The Sunnah of Being Born – Yaser Birjas

33 Comments

1. 

   Amatullah

   October 30, 2009 at 10:30 AM

   Assalamu Alykum

   A good book by Sheikh Jibaly on this topic, “Our Precious Sprouts”.

   Reply
2. 

   Holly Garza

   October 30, 2009 at 12:38 PM

   JazakAllah Khayer for sharing this!

   Reply
3. 

   Muslima2

   October 30, 2009 at 1:09 PM

   As’salaam Alaikum,

   Very nice, Ma sha Allah. Yes, Muhammad Jibaly (May Allah preserve him, Ameen) did an excellent job in his book Our Precious Sprouts. Also, he has a nice book on the rights and dealing between the husband and wife in The Fragile Vessel. I believe it’s an entire family series which includes the aforementioned book.

   Jazzak Allah Khair.

   Reply
4. 

   Aboo Ja3far

   October 30, 2009 at 3:05 PM

   asalamu 3laykum
   Jazakum Allahu khayr, will these classes, on the books, be recorded?

   Reply
5. 

   abu abdAllah Tariq Ahmed

   October 30, 2009 at 3:13 PM

   Alhamdolillah! Now that Shaykh Yaser is in Chicago, maybe we’ll get more videos of his lectures, bi ‘idhnillah!

   Reply
6. 

   Nirgaz

   October 30, 2009 at 4:28 PM

   JazakAllah Khair for this video, good knowledge to know.
   I would like to know the proper way, in a concise as possible, how to do Tahnik…the main reason I didn’t do it for my kids was that I wasn’t sure if I should just squish up a date and put a little piece to the roof of their mouth and leave it or just let them taste a little and then remove it? And also i always breastfeed my children so is this something that should be done prior to nursing or just as soon as you are able to?
   Thanks for your assistance,
   Umsalih

   Reply
   • 

     Muslima2

     October 30, 2009 at 6:16 PM

     According to ‘Our Precious Sprouts’ by Muhammad AlJibaly

     Tahnik is to chew some food and then insert it into a baby’s mouth. Usually, the food is dates, and is rubbed against the baby’s hanak (upper jaw or palate) so that the baby would suck on it or eat it.

     Authentic Reports

     There are several authentic reports of the Prophet (alehi salatul salam) performing tahnik for newborns. For example, Anas (r) and Sahl Bin Sa’d (r) reported:

     “Newborns were occasionally brought to Allah’s Messenger (alehi salaatul was salaam). He would invoke Allah’s blessings over them and perform Tahnik.”

     Anas (r) also reported that when his mother, Umm Sulaym, gave birth to his younger brother, ‘Abdullah, she told him to take him to the Prophet (alehi salatul salam) with some dates. The Prophet (sal Allahu alehi salam) took some of the dates, chewed on them, mixing them with his saliva, opened the baby’s mouth, and rubbed the chewed dates inside his mouth. The baby started hungrily sucking the sweetness of the dates together with Allah’s Messenger (alehi salam) saliva. Thus the first thing to enter the baby’s stomach was the saliva of Allah’s Messenger (alehi salatul salam).

     Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim

     I hope this helps Insha Allah ta ala. It is pretty straight-forward and clear to me. May Allah guide us all in practicing the Sunnah of His prophet (alehi salaatul salaam), Ameen.

     Reply
7. 

   Muhammad

   October 31, 2009 at 2:26 AM

   I’m want to know is there any justice to my Book which is given to us by Allah(swt):

   What should i do or our Scholar’s when our Book is degraded by people who make these fake stories. i’m pointing to a report by presstv and other news media a boy with Quranic Verses being appeared.

   Please Shaikh Yasir if you can advise or comment on this i’m bit disturb by this news and how Muslims are involved in these act.
   Jazakallahkhair.

   Reply
8. 

   Abd- Allah

   October 31, 2009 at 7:38 AM

   Assalam Alaikum

   Just a note, it is not the sunnah to call the Adhan in the ear of the newborn baby, because none of the hadiths that mention it are authentic.

   Allah knows best.

   Reply
   • 

     Mohammed Khan

     October 31, 2009 at 1:04 PM

     Walaykumsalaam Abd- Allah,

     What did the Hanafi, Malik, Shafi’i, and Hanbali schools say about Adhan in the ear of a newborn baby? Instead of making either-or statements like that without context, it is best to refer to ‘those who know’. A Hanafi scholar has this to say:

     “It is recommended (mustahabb) according to the Hanafi school (and similarly the Maliki, Shafi`i and Hanbali schools), to call adhan in the right ear of the newborn [Ibn `Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar] and then iqamah in the left ear [Qari, Mirqat ; Kashmiri, al-`Arf al-Shadhiyy ]. It may be noted that the evidence for the subsequent iqamah in the left ear is weaker than that for the adhan in the right ear, and thus some scholars mention only the adhan for the newborn. [e.g. see Nawawi, al-Majmu` ]

     It is reported that Abu Rafi` (a Companion) said, “I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and his household and grant them peace) give adhan in the ear of al-Hasan, the son of `Ali, when Fatimah gave birth to him.”

     This hadith is recorded by al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ahmad, al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi, and is one of the stronger hadith on the subject. Hafiz al-Tirmidhi judged it as authentic, but in reality it contains some weakness, as was pointed out by al-Mundhiri and others. One of its narrators, `Asim ibn `Ubaydullah, was considered weak by some (but not all) hadith authorities, but he was not excessively weak nor an impugned liar.

     Nevertheless, even if this narration is taken as weak, it is strengthened by other supporting narrations, as pointed out by `Allamah Mubarakpuri in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi (his commentary on Sunan al-Tirmidhi), Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir al-Arna’ut (in his editorial’s notes on Tuhfat al-Mawdud ) and others. It is generally accepted among scholars of hadith (as has been documented from Imam Ahmad, Sufyan ibn `Uyaynah, al-Tirmidhi and al-Bukhari) that a moderately weak hadith can become acceptable if there are sufficient supporting narrations.

     Furthermore, Hafiz al-Tirmidhi has mentioned that “practice is upon it,” i.e. that the practice of the early Muslim community was in accordance with this hadith, indicating that this rite does have a basis.

     Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim, in his valuable book on the regulations relating to the newborn Tuhfat al-Mawdud bi-Ahkam al-Mawlud , has included a chapter entitled “Concerning the desirability of giving adhan in [the newborn’s right ear, and iqamah in the left.” He cites three hadiths on the subject (of varying authenticities), and then proceeds to point out some of the possible deeper meaning and rationale behind this practice: that it is wise to ensure that the first words the baby hears are words containing the majesty and greatness of Allah, and a reminder of the testimony of faith by which one enters Islam, and with which one would be reminded by other Muslims close to one’s death. We also know (as narrated by Muslim) that every human being has one of the jinn accompanying him, and calling adhan to the newborn ensures that the call to goodness and true faith precedes the whisperings to evil that would later come from the accompanying devil. It is also established (as narrated by Bukhari and Muslim) that Satan runs away from adhan, and this reveals a further benefit.

     We should point out that these rationales are not themselves proofs (such that if we did not have any hadiths on the subject, then such reasoning would not be sufficient to make the practice sunnah). Rather, given that a basis already exists for the practice, as mentioned above, these are beneficial insights and reminders. On a similar note, Shah `Abdul-`Aziz al-Dihlawi has speculated that the adhan and iqamah given at birth are quite possibly intended for the person’s funeral prayer after death [Kashmiri, al-`Arf al-Shadhiyy ], for we know that there is no adhan and iqamah called for Salat al-Janazah, and death can strike at any moment.

     And Allah knows best.”

     Wassalam,
     Mohammed.

     Reply
     • 

       Abd- Allah

       October 31, 2009 at 2:57 PM

       Brother Mohammed,

       I did “refer to ‘those who know’.”, and what I said is not something that I came up with on my own, but rather a view that is held by many scholars that the hadiths about this issue are weak as you even noted yourself in your own comment, and that the adhan should not be called in the baby’s ear. I kept my comment short because it was a note only, and because no one likes to read long comments, so whoever is interested in the details of this issue would go back and look it up on their own and read more about it.

