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Islamic information pertaining to pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and welcoming the new baby.
Knowing What is in the Womb
Question : In the December 1975 edition of "al-'Arabee" number 205, page 15, it is alleged under the question and answer column that it is man who decides the gender of the fetus. Is there anyone other than Allaah who knows the unseen? What is the Islaamic ruling on this issue?
Response: First of all, it is Allaah alone Who fashions the fetus in the womb the way He wishes. He either makes it female or male, perfect or deformed, and so on. No one else other than Allaah can do that. He says:
{ It is He Who fashions you in the wombs as He wills. There is no true God except He, the Almighty, the All-Wise}, [Soorah Aal-'Imraan, Aayah 6]
And He says:
{ To Allaah belongs dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He gives females to whoever He wills and males to whoever He wills. Or He gives them twins of males and females, and makes whoever He wills barren. He is the All-Knower, All-Powerful}, [Soorah ash-Shooraa, 49-50}
Allaah the Exalted, is the only Proprietor of the heaven and the earth. It is up to Him to create whatever He wills, and fashions the fetus in the womb as he likes, be it male or female, perfect or deformed, beautiful or ugly, or any other fetal conditions. He is alone, not a partner nor anyone else, Who does so.
A claim that a husband, a doctor, or a philosopher can decide the sex of the fetus is groundless. All the husband can do is to wait for his wife's fertility period to have intercourse with her, for the hope of pregnancy. He may have what he wants fulfilled by the Decree of Allaah. Pregnancy may not take place for one reason or another, or due to a blockage in the fallopian tubes or inferility. Or it may be that Allaah wants to test the endurance of his servants.
This means that material means themselves have no effect on the case; rather, they work by the Will of Allaah.
Fertilisation is a thing belonging to the universal Will of Allaah, and the human can only do the action with the Will of Allaah.
As for the disposal of the affairs, the formation, and the arranging of the causes, all are restricted to Allaah alone. He who contemplates the conditions of people, their claims and lies out of ignorance and excessive estimation of modern sciences, surely exceeds the limits of trusting the material means. He who evaluates the matters properly will be able to distinguish between what is restricted to Allaah alone, and those which Allaah allowed the servant to do through His Decree.
And with Allaah lies all success and may Allaah send prayers and salutations upon our Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam ) and his family and his companions.
The Permanent Committee for Islaamic Research and Fataawa
Fataawa Islaamiyyah -Volume 1 Page 40
www.fatwa-online.com
Bleeding before Birth
Question: A woman had bleeding during pregnancy, five days before giving birth, during the month of Ramadhaan. Should that blood be considered menstruation or istihaadha and what are the obligations upon her?
Response : If the matter is as mentioned, with her seeing blood five days before giving birth, and she did not have any signs that labor would be soon, such as contractions, in that case, the blood is neither menstruation nor post-partum bleeding. It is simply irregular blood. Therefore, she should not abandon the acts of worship but she must fast and pray. If along with the blood she has signs that her labor is near, such as contractions, then it is considered post-partum bleeding and she abandons, due to it, praying and fasting. Then if she becomes pure after giving birth, she must make up the days of fasting but not the prayers.
And with Allaah lies all success and may Allaah send prayers and salutations upon our Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam ) and his family and his companions
The Permanent Committee for Research and Fataawa
Fataawa al-Mar.ah
www.fatwa-online.com
Breastfeeding Proof in Quran
The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years, (that is) for those (parents) who desire to complete the term of suckling, but the father of the child shall bear the cost of the mother's food and clothing on a reasonable basis. No person shall have a burden laid on him greater than he can bear. No mother shall be treated unfairly on account of her child, nor father on account of his child. And on the (father's) heir is incumbent the like of that (which was incumbent on the father). If they both decide on weaning, by mutual consent, and after due consultation, there is no sin on them. And if you decide on a foster suckling-mother for your children, there is no sin on you, provided you pay (the mother) what you agreed (to give her) on reasonable basis. And fear Allâh and know that Allâh is All-Seer of what you do. (Al-Baqarah 2:233)
Breastfeeding after menopause
Question: What is the ruling concerning a woman who has reached the age of menopause and she breast feeds a child five sucklings or more during the first two years of that child's life. Does this breast feeding make them illegal for each other [and all the other ramifications], giving him a foster father even though the breast feeding woman may be without a husband?
Response : Breast feeding makes forbidden what blood relations make forbidden. Therefore, the breast feeding mentioned in the question, five sucklings in the first two years, makes the woman a [breast feeding] mother to that child due to that breast feeding. This is based on the generality of the Qur.aanic verse, {[Forbidden to you for marriage are] your foster mother who gave you suck}, [Soorah an-Nisaa., Aayah 23]. Even if the milk was produced after she reached the age of menopause, the ruling is the same. If that woman was married, the child would be her [foster] child and the son of the one whom the milk is ascribed to. If she was not married, perhaps she was not married and produced milk, then she is the [foster] mother of that child and he has no foster father.
Do not consider it strange that one may have a milking mother and not a foster father. Also, do not consider it strange that one may have a foster father but no foster mother. An example of the first case is where a woman gave two sucklings to a child, the milk that was the result of her first husband. Then she separated from that husband and married another after her waiting period expired. She becomes pregnant and has a child from the second husband. She then suckles her foster child again for the remainder of the suckling amount [with the milk that is the result of a child with the second husband]. She now has become that child's foster mother due to the five sucklings but he has no foster father because he did not suckle at least five sucklings that were the result of one man with the woman. As for the second case, this is where the child has a foster father but no foster mother . An example is where a man has two wives. One of them suckles the child twice and the other suckles the child three times. In that case, he will be a foster child of the husband since he was breast fed over five times from milk that was the result of intercourse with him. But he will not have a foster mother because neither the first nor the second woman suckled him the minimum amount of times required.
Shaykh Ibn "Uthaymeen
Fataawa al-Mar.ah
www.Fatwa-online.com
A man assisting the woman during the birth process
Question: What is the ruling regarding a man assisting a woman whilst she is giving birth?
Response: In principle, it is not permissible to say the admitting of a woman to hospital to give birth is outright permissible, rather it is imperative to define the constraints (within which it is permissible).
So if the female doctor is of the opinion, based upon her knowledge, that this pregnant woman will not be having a natural birth, and she could quite possibly require a caesarean, then in this case she is to be transferred to the hospital. As for a natural birth, then it is not permissible for her to leave her home and be admitted to the hospital simply to have a natural birth.
If the woman is in (genuine) need of being admitted to the hospital, then it is obligatory that a male doctor is not appointed to assist her in the birth process. However, if one (female doctor) is not present, then there is no harm, or rather, if she is in a dangerous state and a female doctor is not present, then it is obligatory that a male doctor assist her (during the birth process).
And this response is derived from two principles from the principles of usool al-fiqh and they are:
1) Necessities permit the forbidden.
2) A necessity is assessed in accordance to its extent.
So if the woman is able to give birth in her home, then it is not permissible for her to go to the hospital; (and) if she is in need - such as there being no-one to assist her in the birth process - then a female doctor can be appointed, and if there is none present, then a male doctor can be appointed (in her place).
So in principle, it is not permissible for a woman to leave her home except where necessary, as is mentioned in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree when the (following) statement of Allaah was revealed:
{And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance}, al-Ahzaab, 33]
And he (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said:
((And Allaah has permitted you to go out for your needs/necessities)), [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree Volume 1, > Reference 40; Saheeh Muslim - Volume 4, Reference 1709]
Shaykh al_Albaanee
Fataawa Muhimmah li-Nisaa. al-Ummah-Page 240
If a woman has a miscarriage in the third month of her pregnancy
Question: A year ago, I had a miscarriage in my third month of pregnancy. I stopped praying until the blood stopped. It was said to me that I should have prayed. What should I do now since I do not know the exact number of days I did not pray?
Response : What is well-known and accepted among the scholars is that if a woman has a miscarriage in the third month, she does not pray. This is because when the woman has such a miscarriage the fetus has clear signs of being a human. Therefore, the blood that then flows is considered post-partum bleeding and the woman does not pray. The scholars say that fetus take on the shape of a human after eighty-one days, which is less than three months. If you are certain that you had a miscarriage after three months, the blood that came was post-partum bleeding. However, if it were before eighty days, then the blood that came is irregular or abnormal blood and she should not leave the prayer due to it. So the one who asked the question must see if the miscarriage was before eighty days, in which case she must make up the prayers she missed. If she does not know how many days she missed, she must estimate the matter and make up what she believes she has missed.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Fataawa al-Mar.ah
www.fatwa-online.com
Ruling concerning a miscarriage
Question: Some women have miscarriages. Sometimes the fetus comes out fully formed while at another times it does not. I would like you to make clear the ruling for prayer in both of those situations.
Response: If a woman has a miscarriage and the fetus has clearly human figures to it, such as a head, hand, leg and so forth, then her bleeding is post-natal bleeding. She follows the rulings of post-natal bleeding. She does not pray or fast and her husband cannot have sexual intercourse with her until the bleeding stops or she completes forty days. If the bleeding stops before the 40th day, she must make ghusl, pray, fast during Ramadhaan and her husband may have sexual intercourse with her. There is no minimum length of time for post-partum bleeding. The bleeding could stop after ten days, more or less, and then she must make ghusl and all the laws of a ritually pure person apply to her. If she sees any blood after the fortieth day, it is considered bleeding from illness. She would then fast and pray with that bleeding and it is permissible for her husband to have intercourse with her. She must make ablution for the time of every prayer, like the mustahaadhah, as the Prophet (sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) told Faatimah bint Abu Hubaysh, "Make ablution for the time of every prayer." If the blood that flows from her after the forty-day period coincides with the time of her menses, then it takes on the ruling of menses.
It is forbidden for her to pray or fast until she becomes pure. And it is forbidden for her husband to have intercourse with her. However, if what comes out of the woman does not resemble a human being, such as when it is simply a smooth lump of flesh or clot of blood, then she takes the ruling of istihaadhah and not that of post-partum bleeding. She should pray, fast during Ramadhaan and may have intercourse with her husband. She should make ablution for the time of every prayer while keeping herself clean from the blood by a panty liner or something similar, like the mustahaadhah, until the bleeding stops. She may also combine the Zhuhr and ‘Asr prayers together and the Maghrib and Isha prayers together. She may also make a ghusl for the combined prayers and a separate ghusl for the Fajr prayer based on the confirmed hadeeth of Hamnah bint Jahsh. This is because she is to be treated like a mustahaadhah according to the people of knowledge.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz
Fataawa al-Marlah
www.fatwa-online.com
The Manners of Welcoming the New-Born Child in Islaam
Children are a source of delight and an adornment for the world granted by Allaah to their parents, they give vigour to the hearts, joy to the souls, pleasure to the eyes. They are the fruit from whom good is to be hoped for when they frequently supplicate:
"Our Lord! Bestow on them your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small"
and they are the ones in every nation upon whom hope for the future lies, and they are the youth of tomorrow upon whose shoulders the call to Islaam is carried. Indeed Islaam has indeed elevated the status of children and has laid down manners for their treatment relating to all their affairs and each stage of their and from these are the manners for welcoming their arrival in this life.
Our Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) was a living example, educating, cultivating the Muslims upon the practices of Islaam, teaching them how to worship their Lord in the best of ways. But a number of Muslims have strayed from his pure teachings and have substituted that which is gold for that which worthless.
So here are the manners the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) taught us with regards our new-born.
Encouragement to have Children
Allaah says, "So now have sexual relations with them,, and seek that which Allaah has ordained for you."
And the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "Marry the loving and fertile because through you, I will compete with the nations for superiority in numbers"(Abu Dawood)
And it is important that the Parents bring up their children upon righteousness, so that the Parents will benefit from them during their lives and after their death. Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said,
"A servant will have his rank raised and will say, 'O my Lord how has this come about for me?' He says, 'through your sons after you seeking forgiveness for you'"(ibn Maajah)
Know that what has preceded applies equally to both boys and girls, and indeed Islaam has encouraged the bringing up of girls, and Allaah condemns those that are distressed at the birth of a girl, and the Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) came elevating the status of this gift from Allaah,
"whoever takes care of two girls until they reach adulthood - he and I will come together on the Day of Resurrection (like this) - and he interlaced his two fingers"(Muslim)
meaning in Paradise. So can their be a greater honour given to daughters?!
Giving the good news of the Birth
The near of kin who are anxiously waiting should be informed so that they can stop worrying and congratulate the parents and supplicate for the baby. Allaah mentions this good news being conveyed to a number of His Prophets, from them Zakariyyah of his son Yahya,
"Then the angels called him, while he was standing in prayer in a private room (saying), 'Allaah gives you glad tidings of Yahya'"
4) The Tahneek
This means to softening a date and then rubbing the palate of the new-born with it just after the birth or soon after. This is done by putting a piece of the softened date on the finger and rubbing it from left to right in the mouth of the baby.
Ibn Hajr said, "if one is not able to find a dry date, then a fresh date should be used, and if that is not available then anything sweet." (Fath 9/588)
It is not essential to chew the date rather it may be softened in any way. The action of chewing as reported in the sunnah was something specific to the Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) due to the blessings that Allaah had placed in his saliva.
It is done by the father or the mother or anyone from the People of Knowledge whose supplication is hoped would be accepted. So he should perform tahneek and supplicate for the child as was the practice of the Companions.
Imaam Nawawee says, " scholars are agreed upon the recommendation of performing tahneek upon the baby after it's birth." (Sharh Saheeh Muslim 4/122)
Aaishah (ra) reports, "new-born children used to be brought to the Messenger of Allaah and he would supplicate for blessings for them, and rub a chewed date upon their palate." (Muslim)
Naming the child
The baby may be named on the day of it's birth or later on the seventh day or past the seventh day, as this is what is clear after study of all the evidences from the sunnah.
It is the father or the mother who chose the name for the baby. If they differ amongst themselves then it is the father who has the choice, he may name it himself or give his wife the right to choose. The fact that this is the right of the father is shown by the principle that the child is ascribed and attributed to the father, as Allaah says,
"Call them (adopted sons) by (the names of) their fathers, that is more just in the Sight of Allaah"
It is also allowed for the parents to allow others to name the child, since our Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) used to name some of the children of his Companions.
The name should carry a good and praiseworthy meaning as the Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said,
"On the Day of Resurrection, you will be called by your names and your fathers names, so make your names good." (Abu Dawood)
It is recommended to call oneself a servant of Allaah (Abdullaah) or the servant of any of the names of Allaah. Then it is recommended to name a child after a prophet, due to the hadeeth,
"call yourselves by the names of the Prophets" (Abu Dawood)
and the hadeeth,
"a son was born to me this night and I called him after my forefather Ibraaheem" (Muslim)
Then it is recommended to name the child after any pious person in the hope that it will become like him/her. Then it is recommended to name by any name which has good meaning.
It is forbidden to name a child with a name that denote servitude to other than Allaah, for example Abd an-Nabi, Abd ar-Rasool etc, just as it is forbidden to name them with names that are particular to the Unbelievers like George, Michael, Susan etc.
The names of tyrants and evil personalities should be avoided such as Fir'awn, Qaroon, Abu Lahab etc.. Likewise it is disliked to name with the names of the Surahs of the Qur'aan like 'Taa Haa' or 'Yaa Seen' as is reported from Imaam Maalik and others. There is no authentic hadeeth which ascribes the above two as being names of the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam).
6) The Aqeeqah
After the seventh day of the arrival of the new-born, as a form of welcome for it and to give thanks to the One who gave the blessings, it is prescribed to slaughter a sheep. The Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said,
"Every child is in pledge for it's Aqeeqah which is sacrificed for it on its seventh day, and it is named on it, and its head is shaved" (Abu Dawood)
If the new-born is a boy then two sheep are to be sacrificed, and if it is a girl then one sheep. This is the position of the majority of the scholars and Companions. The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said,
"for the boy two equal sheep, and for the girl, a single sheep." (Ibn Maajah)
So it is permissible to sacrifice the male or female sheep or goat, and this is best. As for sacrificing other animals then the scholars have differed over this.
The sacrifice should be done by the father or a close relative, for our Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) performed the Aqeeqah for his two grandsons. It is also obligatory to mention the name of Allaah over it while sacrificing, and if a close relative is performing the Aqeeqah then he should add, 'this aqeeqah is the Aqeeqah of so and so' mentioning the name of the person on whose behalf he is performing the aqeeqah, as is reported in the hadeeth related by al-Bayhaqee.
The meat of the sacrifice may be distributed cooked or uncooked,, but it is preferred that it should be cooked as this leads to greater blessing as mentioned by a group of the scholars.
Shaving the baby's head
On the seventh day after the birth the head of the baby should be shaved. So when al-Hasan was born the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) told his daughter, Faatima (RA),
"shave his head and give the weight of his hair in silver to the poor" (Ahmad)
The right side of the head should be shaved first, then the left as mentioned in the hadeeth,
"shave, and he indicated to the right side of his head, and then the left" (Muslim)
It is not permissible to shave a part of the head and leave a part, as this was prohibited by the Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) as reported by al-Bukhaaree. The strongest view seems to be that the head of the boy or the girl should be shaved, as is reported that Faatimah weighed the hair of her daughter (Muwatta) but the scholars differ on this, and Allaah knows best.
The shaving should be done after the sacrifice, and our pious predecessors liked to rub some perfume over the baby's head after the shaving.
Then it is prescribed to give the value of the baby's weight of hair in silver in charity, and it is recommended to give this charity on the seventh day also, but it is not necessary to do so, and may be delayed.
Circumcision
It is prescribed that the boy be circumcised, it is recommended that the circumcision take place on the seventh day, but it is obligatory to circumcise before the boy reaches puberty.
http://www.troid.org/articles/sisters/children/newborn.htm
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| Hadiths |
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Permissibility of intercourse with a suckling woman and disapproval of 'Azl
#3392 www.sahihmuslim.com
Judama daughter of Wahb, sister ofUkkasha ( may Allah be pleased with her), reported: I to Allah's Messenger (sallahu alaiyhe wa salam) along with some persons and he was saying,: I intended to prohibit cohabitation with the suckling woman, but I considered the Greeks and Persians, and saw they suckle their children and this thing (cohabitation) does not do any harm to them (to the suckling women). They then asked him about 'Azl, where upon he said. That this is a secret (way of) burying alive, and Ubaidullah has made this addition to the hadith tranmitted by al-Muqri and that is "When the one buried alive is asked."
Excellence of Taneek
#5340 www.sahihmuslim.com
Anas b. Malik reported: I took Abdullah bin Abi Talha to Allah's Messenger (sallahu alaiyhe wa salam) at the time of his birth. Allah's Messenger (sallahu alaiyhe wa salam) was at the time wearing a woolen cloak and besmearing the camels with tar. He said: Have you got with you any dates? I said: Yes. He took hold of the dates and put them in his mouth and softened them, then he opened the mouth of the infant and put that in it and the child began to lick it. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (sallahu alaiyhe wa salam) said: The Ansar have a liking for the dates, and he ( the Prophet) gave him the name of Abdullah.
#5347 www.sahihmuslim.com
'A'isha reported that the new-born infants were brought to Allah's Messenger (sallahu alaiyhe wa salam). He blessed them and rubbed their palates with dates.
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| No. 3107 |
- Narrated Abdullah: | |
Allah's Apostle, the true and truly inspired said, "(as regards your creation), every one of you is collected in the womb of his mother for the first forty days, and then he becomes a clot for an other forty days, and then a piece of flesh for an other forty days. Then Allah sends an angel to write four words: He writes his deeds, time of his death, means of his livelihood, and whether he will be wretched or blessed (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into his body. So a man may do deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and so he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise and enters Paradise. Similarly, a person may do deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and he starts doing deeds of the people of the (Hell) Fire and enters the (Hell) Fire."
| If a Woman with Postpartum Bleeding sees that She is Clean before the Completion of Forty days.. |
Question:
I request you to deliver a verdict for me...does the woman with postpartum bleeding pray after forty days, or before that, if she observes that she is clean? |
Answer:
If the woman with postpartum bleeding observes that she is clean (i.e. that the blood has stopped), she should perform major ablution, fast and pray - regardless of whether or not forty days have passed. When she has completed the forty days, she should perform Ghusl and pray, even if the blood continues, because it is the blood of illness, like that of Istihadhah, unless it is followed by the monthly menstrual period. In which case, she should abstain from prayer and fasting for the normal duration of her period, then perform Ghusl and pray.
And through Allah is success attained. And may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.
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Permanent Committee for Research and Verdicts
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| Fatawa Islamiyah, vol.2, p108, DARUSSALAM. | |
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