Friday, October 19, 2012

Islam & Newborns...

So I've been thinking about this for a few weeks now. There are practices that are encouraged (if not wajib/mandatory) for us to follow with newborns and their first few days/weeks.
We should remember that we are laying the foundations of Islam in our children's lives, therefore we shouldn't dismiss the importance of following religious teachings from the very beginning.
To be honest, the only thing I knew about was that the adhan must be said into the ear and that we'd be organising an aqiqah to be done about 7 days after the birth. So I did a bit more research, inshaAllah you'll find it helpful at some point sisters :) This is all according to the Jaafari fiqh. I would be really interested to know about others' experiences so inshaAllah if there was anything in particular you did please let me know!

1. A virtuous child is a fragrant flower from the flowers of Heaven. Holy Prophet (s)

2. No parent has given a better gift to his child than good manners. Imam Ali (a)

"Aqiqa

On the seventh day after the birth of a child Aqīq is performed.  Family friends and other Muslim should be invited.  ‘Aqīq consists of giving a name to the baby, shaving its hair, and offering a sacrifice.  It is  recommended that the new-born baby should be given either a compound name containing one of the most beautiful names of God (e.g. ‘Abd al-Hamīd), or the name of one of the fourteen Ma’sūms or another holy figure; or that a name should be found from the Qur’ān.  In the latter case, the Qur’ān is opened  with the solemn intention of seeking God’s guidance and blessing and saying bi-’smi ’llāhi r-rahmān r-rahīm,  and then a name derived from one of the  Arabic roots found on that page is chosen.
...The hair of the baby is shaved. It is recommended to weigh the cut hair in silver, and give its value to the poor or to orphans as alms.  A goat, a sheep or other such animal should be sacrificed either after shaving the hair or at the same time, but not before. 
...
After the sacrifice, the greater part of the meat should be distributed among the poor and needy.  It may also be served to the guests, but it is disapproved for the parents of the baby and their dependents to eat it.
If, due to any reason, ‘aqīq is not performed on the seventh day after the birth of the child, it may be offered later on, at any time, even by the child itself after attaining puberty.
This rite is not obligatory but recommended, and there are many Traditions which emphasize it."

Circumcision
" The circumcision (khatn or khitan, or in many Islamic countries simply sunna) of a male child is an obligation on every Muslim before the child reaches puberty. If the parents fail to have this rite performed, it is the duty of every adult uncircumcised Muslim to be circumcised. Those who embrace Islam should also perform this rite if they are not ready circumcision is not mentioned in the Qur’an, but it is much emphasized in the Traditions, and the consensus of the ulema is that it is obligatory on all Muslims.
Circumcision should preferably be performed when the baby is only a few days old, or otherwise at any time before his puberty. In many countries it is normally carried out between the ages of three and seven, but it is recommended to perform this rite on the seventh day after the birth of the child. Facilities for circumcision are normally provided at hospitals."


Adhan & iqamah
"The prophet of Islam too has given his view on this important aspect of training of the children. He has said:
 “No sooner the child is born, recite the adhan ( the Call for Prayer ) in the right ear and the iqamah ( the Call to rise for Offering the Prayer ) in the left."
  Ali AS narrates from the Holy Prophet:
 “When a child is born in any family, the adhan should be recited in the child’s right ear and the iqamah in the left ear that the child is protected from the evil of the Satan. He (The Prophet) gave the same instruction at the birth of Imam Hasan AS  and Imam Hussain AS. In addition he asked for recitation of ayat al Kursi, the final verses of Hashr, al Ikhlas, al Nas, and al Falaq to reach the child’s ears" (Mustadrak al-wasail,v2, p. 619)
 In some traditions it is narrated:
 “The Holy Prophet himself recited the adhan and the iqamah in the ears of Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain at their birth."
 
http://www.al-islam.org/upbringing/
 
 

1 comment:

TH said...

Salaam! Thank you! I didn't know many of these details. Especially that the child shouldn't be named until a week after its birth.

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