He showed his love for his daughter, even in such nerve racking circumstances, and he wasn’t afraid to hide it.
In many other instances, the Prophet ﷺ would outwardly show his love to Fatima RA by standing up to greet her, kissing her forehead and even seating her in his place when she came to visit.
This, my fellow Muslim Dad, is how we treat our daughters.