CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR BABY!!!

Alhamdulilah for your bundle of joy. For those expecting, may Allah grant you safe delivery (bookmark this post too), thumma sabila yansarau, for those awaiting, may Allah grant your desires and give you what is best, take solace from THIS VERSE OF THE QURAN.

So, now you have your bundle of joy in your arms, she was born just a few seconds ago, so what next? This post seeks to extensively highlight all the Islamic procedures from the birth of a child till the day he is named. May Allah guide. Ameen.


ADHAN AND IQAMAH
The Baby should be introduced to Allah by reciting the ADHAN and the IQAMAH in his ears. This can be done by the father of the child, a relative, a muezzin or by any righteous person who can. They should face the Qiblah and recite the ADHAN in the right ear and the IQAMAH in the left. This introduces the child to his Lord and welcomes him, it also serves as a warning to shaytan and Umm Sabyan(female Jinn who frightens children) , such that fear will never reach the child nor will the Devils trouble him or her. In sha Allah

SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS
Relatives, friends and colleagues are all on edge and anxious to hear the good news of a blessed child, it's imperative to spread the news of the birth of the child. Evidence to this effect can be seen in numerous places in the Quran where Allah conveys good news of a child to His prophets. For example, when Zakariyyah AS was given the news of a son, Yahya. It is stated in Q3:39; ' Then the angels called him while he was standing in prayer in a private room saying 'Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya'. Those who hear the good news of the birth should congratulate the new parents with the following invocation,
'Barakallahu laka fil mawhoobi laka, wa shakartal waahiba wa balagha ashuddah wa ruziqta birrah ( may Allah bless you with His gift to you, may you give thanks, may the child reach the maturity of years, and may you be granted its righteousness).
In reply, the new parents should say,
'Barakallahu laka wa baaraka alayk, wa jazakallahu khairan, wa razaqaka Llahu mithla, wa ajzala thawaabak.(may Allah bless you and shower His blessings upon you. And may Allah reward you well and bestow upon you its like and reward you abundantly)
An Nawawi, kitaabul adhkaar 349..

FRESH DATES

Fresh dates, and if not available, any dates, should be softened/mashed and with a finger rubbed into the left and right sides of the baby's mouth. This is called Tahnik. It can be done by the father, mother or anyone of faith. As recorded in Sahih Muslim, Imam An Nawawi said ' scholars are agreed upon the recommendation of performing Tahnik upon the baby after its birth' Aisha RA also was reported to have said that ' new born children used to be brought to the prophet SAW and he would supplicate for blessings for them and run a chewed date upon their palate (Muslim) . Thus, the person doing to the Tahnik should remember to supplicate extensively for the new born just as be rubs the dates on the baby's palate.

NAME THE CHILD
This can be done the day the baby is born or on the 7th day. The father and mother may come together to agree on a name, but the final say resides with the father. He can delegate the right to his wife however. In addition, other people can be asked to give a name to the child. Evidence abound where the companions bring their children to the Nabiyy SAW for naming. It is the duty of whoever names the child to give the child good blessed names. For the prophet SAW said ' On the day of resurrection, you will be called by your names and your father's names, so make your names good. (Abu Dawud)
Among the names recommended are the Names of Allah with the prefix of Abd., also with the names of the prophets, for there is an hadith where the prophet SAW said ' a son was born to me this night, and I called him after my forefather, Ibrahim. (Muslim) , the child can also be named after any pious person and generally names with good meanings. We are forbidden from naming children with names that show servitude to others other than Allah, or names of tyrants and evil people, and also names that are peculiar to the unbelievers. It is with dismay that I observed the recent trend of Muslim parents naming their children with names peculiar to the unbelievers, the name even supercedes the Islamic name given to the child, because that's the name the parents prefer to call the child, all in a bid to seem hip or modern. This practice has no basin in Islam and Muslims should be careful of What they do in order not to invite unpleasant events into their homes.

AQIQAH
On the 7 th day after the birth of the baby, sheep/goat should be sacrificed to give thanks to Allah ad fulfill all righteousness. The Prophet SAW said 'every child is in pledge for his aqiqah, which is sacrificed for it on its 7th day, and it is named on it and it's head is shaved. Abu Dawud. If the child is a boy, two sheep should be sacrificed, but if its a girl, 1 sheep.

SHAVING
This should preferably be done on the 7th day. The hair of birth should be completely shaved for both the male and female child and gold(money) should be given as sadaqa according to the weight of the hair.

CIRCUMCISION OF BOYS
This is an obligatory act which is recommended to be done on the 7th day, it must however be done before the child attains bulugh (puberty) .

Alhamdulilah. This is all it entails. If you feel I left something out, or you have a question or comment, please indicate in the box below. Jazakumullahu khairan.
I appreciate your reading this.
Ma salam.