Can a baby/child have a taweez around his neck, as he can not read sura like falaq/nas etc? Or would you advise his parents to read and blow on him, if so how many times in a day?

Is such a practice from the sunna of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)?

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.

Answer

Allah states in the Quran: “In the Quran is (spiritual, physical) cure for people.” (Surah Al Israa: V82)

Abu Said Al Khudri narrates some of the companions of the Prophet came across a tribe amongst the tribes of the Arabs, and that tribe did not entertain them. While they were in that state, the chief of that tribe was bitten by a snake (or stung by a scorpion). They said, (to the companions of the Prophet), "Have you got any medicine with you or anybody who can treat with Ruqya?" The Prophet's companions said, "You refuse to entertain us, so we will not treat (your chief) unless you pay us for it." So they agreed to pay them a flock of sheep. One of them (the Prophet's companions) started reciting Surat-al-Fatiha and gathering his saliva and spitting it (at the snake-bite). The patient got cured and his people presented the sheep to them, but they said, "We will not take it unless we ask the Prophet (whether it is lawful)." When they asked him, he smiled and said, "How do you know that Surat-al-Fatiha is a Ruqya? Take it (flock of sheep) and assign a share for me." (Bukhari, 7.632)

It is narrated in Abu Dawud (1782) that Abdullah ibn Amr used to hang a protective invocation taught by the Prophet around the necks of his young children.

It is clear from the above, that the verses of the Quran are a means of physical cure as well as spiritual. Therefore using taweez, which do not contain words of Kufr and Shirk, is permissible. Also it should be remembered that everything happens by the will of Allah and the use of taweez is just a means similar to using medicine for illness. Jabir ibn Abdullah narrates that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “There is a remedy for every illness, and when the remedy is applied to the disease it is cured with the permission of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious.” (Muslim, 1035)

With regards to your question, it is permissible to tie a taweez around children. However, it will be preferable to recite the dua yourself to prevent people of thinking the taweez itself to be the means of cure and not Allah (SWA).

Only Allah Knows Best

Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham