ABSTRACT
CHILDREN are generally much longed for. (159) R-rajel blg uuzd bly;,l l-'aud bla qaid, "A man without
children is like a horse without a tether." (160) J-jwaj blg 'qy&l qlil dw&mu ne r-rjal, "A marriage
without children does not last long for men." Of a man who leaves children when he dies it is said:-
Yet when, on the death of a man, condolers say to his widow that her husband has left a son in his place, she answers :-
It is said, in accordance with Muhammadan tradition, that in the case of the first child the birth of a girl is a greater blessing than that of a boy :-
(163) Li y~bda l-wiXlda l-luliya be ljarj farraj allah 'alih, "He whose first child is one with a vulva was gladdened by God."
