Encyclopedia of Islam

birth rites

  

105  J

---

of  m

Uhammad

. In early Islam, the naming cer-

emony was connected with a ritual called tahnik,

which involved rubbing the infant’s palate with a 

date. This practice was based on the example of 

Muhammad, who gave the first child born to the 

Muslim community a date that he had chewed and 

mixed with his saliva. Another practice is whisper-

ing the call to 

prayer

 (

adhan

) into the newborn’s 

right ear and the second call to prayer, (iqama, or 

the 

shahada

) in its left ear. Islamic law exempts the 

mother of the newborn from fulfilling daily prayers 

and fasting while nursing and experiencing post-

partum bleeding, but before she can resume her 

daily acts of worship, she is required to perform a 

complete bodily 

ablUtion

 to purify herself.

Muslim authorities also approve of the prac-

tice of male 

circUmcision

, considered to be a 

rite of purification and a symbol of membership 

in the Muslim community. It does not have the 

theological significance it is given in Judaism, in 

which it symbolizes the 

covenant

 between God 

and the people of i

srael

. In Islam, circumcision 

was a greatly celebrated rite of passage that usu-

ally occurred when a boy was seven, 10, or 13. For 

most Muslim boys today, however, it is done at 

birth in a clinic or hospital. Female circumcision 

(excision of the clitoris) is a controversial practice 

that does not receive the endorsement of all reli-

gious authorities and is not widely performed.

There are many ritual practices related to 

childbirth that are not endorsed by the 

sharia

 and 

that ulama regard as harmful innovations (

bidaa

). 

In many cultures, the mother observes taboos, or 

ritual avoidances, for 40 days after birth, while 

the midwife and the mother’s female relatives and 

friends assist her in performing rites to appease 

or repel evil spirits and to ensure the mother’s 

continued fertility. In Upper e

gypt

 and Nubia, the 

placenta, or afterbirth, may be taken to the Nile as 

an offering to the river spirits. In p

alestine

, it was 

customarily buried to keep domestic animals from 

eating it and to ensure the well-being of the infant. 

In many Muslim cultures, the umbilical cord may 

be placed in a cloth bag to be worn around the 

neck of the child as a kind of amulet, or it may 

be buried in the house. Of course, many such 

practices have been forgotten with modernization 

and the impact of Islamic reform movements. 

Nonetheless, some traditional practices prevail. 

Today many parents still decorate the infant’s body 

or clothing with colorful beads or small pieces of 

jewelry to deflect the e

vil

 e

ye

.

Lastly, mention should be made of birthday 

celebrations. Until recently, they were held only 

for prophets and 

saints

. However, a holy person’s 

birthday (mawlid) is usually interpreted to be 

the anniversary of his or her death, when they 

go to the invisible world, rather than birth in 

the material world. Ordinary Muslims living in 

modernized societies now emulate Europeans and 

Americans by celebrating birthday anniversaries 

with cards, gifts, and sweets.

See also 

children

.