       Reply
       • 

         Mohammed Khan

         October 31, 2009 at 8:41 PM

         Salaam brother Abd- Allah,

         Your misunderstanding unfortunately persists. Yes, the hadeeth are weak but scholars did not say “that the adhan should not be called in the baby’s ear.” They said the opposite.

         Sh. Ibn al-Qayyim gives the following reasons as stated in the article:

         —It is wise to ensure that the first words the baby hears are words containing the majesty and greatness of Allah, and a reminder of the testimony of faith by which one enters Islam, and with which one would be reminded by other Muslims close to one’s death.

         —We also know (as narrated by Muslim) that every human being has one of the jinn accompanying him, and calling adhan to the newborn ensures that the call to goodness and true faith precedes the whisperings to evil that would later come from the accompanying devil.

         —It is also established (as narrated by Bukhari and Muslim) that Satan runs away from adhan, and this reveals a further benefit.

         Because an act is not sunnah does not automatically make it impermissible or something we should not do. Saying adhan in the baby’s right ear has certain benefits that are supported by the Qur’an and Sunnah (as stated by Sh. Ibn al-Qayyim above), even if the Prophet (peace & blessings upon hm) did not relate anything authentic about it. That’s why the vast majority of “those who know” (the `ulema) said“[i]t is recommended (mustahabb) according to the Hanafi school (and similarly the Maliki, Shafi`i and Hanbali schools).”

         JazakAllahu-khayr.
         Mohammed.

         Reply
         • 

           Abd- Allah

           October 31, 2009 at 9:53 PM

           Brother Mohammed, I will put this as nicely as possible:

           Please get off my back and leave me with my misunderstanding that “persists”! Don’t try to fix it, please!

           And YES, some scholars DID say “that the adhan should not be called in the baby’s ear.”, if you are not aware of them then that is not my problem. Other scholars said it is fine to do it even though the hadiths are weak, but some said that since the hadiths are weak then it should not be done!

           You can keep quoting scholars that say the adhan can be called in the baby’s ear, and I can also quote scholars that say otherwise, but that is not the issue here, and whoever wants to read those opinions can look them up, and I am not going to copy and paste stuff onto here. So please stop trying to prove that calling the adhan in the baby’s ear should be done by quoting “proofs” for it which were not even meant as proof by the scholars that said them!

           “Because an act is not sunnah does not automatically make it impermissible or something we should not do.”

           Yes, if something is not a sunnah that means it is an innovation and we should not do it. This is what the scholars say, and don’t try to twist what Sh. Ibn al-Qayyim have said in order to support your view that we can practice things (innovations) even if they are not from the sunnah. Ibn al-Qayyim considered this to be a sunnah based on the hadiths that he quoted, and that is why he said it should be done, whereas those other benefits that he mentioned were only some of the benefits of this act that he considered a sunnah, and he didn’t use those benefits as “proofs” to show that this is a beneficial act so it should be done, but rather the other way around, so please don’t misunderstand what Ibn al-Qayyim have said and don’t twist it around to support your false argument.

           Based on your false argument that since the adhan has benefits then it is permissible to call it in the baby’s ear even if it is not proven to be a sunnah of the prophet, then by that same argument, why don’t you call the adhan in your baby’s ear everyday for the rest of their life, I mean this must have some benefit. Also why don’t you call the adhan before you sit down to eat, that will drive away Satan so that he doesn’t share your food with you when you eat, or why don’t you call the adhan before you go to sleep so that you drive away Satan so he doesn’t sleep with you in your bed, that is a great benefit that might “justify” this act for you in your own mind, but in reality this does not justify anything because it is not a valid form of proof! This type of thinking actually is the basis of all innovations, it is to determine that your actions are good by using your own mind instead of using the Quran and the sunnah! By the way, stop for a minute and think what is the adhan exactly, and what is it for. What is its purpose? When do we usually call it? It is the call for prayer, and not for anything else as far as what has been proven by the authentic sunnah! So calling the adhan for other things just because we think it is good and use the benefits as proof to justify doing it is not correct. None of the scholars, even those who say that the adhan can be called in the ear of the baby, use that way of thinking, and they did not use it to arrive at their view that the adhan can be called in the ear of the baby, but rather they used the weak hadiths to say that this is from the sunnah and that is why it can be done, but none of them ever said that it can be done because of the benefits that it has, based on our own reasoning.

