The Prophet's Guidance at Birth and in Raising Children

Ibn al-Qayyim presents in this chapter the Prophet's ﷺ comprehensive guidance regarding birth, the welcoming of newborns, the rites associated with childhood, and the upbringing of children in faith and virtue. These practices are among the most practical aspects of Prophetic guidance, touching on the everyday life of Muslim families across centuries.

When a child is born, the Prophet ﷺ established the practice of performing the adhan in the right ear of the newborn and the iqamah in the left. The first words a child hears upon entering the world are thus the declaration of Allah's greatness, the testimony of faith, and the call to prayer — planting the seeds of tawhid in the heart before any other influence can take hold. He would also perform tahnik — softening a piece of date and placing it on the palate of the newborn — as a blessed beginning.

The aqiqah — the sacrifice performed on the seventh day after birth — is a firmly established Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Every child is held in pledge by his aqiqah, which is slaughtered on his behalf on the seventh day, and he is given a name and his head is shaved.' Two sheep are sacrificed for a boy and one for a girl. The name is given on the seventh day, and the Prophet ﷺ encouraged names that carry good meaning, particularly the names Abdullah and Abd al-Rahman, which he called 'the most beloved names to Allah.'

He commanded the shaving of the newborn's head on the seventh day and the giving of its weight in silver as charity. He discouraged names with negative or arrogant connotations and changed the names of companions whose names carried such meanings — renaming Harb (war) to a peaceful name, and Hazn (sorrow) to Sahl (ease) — though the companion in the latter case refused, and Ibn al-Qayyim notes that his family thereafter was characterized by sorrow.

Regarding circumcision, the Prophet ﷺ included it among the acts of fitra (natural disposition), and he commanded it for those who had not been circumcised upon entering Islam. The scholars differ on whether it is obligatory or a confirmed Sunnah, but all agree it is among the defining markers of the Muslim community.

In raising children, the Prophet's ﷺ example showed a balance of warmth, wisdom, and instruction. He was tender with children — he would carry his grandsons al-Hasan and al-Husayn on his back during prayer, prostrating long to allow them to dismount. He said: 'Whoever has three daughters and is patient with them and provides for them from what he earns, they will be a shield for him against the Fire.' He would sit with children, joke with them, and address them respectfully. He taught children to begin eating with the right hand and to say Bismillah, foundational etiquettes that shape character from the earliest age.