Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Is it cumpulsory in Islam to shave the head of the new born baby? It seems to be practiced as an Islamic compulsion in Pakistan but not in other Islamic countries. 

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Shave head of new born

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Your Question: Is it cumpulsory in Islam to shave the head of the new born baby?

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 2832 Narrated by Samurah ibn Jundub

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘A boy is in pledge for his Aqiqah, sacrifice is made for him on the seventh day, his head is shaved and he is given a name.’

 

The rite of the Aqiqah sacrifice is a Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and is done as follows:

Sacrifice of  two sheeps or goats if boy, and one sheep or goat if girl on the 7^th day after the birth of the baby

After the Aqiqah on 7^th day, assign a good name to the baby.

Shave the head and give weight of hair in silver as sadaqa (charity).

Eat the meat yourself and distribute to friends/family and needy.

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 4154        Narrated by Ali ibn AbuTalib

Allah's Messenger (saws) sacrificed a sheep on the seventh day for al-Hasan and said, "Shave his head, Fatimah, and give the weight of his hair in silver as sadaqah." So they weighed it and it amounted to a dirham or part of a dirham.

 

Dear and Beloved Brother in Islam, the rite of ‘Aqiqa’ or the shaving of the head of a new born baby is amongst the preferred Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), and not considered an obligatory act in Islam.  If one performs the rites of ‘Aqiqa’ as performed by the Messenger of Allah (saws), one would earn a huge reward for following the traditions of the Prophet (saws); and if for some reason one does not shave the baby’s head, the most that can be said is that they missed an opportunity to follow the Sunnah and earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah for their deeds.

 

Your Statement: It seems to be practiced as an Islamic compulsion in Pakistan but not in other Islamic countries. 

Dear and Beloved Brother, to the best of our knowledge the Sunnah of  ‘Aqiqa’ and the shaving of the head of the new born is followed by almost all the believers in all the nations of the world.  We reiterate that the shaving of the head of the new born baby is a preferred Sunnah, and not considered an obligatory act in Islam.  If one follows the Sunnah, he will earn a huge reward; and if one wishes not to do it, there is no sin.  The most that can be said if one does not wish to shave the head of their new born baby is that they missed an opportunity to follow an easy Sunnah and earn huge rewards for their deeds from the Merciful Lord.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your Brother in Islam,

 

 

Burhan