The Muslim Mommy Guide to Welcoming the New Baby

By Ruhaifa Adil

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

A new child is Allah’s gift, and those parents whose children grow up to be righteous slaves of Allah are the luckiest of all!

A new baby is a miracle of Allah! Tiny yet perfectly formed, created in the darkness of the womb! Every child who comes in this world is clean, pure and sin-free. However, the minute it is born, it is attacked by Shaytan who continues to fulfill the promise he made to Allah to lead humankind astray and to take them to hellfire with him. Every parent though is blessed with an innate desire to protect their child from every harm, and with Shaytaan around, it is never too early to begin putting up a wall of protection around the baby. Alhamdulillah, Islam has given us many guidelines on how to protect our children and how to begin their life on the path of Allah. Here is a break up for you to help you welcome your baby the Muslim mommy way:

1. Give the Adhan

The first words that a baby should hear are the words of the adhan as established through the Sunnah. Abu Rafi relates that: “I saw the Prophet saying the adhan of salah in the ear of his grandson Hasan, when the child was born to his daughter Fatima.” (Abu Dawud; reliable) Have your husband recite the adhan softly into your baby’s ears as soon as the pediatrician has done his checkup, dressed up the baby, and handed him or her over.

2. Perform Tahneek

Aisha (rah) narrates that “the people used to bring their newborn children to the Prophet (sa) and he would bless them and perform the tahneek.” (Sahih Muslim) Perform the Sunnah of Tahneek by softening a date with your hand and rubbing a very little bit of it on the baby’s palate.

3. Greet your Baby

Your baby will be brought to you after he or she is cleaned up to meet you and for his or her first feed. Greet your baby with salaam. Don’t say Assalamu Alaikum; rather say Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Think about the meaning- Peace be upon you and the mercy and blessings of Allah. Could there be a better way to greet your little bundle of joy?

4. Make Dua for your Baby

You are a mother now, the one under whose feet lies Paradise for your children; the one whose pleasure or displeasure can make or break your child in the eyes of Allah; the one whose duas can move mountains for your baby. Make dua for your child when you meet him or her.

Abu Huraira related that he heard Allah’s Messenger (sa) say: “Satan touches every one born among the offspring of Adam. Every child cries loudly at the time of birth because of the touch of Satan; the exceptions were Mary and her child.” Then Abu Huraira recited: “And I seek refuge with You for her and for her offspring from the outcast Satan.” (3:36) (Sahih Bukhari)

So why not pray for your little one what Maryam’s mother prayed for her when she was born:

‏{‏وَإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ ‏}‏

I seek refuge with You (Allah) for her and for her offspring from Shaitan (Satan), the outcast. (3:36)

5. Incorporating Sunnah into His or Her Life

Start your baby on the path of Sunnah from the first day. When he comes to you for your feed, say Bismillah and then the dua for drinking milk Allahumma barik lana feehi wa zidna minhu. At the end of the feed, read the dua for ending the meal. When he burps, say Alhamdulillah. When he sneezes, say Alhamdulillah and reply to it as well with Yarhamukallah. When he yawns, cover his mouth. When you change him or her into the new clothes you have lovingly bought for him or her, say the dua for wearing new clothes. Let your child be born into an environment where everything revolves around Allah! If you are not into the habit of this yourself, the baby will be a bigger blessing by helping you incorporate the Sunnah into your life as well!

6. Duas for protection

The Prophet (sa) has taught us many duas to combat the evil eye. It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Prophet (sa) used to seek refuge with Allah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn. He said: Your father [Ibraheem] used to seek refuge with Allah for Isma‘eel and Is-haq with these words:

أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لاَمَّةٍ

(I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah, from every devil and every poisonous reptile, and from every bad eye).” (Bukhari)

Recite this and other duas for your baby day and night to seek Allah’s protection for him or her.

7. Father’s acceptance of Dua

The mother has three times the status than the father for a child. However, the Prophet (sa) said: “Three supplications are answered, with no doubt: that of a father, that of a traveller, and that of someone who has been wronged.” (Abu Dawud; reliable)

Involve your husband as much as possible. Let him know that his status as a father is supreme as well and that his dua for his baby will not be rejected by Allah. Make plans with your husband about the baby, and make dua to Allah to accept your plans!

May Allah grant every parent lots of fun and happiness through their baby, not only in this world but also the next. Ameen!

Ruhaifa Adil is a mother of four, a practising Muslimah, an avid reader, and a passionate writer. She works primarily as a trainer for mothers and teachers, advocating a multi sensorial, learner-centred approach, which she has learnt through her work as a remedial specialist for children with dyslexia. She is also an author of English textbooks, based on the teachings of the Quran (currently under editing), and creative director of a Tafseer app for kids (soon to be launched Insha’Allah). Her latest project is Qutor.com, a website that helps connect Quran teachers and students.

Photo credit: Nic Taylor Photography / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND