What Islam Says About Children (part 3 of 5): Welcoming the Newborn
 One of the most important obligations in Islam is for parents
to love and nurture their children. Children have the right to be protected,
and the right to learn how to worship and obey God. As previously discussed
children’s rights come into play even before their conception and birth and God
warns humankind to protect themselves and their families from the torment of
the fire.
“O
you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) …”
(Quran 66:6)
The birth of a child, male or female, is a cause for
great celebration. In Islam there is certain etiquette involved in welcoming
the child into the family and community. There are a number of recommended rituals
from the authentic traditions of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings
of God be upon him, that are to be done that ensure the newborn is received properly
by the Muslim society. However, the absence of any or all of these recommended
actions does not negate any children’s rights in Islam.
It is recommended that the parents or caregivers do tahneek
and pray for the newborn child. Tahneek means putting something sweet
such as dates or honey into the child’s mouth. One of Prophet Muhammad’s
companions, Abu Musa, may God be pleased with him, said, “I had a baby boy and I
brought him to the Prophet. He named him Ibrahem, did tahneek with a date
and prayed for God to bless him, then he gave him back to me.”[1]
Noted
Islamic scholar Imam an Nawawi said that it is recommended to do tahneek
with dates for the child when he is born; if that is not possible then to use
some similar kind of sweet. The date should be chewed until it becomes soft
enough for the baby to suck on it with ease.
The
words of the call to prayer are often recited softly into the new born baby’s
right ear soon after birth. The first thing the child hears in this world, are
the words of submission to One God. It was reported that one of Prophet Muhammad’s
companions saw him say the call to prayer in the right ear of one of his newborn
grandsons.[2] The newborn
child is entitled to a good name. Names are important; a person’s name conveys
meaning and becomes a symbol of that person. It is recommended that the child
be named on the seventh day after his or her birth, however Islamic scholar Ibn
al Qayyim said the matter was “wide in scope” and that it was permissible to
name the child after birth, or on the seventh day or at any time before or
after those days.[3]
It is usual for the father to name the child however
scholars recommend that parents choose the name together. More important is
that the child should be given a good name, such as ‘Abd-Allah or ‘Abd
al-Rahmaan. Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon
him, said “The most beloved of your names to God are ‘Abd-Allaah (slave of
God) and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan. (slave of the Most Merciful)”[4] It is also
recommended that the child be named after Prophets, or righteous predecessors. Prophet
Muhammad named his own son Ibrahim after Prophet Ibrahim. He said, “A
child was born to me last night and I called him by the name of my father
Ibrahim.”[5]
It is forbidden to use names that belong only to God,
such as al-Khaaliq (the Creator) and al-Quddoos
(the Most Holy), or names which are not befitting for anyone other than God,
such as Malik al-Mulook (King of Kings). It is also forbidden to use names
that imply enslavement to any one or anything but God, such as ‘Abd al-‘Uzza
(slave of al-Uzza – a pagan goddess), Abd al-Kabah (slave of the Kabah), Abd
al-Daar (slave of the House).
It is disliked to use
names that have bad or distasteful meanings, or which sound odd, or would cause
others to mock a person, or cause him embarrassment. It is also better not to
use names that are associated with sinners or tyrants. Some scholars also dislike
naming children after angels or the names of chapters of Quran. Names have
meanings and implied meanings and these meanings will have an effect on the
child for good or for bad. Parents must take great care when choosing an
appropriate name for their newborn child.
In
Islam it is recommended that parents observe the birth of a child with an
offering known as the aqeeqah.
When a child is born it is commonplace for the family to slaughter one or two sheep and
to invite relatives and neighbours to a meal, in order to allow the community
to share in the happy event.
Although an aqeeqah
is not obligatory it does contain many benefits. Ibn al-Qayyim, said that the aqeeqah
is a sacrifice by means of which the child is brought close to God soon after
he comes into this world, it is a sacrifice by which the newborn is ransomed
just as God ransomed Ismael with the ram[6] and it is the gathering of relatives and friends for
the Waleemah (feast).
One of the rituals
pertaining to newborn children and part of the rights due to children is
circumcision. It is obligatory for baby boys to be circumcised. Prophet
Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said that five things
are part of the inherent nature of people. They are circumcision, shaving the
pubic hair, plucking the armpit hair, cutting the nails, and trimming the
moustache.[7] These things are related to purity and essential
conditions of prayer and imply complete submission to the will of God.
It is from the authentic
traditions of Prophet Muhammad that the new born child’s hair be shaved and
that the weight of the hair be given in gold or silver to charity[8]. It is sufficient to estimate the weight and give the
equivalent amount in currency.
Welcoming the newborn child
into the family and community is more than a celebration; the rights and
rituals performed serve to remind believers that children in Islam have rights.
Whether the parents are alive or deceased, present or absent, known or unknown
the child is entitled to be cared for and raised in security, surrounded by
God’s love and laws. Next week we will discover and explore the rights of
children as they grow into adulthood.
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