For example...

For example, if a child is physically handicapped and cannot earn his livelihood like his brothers, a special favour to him will not be incorrect, but to an extent, it will be essential and worthy of Divine reward, Similarly, should any child dedicate himself to the cause of Imaan or public welfare and have no time to look after his economic needs, it would also be correct and deserving of reward, to make a reasonable allowance for him over the other children.

There is no harm if the preference is shown to one of the children with the consent of others (i.e., brother and sisters). In a version, the Prophet (PBUH&HP) says: Treat all your children equally in regard to free gifts. If I were to show preference in this matter, I would show it to my daughters.

(If equality was not necessary and binding, I would have declared that more be given to daughters than to sons.) It can be concluded from this version that though, after the death of the parents, the shares of daughters in ancestral property is half of the sons, in their lifetime, the share of both the sons and the daughters is equal. Therefore, whatever the parents give to the sons, in their lifetime, should also be given to the daughters.

Responsibility of Marriage It is the duty of parents to arrange the marriage of their children when they come of age. The Prophet (PBUH&HP) has stressed that it should be taken seriously and with a full sense of responsibility. Abu Saeed Khudri and Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet (PBUH&HP) said: Whoever is blessed by the Creator with children should give them good names, a good training, teach them good manners, and arrange for their marriage when they attain the age of puberty.

If he does not pay due heed to it and fails to get them married, on reaching marriageable age (due to negligence) and they take no ways that are forbidden, the father will be held responsible for it. Commentary: In this version, the marriage of the children, too, on their attaining the marriageable age, has been made a responsibility of the father.

But alas we are growing increasingly indifferent to it mainly because we have made marriage a most tiresome and expensive affair by following and adopting the customs of others.