Islamic Rulings for New Born Babies
2. Pregnancy and Delivery
During the pregnancy, a woman should try to minimise exposing herself as much as possible. She should try to engage the services of a female (Muslim if possible) obstetrician.
The first cry a baby takes is due to its being poked by Satan:
Abu Hurayrah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said,
“A baby’s crying when it is born is because of a poking by Satan.” [1]
A baby, born from a legitimate marriage, which is born alive, is entitled to inherit from its father:
Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that the messenger of Allah said,
“As soon as a baby cries it inherits.” [2]
It is recommended to announce the birth (bishaarah), and for others to offer congratulations (tahni’ah) and make supplications for the newborn. Offering gifts to the newborn and/or the family is another praiseworthy practice.
Parents should be grateful to Allah for the gift of the child, whether it is a girl or a boy. Allah (SWT) promises prosperity and abundance for those who are grateful to Him. He (SWT) says in Surah Ibraheem,
{And remember when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful to Me, I will surely give you more of my favours. But you are ungrateful, indeed, My punishment is severe.’}
(Qur’an 14:7)
The best way of showing gratitude to Allah is by striving to raise the child according to the guidance of the Quran and sunnah.
It is prohibited to favour boys over girls:
In a hadith narrated by Anas (RA) concerning the superiority of raising girls, the Prophet (SAW) said,
“Whoever nurtures two girls until they reach puberty, he will be with me on the Day of Resurrection like this, and he put his index and middle fingers together.” [3]
References
[1] Recorded by al-Bukhari , Muslim and others.
[2] Recorded by Abu Dawud, al-Bayhaqi. Verified to be authentic by al-Albani (Irwa ul-Ghalil no. 1707).
[3] Recorded by Muslim.