           “That’s why the vast majority of “those who know” (the `ulema) said…”

           For your information brother, there have been tens and even hundreds of great scholars in the past like the 4 imams, and the 4 imams do not make up the “vast majority” of those who know. These 4 great imams held this view, and that is fine, but don’t claim that they are “the vast majority”!

           Please leave it at this brother, and don’t try to convince me about your view because there is no point. Some scholars say you do it some say you don’t, read both views and what the scholars say to support them, and pick one, and don’t try to force it on other people!

           Please don’t take this personal brother, and just move along.
         • 

           Mohammed Khan

           October 31, 2009 at 10:53 PM

           Salaam Brother Abd- Allah,

           No offense is intended so please relax. We are discussing an issue about Islam that requires patience from both of us. If you don’t wish to read my few points below, then feel welcome to ignore them. I still believe other readers will benefit, Insha’Allah:

           You did not initially say that there were two opinions on the matter. You said there was no authentic hadeeth and therefore “the adhan should not be called in the baby’s ear.” This indicates only one opinion – that it is forbidden – and that’s why I had a problem with your understanding. Readers would have had a one-sided, distorted understanding with your words.

           After my post, you have now agreed that there are two opinions we could choose from, including one that allows this practice. The point about Sh. Ibn al-Qayyim is that, contrary to your statements in your first post, he has agreed to the permissibility of saying adhan in a newborn baby’s ear. JazakAllahu-khayr for your understanding.

           In response to my following statement:

           “Because an act is not sunnah does not automatically make it impermissible or something we should not do.”

           you said: “Yes, if something is not a sunnah that means it is an innovation and we should not do it.”

           Incorrect. Because an act is not sunnah doesn’t automatically make it haraam, or “bid’ah”, as you say. That would mean that Yahya Ibn Ya’mar, a pious and trustworthy Companion, who was the first to innovate the convention of using dots on the Arabic letters (after the Prophet’s death) in the Qur’an did bid’ah. Yet, we still have these dots in many of the Qur’ans that we read. Do you suggest that this upright Companion did bid’ah? Do you suggest that we remove the dots from the Qur’an because they are “bid’ah”? How come nobody has protested that it is bid’ah? Because it’s not bid’ah.

           The point is that there are many authentic (sahih) sayings from Companions like that in which they introduced new acts that the Prophet (pbuh) had never done or ordered to be done. The reason is that these acts did not contradict Sacred Law and so they were accepted by the scholarly consensus as being legitimate, including by the Companions themselves.

           And that’s why Sh. `Izz Ibn Abd al-Salam categorized innovations in one of the following categories:

           (1) obligatory (Ex: the science of hadeeth classification);
           (2) unlawful (Ex: non-Islamic taxes)
           (3) recommended (Ex: in-depth study of Arabic linguistics);
           (4) offensive (Ex: embelleshing mosques);
           (5) permissible (Ex: using spoons)

           This classification of innovation was accepted by great scholars of Islamic Law, including Imam Nawawi, Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani, and – yes – the vast majority of Islamic scholars in Sacred Law.

           Regarding what I mean by “vast majority of scholars,” I don’t only mean the 4 mujtahid Imams. It also includes just about every scholar in their madhahib. Therefore, it is literally what the majority of scholars in Islam’s history thought. It is not a matter of 3 or 4 scholars as you incorrectly understand. So, the weight of my statements in this matter is very heavy and meant to be taken very seriously.

           May Allah Guide us all.

           Mohammed.
     • 

       markus

       November 2, 2009 at 9:34 AM

       – Tthe hadeeth is deemed inauthentic by shaykh al-albaanee raheematullah (to the best of my knowledge).

       – This is the whole underlying point. It makes sense to me.

       Reply
     • 

       Ibn Abid

       November 2, 2009 at 11:23 AM

       I remember hearing a lecture a few years ago by the Muhaddith Shaikh Zubair Ali Za’i from Pakistan. And he indicated that all the ahadeeth discussing the issue of the adhan in the baby’s ear are weak BUT yet still there is ijmaa on it according to Imam At-Tirmidhi. Allah Knows Best.

       Reply
9. 

   Ikhlas

   October 31, 2009 at 11:00 PM

   Br Mohammad, you are da man =D

   On a more serious note, that was very informative! JazakAllahu khairun for sharing it with us and I certainly benefit from your contributions on this blog.

   Reply
10. 

    Muhammad

    October 31, 2009 at 11:23 PM

    Its very intersting to read these comments and see how we understand the Deen. if the Hadiths are not strong and authentic why did then the scholar’s of Hadith included them and is that mean” Ho its Not authentic dont follow it”. Now days are our scholars know more better then past or which to accept which to not accept.

    Reply
    • 

      BrotherMuslim

      October 31, 2009 at 11:31 PM

      Lets follow the salaf and not the khalaf.

      Reply
11. 

    BrotherMuslim

    October 31, 2009 at 11:27 PM

    Chill out Brother Abd-Allah.

    Just cuz Muhammad Al-Gibali mentioned that it is bidah in his book, Precious Sprouts, doesn’t make it the “only correct opinion” (like the neo-salafis usually say). It’s a fiqh issue and scholars have spoken about it.

    Please do give names if you have any who hold this opinion of not giving the adhan. I would like to know for my own knowledge. Jazak Allah khair.

    Lets follow the salaf and not the khalaf.
    there is no need to be offended or rude. Jazak Allah khair brother Muhammad Khan for the insightful post. May Allah increase us all in ilm that benefits. ameen.

    Reply
12. 

    Abd- Allah

    November 1, 2009 at 12:26 AM

    Brother Mohammed, what I said that the hadiths are weak, then yes all the scholars agree that these hadiths have a weakness in them, as you mentioned in one of your comments! You said I didn’t mention that there is a second opinion that you can call the adhan in the baby’s ear, well if you watched the video of Sh. Yaser then you would have heard him say that this can be done, and therefore obviously there is more than one opinion about it. He mentioned one opinion only without mentioning the other opinion, so I mentioned the other opinion only as well, so whoever watched the video and read my comment is aware that there are two opinions on the issue. And if you consider dots of the Arabic letters in the Qur’an and using spoons as acts of worship then that is a problem. You obviously have a shallow understanding of the deen to call a spoon an innovation. In Islam, an innovation is something in the religion that is an act of worship. Go read the definitions that the scholars have said about innovations.

    BrotherMuslim, why don’t you chill out! Just for your info, I have not read Muhammad Al-Gibali’s book and didn’t even know that this is what he said in his book. The irony though is that you ask for a name of a scholar who says that calling the adhan is not permissible, but right before this you say that Muhammad Al-Gibali says that this is a bid’ah! If you already know that he holds this opinion, then why do you ask again for a name of who holds this opinion?! But since you asked for some names, then in addition to Sh. Al-Gibali, there is Sh. Bakr Abu Zaid who also holds that opinion, and the same goes for Sh. Al-Albani, and Sh. Abdel-Aziz Al-Rayyis, just to name a few. Also Imam Malik is of the opinion that you don’t call the adhan in the ear of the newborn baby as well, so brother Mohammed wasn’t accurate in his claim that Imam Malik is of the other opinion.

    There is no benefit coming from this argument, so I will leave it here and resist the urge to reply to any future comments that either of you might make, no matter how wrong or provoking they might be.

    Reply
    • 

      BrotherMuslim

      November 2, 2009 at 1:20 AM

      Jazak Allah khair Abd-Allah. May Allah increase you in knowledge and bless you. ameen.

      I always wanted to know other scholars who held this opinion and i was only aware of Jibaly. Thanks again.

      Reply
    • 

      markus

      November 2, 2009 at 9:46 AM

      Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhee from Aboo Raafi’ who said that:
      “I saw the Prophet give Adhan for the prayer in the ear of al-Husayn ibn ‘Alee when his mother Fatimah gave birth to him.”

      This needs to be fully confirmed, but from my preliminary research Ibn Hajar, and As-Shawkaanee said that it is weak as well.

