Highlight · 29 August 2026
Taḥnīk — the newborn’s first days
التَّحْنِيك
A softened date on the newborn’s palate, a du‘a for blessing, then the seventh day — and one near-universal practice whose reports are weak.
Taḥnīk is to soften a date and rub a little of it on the palate of a newborn, then supplicate for the child. The companions carried their newborns to the Prophet ﷺ for it: Abū Mūsā brought his son, and he ﷺ named him Ibrāhīm, did taḥnīk with a date and prayed for blessing on him.
Anyone righteous may do it — the point is the du'a, not a title, and there is no requirement to find a scholar. Then on the seventh day come the naming, the aqiqah and the shave.
A date, and a du‘a
Soften a date — by chewing it, as he ﷺ did — and rub a little on the roof of the newborn's mouth, then ask Allah to bless the child.
Asmāʾ bint Abī Bakr brought ʿAbdullāh ibn az-Zubayr to him ﷺ; he called for a date, chewed it, and put it in the child's mouth, so the first thing to enter his stomach was that. Then he supplicated for him and blessed him.
Soon after birth, by anyone righteous
The reports show it done when the child was brought, in the first days — it is not tied to the seventh day.
The companions brought their children to the Prophet ﷺ because he was the best to make du'a for them. That establishes seeking out a righteous person, not a requirement that a scholar perform it. A parent may do it.
Name, aqiqah, shave
Naming on the seventh day, and the aqiqah — two sheep for a boy, one for a girl.
The head is shaved and the weight of the hair given in silver as charity.
The full detail is on the aqiqah page rather than restated here.
Hadith: Abū Mūsā's son named and given taḥnīk — Sahih al-Bukhari 5467 · Asmāʾ and ʿAbdullāh ibn az-Zubayr — Sahih al-Bukhari 3909 · the aqiqah, two for a boy and one for a girl — reported by Abū Dāwūd and at-Tirmidhī · the shave and its weight in silver — reported by at-Tirmidhī and Mālik.
This page agrees with the judgement already carried on raising children rather than offering a second position.
This ran as the front-page daily special on 29 August 2026. The box came down; the page stays. See every daily special →