Welcoming a Newborn: The Adab of Naming and the Aqiqah

The arrival of a newborn is a great blessing, a joy the family receives with praise and gratitude. And so Islam gave it adab that begin with choosing a name and extend to the aqiqah and the shaving of the head, so the little one is welcomed graciously and with blessing.

The welcoming of a newborn carries a set of adab for naming, joined to what belongs to it (the aqiqah and its slaughter). We have gathered them for you in order, phrased briefly.

Among the first things with which a newborn is received is the aqiqah offered for him on his seventh day, on which he is named and his head is shaved. Three sunnahs gather on this day: the slaughter in gratitude to Allah, the giving of a good name, and the shaving of the head with charity by its weight.

Delaying the naming to the seventh day gives the parents time to choose a good name befitting their child.

There are nine adab for naming, which we relay briefly:

1. Naming on the seventh day. On it the child is named, a grace period to choose the finest name.
2. Choosing a good name. Such as the names beloved to Allah, and Muhammad, Ahmad and Abd al-Rahim, and every name that does not shame its bearer.
3. Choosing Islamic names. Those that make plain their bearer's faith, rather than foreign or alien names.
4. Avoiding forbidden names. Such as names of self-praise, or of arrogance and contending with Allah in His description, like one who is called "King of Kings."
5. Avoiding ugly names. Those that bring embarrassment to their bearer, and likewise alien titles that plant conceit.
6. Not combining the name "Muhammad" with the kunyah "Abu al-Qasim." Following the Prophet's ﷺ prohibition.
7. Changing an ugly name to a good one. As the Prophet ﷺ changed "Barrah" to "Zaynab," and "Asiyah" to "Jamilah."
8. The permissibility of giving a kunyah to a child or to one without children. As the Prophet ﷺ gave a young boy the kunyah "Abu Umayr," and called Aisha "Umm Abdullah."
9. Not calling a person by a name they dislike. For that sours the heart and sows enmity, and is not part of the adab of brotherhood.

The firmest adab of naming is to choose for your newborn a name beloved to Allah, for the Prophet ﷺ pointed us to the most beloved of them:

And as one chooses a name well, so one calls its bearer well; no one is to be labelled with a nickname they dislike, and Allah forbade that:

As for the aqiqah, it is a slaughter with its own adab, guided by the etiquette of slaughter:

1. Sincerity to Allah. It is slaughtered in gratitude for Allah's blessing and in welcome of the newborn, not for show or reputation.
2. Choosing a wholesome, healthy animal. Free of evident defects, for the best offering is the finest.
3. Slaughtering it by one's own hand if able. With the tasmiyah and takbir, following the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ.
4. Observing the manners of slaughter. A sharpened blade, gentleness with the animal, and not slaughtering one beast before another.
5. Sharing the meat. Eating from it, gifting, and giving in charity, bringing joy to family, neighbours and the needy.
6. Shaving the head and giving its weight in charity. Completing the sunnah of the seventh day, in gratitude to Allah for the blessing.

And just as a newborn is received graciously, its joy is shared with family and loved ones through a gracious invitation that gathers them for the aqiqah and the congratulation. In invi2 you craft a radiant invitation worthy of your newborn's arrival, send it to everyone through a single WhatsApp link, share your joy from the very first moment, and know who shares it with you by an RSVP at a touch.