      Reply
13. 

    inmincible

    November 1, 2009 at 11:55 AM

    I once heard – “Really knowledgeable people practice patience best when it comes to a difference of opinion. It’s the ignorant ones that argue.”

    Did you know that there are people waiting to find fault in Islam with everything that they can google? God forbid that someone uses the material posted in these comments and mannerisms of the muslims here to create more fitnah.

    Lets make our comments Spiritual. We are the people of Peace.

    Reply
14. 

    NurKhan

    November 1, 2009 at 3:52 PM

    This is the case with any science (secular or religious): the higher the level of abstraction, the more people are in agreement. The more details you go into (increase refinement), the more the disagreement. Usually, only the experts in the science have the abiltiy to deal with the details, not the novices.

    So why don’t we as novices just stick to the basics instead of going into the details, which really belong to the domain of the scholars?

    I think whats going on in today’s cutlure of ‘knowledge, knowledge, and more knowledge’ is that lay people have been exposed ot the terminology of the experts and they speak to each other in that language without really having a firm grasp over the field, and each one is trying to outdo the other to prove how knowledgeable he/she is. Speaking like a scholar became cool. Of course, this will only lead to arguments and counter-arguments ad nauseam.

    For this unfortunate cicumstance, I blame the half-baked ‘students of knowledge’ (essentially nothing more than bachelor degree holders from the middle-east) who made teaching ‘islamic knowledge’ a profession in the West instead of teaching the majority of the lay-people the essential fundamentals of the religion which would benefit them in practical daily life and leaving the details to the top 0.0001% who want to become experts in the field. When the common layperson is given an overdose of Islamic terminology (daeef, saheeh, bidah, blah blah) especially in arabic the results are for every one to see.

    I hope that our esteemed religious leaders will see the light and stop stuffing the details of fiqh and usool down the throats of helpless lay people which would neither benefit them in this life nor the hereafter. Instead teach them wudu, salat, being good ot parents, neighbors. We need to go back to the basics.

    Reply
15. 

    ummaasiyah

    November 1, 2009 at 5:14 PM

    I haven’t watched this yet, but the pic of a baby’s foot really pulled my heartstrings! Sooooo cute, mashallah! :)

    Reply
16. 

    Hassan Abu Maryiam Al Paso

    November 1, 2009 at 6:55 PM

    BaraqAllah fiq ya shayki, Walallahi you dont realize what you got until its gone. We all miss you here in El Paso. May Allah preserve you and your family.

    Reply
17. 

    Talha

    November 2, 2009 at 8:26 AM

    Barak Allahu Feek Shaikh. I’m really looking forward to seeing this video with my wife. We’re expecting in February Inshallah, and this is the perfect sort of video for us.

    Reply
18. 

    markus

    November 2, 2009 at 10:56 AM

    btw, I think MM should really consider closing comments on all articles. People who visit the website come for the content. These comments are a a mess.

    Honestly, think how cleaner things would be with no comments.

    Reply
    • 

      abu abdAllah Tariq Ahmed

      November 2, 2009 at 12:28 PM

      I’m just two steps away from agreeing with you. however, occasionally you find commentators who directly address the author and the article’s content in a way that broadens the understanding of all. those comments are wonderful, and really, the main reason for comments to exist. though i admit that i like to see authors get appreciation, too.

      the comments that are most obnoxious are the ones that show the least respect to the author and the readership because such comments address the article tangentially or not at all…

      sadly, even my reply falls into that latter category. so, let’s all please make more use of the “Contact Us” link.

      Reply
19. 

    Bahader

    November 3, 2009 at 6:34 PM

    Salamo aleikom !! JazzakAllahu kheir Uztaz Yasir Birjas!

    Just one question.. are you going to record your Book Study lectures?

    If no, please do it.. so that we can benefit … over seas..

    Im from Sweden by the way..

    Reply
20. 

    ubaida

    November 5, 2009 at 6:40 PM

    is picture halal to take?

    Reply
21. 

    ubaida

    November 5, 2009 at 7:05 PM

    sh yaser birjas can you record the classes and put them in the website.

    Reply