Fatwa ID: 05124

Answered by: Maulana Naieem Mohammad

Question

Does tahneek on babies have to be done by a pious person? Can it be done by parents or anyone else?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Tahneek is a proven Sunnah done by the prophet (s.a.w.) for newborn babies. It is preferable to have the most pious individual perform it, that individual does not necessarily have to be the Imam or an Alim but should be the most righteous person available as soon as the child is born. Even the father of the child or a close relative is allowed to perform it due to it being a Sunnah which is done immediately after birth before the child has his/her first meal. [1]

It is done by chewing on a very little piece of date, honey, or anything sweet [2]then placing it with the fingertip on the roof of the mouth of the newborn child.

This was done by the Prophet (S.A.W.) for Abdullah bin Zubair (r.a.) who was the first male child to be born to the Muslims after the Hijrah.[3]

Only Allah knows best

Written by Maulana Naieem Mohammad

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1] Bukhari hadith no.5824

[2] FathulBaari vol 9 page 588

[3] Bukhari hadith no.5649