Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: Basim Musallam, Sex and Society in 

Islam (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983); 

Abdel Rahim Omran, Family Planning in the Legacy of 

Islam (London: Routledge, 1992); Robin Wright, The 

Last Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran

(New York: Random House, 2000): 160–187.

birth rites

Birth rites are observed in most religions and 

cultures. They celebrate the addition of a new 

member to the family and the community, express 

feelings of gratitude toward the gods (or God), 

and also involve practices intended to protect the 

infant and mother from the harm of supernatural 

forces. In i

slam

, there are no formally required 

birth rites or sacraments, but Muslims everywhere 

may engage in one or more traditional ritual prac-

tices when a child is born.

Most of the 

Ulama

 concur that several ritual 

practices related to childbirth are permitted. The 

foremost of these is the aqiqa rite, which involves 

animal sacrifice, shaving the infant’s head, and 

performing acts of charity. Usually one sheep, 

goat, or ram is sacrificed in thanksgiving for a girl 

(two for a boy) on the seventh day after birth. The 

act is believed to commemorate the near-sacrifice 

of Ishmael (Ismail) by his father, a

braham

 (Ibra-

him). This is also when a child receives his or 

her given name, a festive event that may include 

q

Uran

 recitation and readings of the birth story