Muslims shave babies' heads because it removes the harm from them, removes the weak hair so that stronger and firmer hair replaces it and it is beneficial for the head. It comforts the newborn and opens the head's skin openings.
The seven-day haircut is a religious obligation, part of the child's 'initiation' into Muslim life, says Shaykh Abdool Rahman Khan, resident scholar at the Islamic Foundation of Villa Park. The general idea is that shaving the baby's head-removing the hair grown in the womb-cleanses the body at the beginning of life.
In Islam, a baby's hair should be shaved off on the seventh day from the baby's birth. It's sunnah, which means it's the tradition of our prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In another Hadith, reported by Abu Dawood, it states that 'The removal of harm is shaving the head. '
It is recommended (Mandoob) to shave the hair of a newborn baby, according to Imam Ibn Abideen and other leading Hanafi scholars. It is based on multiple Hadith narrations, amongst them the Hadith below.
Muslim babies
The Aqiqah ceremony involves shaving the child's head seven days after birth and anointing the child's head with saffron. It is traditional to give in charity gold or silver equal in weight to the hair.
Up until the age of six months, the “first hairs” grow and then fall out, following a drop in hormones that's completely normal after birth. So, unless your baby has a really annoying tuft of hair, wait until your child's first birthday.
It depends on how quickly their hair grows and of course, your personal preference. Babies born with a lot of hair that grows quickly and starts getting in their eyes may need their first cut in their first year. Others who don't have hair so quickly may not need their first cut until the age of about 2 years.
Similarly, it is Sunnah to slaughter two sheep if the newborn is a boy and one sheep if it's a girl. Applying saffron on the baby's head after shaving is a Sunnah very few know about, yet Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) always did this on the seventh day after the baby was born.
said: "Every child bonds to his/her 'Aqeeqah, (i.e. his dutifulness to parents and him being protected by Allaah and blessed is subject to his parents, slaughtering) which should be done on the seventh day (after the birth), and on that day he (she) should be named and his (her) hair should be shaved off." [Abu Daawood ...
The shaving off the hair is considered to be a gesture of purification from the previous yonis and freedom from the past. Some also believe that shaving off head helps in stimulating proper growth of the nerves and brain. Mundan also helps in keeping the baby's head cool during the hot weather.
The shaving off the hair is considered to be a gesture of purification from the previous yonis and freedom from the past. Some also believe that shaving off head helps in stimulating proper growth of the nerves and brain. Mundan also helps in keeping the baby's head cool during the hot weather.
Indian Cultural Beliefs Behind Baby Mundan Ceremony
In the Hindu culture, it is strongly believed that shaving a child's first full head of hair purifies the child and rids him/her of any evil eye or evil presence. There are a number of other beliefs behind this practice too.
After shaving my baby's head, how do I donate the weight of the hair in gold or silver? Simply shave the head of your new-born, weigh the amount of shaved hair, equate that same weight in gold or silver value and finally provide it as a form of Sadaqah (voluntary charity).
The aqiqah is sunnah and mustahabb; it is not obligatory at all, so there is no sin on the one who does not do it. According to a hadith in Muwatta Imam Malik, Fatima donated, in silver equivalent, the shaved-hair weight of her children Hasan, Husayn, Umm Kulthum and Zaynab.
If it is delayed, then it is Sunnah for his guardian to sacrifice for him before he reaches puberty, and if he reaches puberty and no one has made an 'Aqiqah for him, he should do it himself. Read More: Make A Child Smile In Eid Al-Fitr. Education And Constantly Crisis In Palestine.
It is mustahab in aqiqah to shave hair of the baby for whom aqiqah is being performed and to give silver equal to its hair in charity. If someone does not do so i.e. does not shave the hair, then too aqiqah would be performed though it would not be better.
An Aqiqah usually takes place on the seventh day after a baby's birth, but is sometimes performed later on. An Aqiqah ceremony is a celebration where the meat from the sacrificed animal is cooked and shared with family, friends and members of the community who are in need.
Thus, the original ruling is that it is sunnah to bury the umbilical cord the same as the ruling for nails, hair and blood such as the blood from cupping, honouring the human body.
The Prophet, on him be peace, according to a good (ḥasan) ḥadîth in the collection of Al-Tirmidhî, instructed Muslims to name newborns on the seventh day, purify them then, and make the 'aqîqah sacrifice all on the seventh day.
Muslims have some very simple rites for welcoming a child. The Muslim call to prayer or adhaan ("God is great, there is no God but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Come to prayer.") are the first words a newborn Muslim baby should hear.
For Muslims the period of postnatal seclusion traditionally lasts 40 days. The religious rituals are performed on the 40th day and these include shaving the child's head, as a vaginal birth is considered unclean. This act permits, what is considered, the growth of 'new' and 'clean' hair [33].
“Then recite the two Suras of taking protection [al-Falaq (113) and al-Nas (114)], and begin with the sura al-Fatiha (1) and the sura al-Ikhlas (112).
No, it's not necessary. There are cultural reasons people do it, and that's fine. But it won't harm the baby or toddler not to have a hair cut, provided they are bathed and groomed appropriately.
Some cultures cut an infant's hair sooner, and some don't do a haircut until the child's first birthday. Experts suggest you wait to cut your baby's hair until they're able to hold their head up on their own, so at least 6 months old.
While most institutions used to bathe babies within an hour or two of birth, many are changing their policies. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends delaying baby's first bath until 24 hours after birth—or waiting at least 6 hours if a full day isn't possible for cultural reasons.