Birth of New baby
Pillars of Islam
Asked on 12th September 2020
Question
Assalaamou'alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakaatouh,
What should we do when we had a baby, for the father and for the mother?
Jazaak Allah khair.
Answer
Wa'alaykumsalaam Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakaatouh
A summary of what Sheikh Saalih Al Munajjid mentioned:
There follows an outline of what should be done on the day of the child’s birth, and after that:
It is mustahabb to do tahneek for the baby and to pray for him.
It was reported that Abu Moosa said: “I had a baby boy, and I brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He named him Ibraaheem, did Tahneek with some dates and prayed for Allaah to bless him, then he gave him back to me.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5150; Muslim, 2145). Tahneek means putting something sweet, such as dates or honey, in the child’s mouth when he is first born.
It is permissible to name the child on the first day or on the seventh.
It was reported that Anas ibn Maalik said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A boy was born to me this night and I have named him with the name of my father Ibraaheem.” (Narrated by Muslim, 3126).
It was reported that ‘Aa’ishah said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did ‘aqeeqah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn on the seventh day, and gave them their names. (Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan, 12/127; al-Haakim, 4/264. Classed as saheeh by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 9/589).
‘Aqeeqah and circumcision
It was reported that Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A boy is ransomed by his ‘aqeeqah. Sacrifice should be made for him on the seventh day, he should be given a name and his head should be shaved.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1522; al-Nasaa’i, 4220 and Abu Dawood, 2838. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him, in al-Irwaa’ 4/385).
Thirdly:
Among the Sunnahs for welcoming the newborn, the scholars mentioned that the Adhaan should be recited into the baby’s right ear so that the first thing he hears in this world will be the words of Tawheed, which will have a great and blessed effect on the child. With regard to reciting the iqaamah in the child’s left ear, there is nothing to prove that this is required. (See al-Silsilat al-Da’eefah, 1/491).
Fourthly:
Shaving the child’s head then anointing the child’s head with saffron is very beneficial. Then it is prescribed to give in charity gold or silver equal in weight to the hair. This does not have to be done by actually weighing the hair; if it is too difficult to do that, it is sufficient to estimate the weight and give paper currency equivalent to the price of that amount of gold or silver. We ask Allaah to protect us and our children from all evil and to keep them safe and sound in this world and in the Hereafter.
Allah knows best
A summary of what Sheikh Saalih Al Munajjid mentioned:
There follows an outline of what should be done on the day of the child’s birth, and after that:
It is mustahabb to do tahneek for the baby and to pray for him.
It was reported that Abu Moosa said: “I had a baby boy, and I brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He named him Ibraaheem, did Tahneek with some dates and prayed for Allaah to bless him, then he gave him back to me.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5150; Muslim, 2145). Tahneek means putting something sweet, such as dates or honey, in the child’s mouth when he is first born.
It is permissible to name the child on the first day or on the seventh.
It was reported that Anas ibn Maalik said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A boy was born to me this night and I have named him with the name of my father Ibraaheem.” (Narrated by Muslim, 3126).
It was reported that ‘Aa’ishah said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did ‘aqeeqah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn on the seventh day, and gave them their names. (Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan, 12/127; al-Haakim, 4/264. Classed as saheeh by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 9/589).
‘Aqeeqah and circumcision
It was reported that Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A boy is ransomed by his ‘aqeeqah. Sacrifice should be made for him on the seventh day, he should be given a name and his head should be shaved.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1522; al-Nasaa’i, 4220 and Abu Dawood, 2838. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him, in al-Irwaa’ 4/385).
Thirdly:
Among the Sunnahs for welcoming the newborn, the scholars mentioned that the Adhaan should be recited into the baby’s right ear so that the first thing he hears in this world will be the words of Tawheed, which will have a great and blessed effect on the child. With regard to reciting the iqaamah in the child’s left ear, there is nothing to prove that this is required. (See al-Silsilat al-Da’eefah, 1/491).
Fourthly:
Shaving the child’s head then anointing the child’s head with saffron is very beneficial. Then it is prescribed to give in charity gold or silver equal in weight to the hair. This does not have to be done by actually weighing the hair; if it is too difficult to do that, it is sufficient to estimate the weight and give paper currency equivalent to the price of that amount of gold or silver. We ask Allaah to protect us and our children from all evil and to keep them safe and sound in this world and in the Hereafter.
Allah knows best