SAEDNEWS: Reciting the Adhan (call to prayer) in a newborn’s ear is one of the longstanding traditions among Muslims, but there are certain etiquettes and practices that should be observed when doing so.
According to Saednews, One of the practices observed by Muslims after the birth of a baby is reciting the Adhan (call to prayer) in the newborn’s ear. Apart from questions such as who should recite the Adhan, there are other important points regarding this practice. Based on Islamic narrations and the views of religious scholars, these points are explained below.
Among the recommended practices immediately after a child’s birth is to recite the Adhan in the newborn’s right ear and the Iqamah in the left ear.
It is narrated from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):
“Let the Adhan of the prayer be recited in his right ear and the Iqamah in his left ear, for this protects him from the accursed Satan.”
(Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 24, Hadith 6; Shaykh al-Hurr al-Amili, Wasa'il al-Shi'a, Vol. 21, pp. 405–406, Chapter 35, Hadith 1.)
Imam Khomeini, in Tahrir al-Wasilah, under the section “Rulings Concerning Birth and Related Matters,” states that it is recommended to bathe the newborn at the time of birth when there is no risk of harm, recite the Adhan in the right ear and the Iqamah in the left ear, perform tahnik with water from the Euphrates and the soil of Imam Hussein, and give the child a good name.
He further explains that choosing a good name is considered one of the child’s rights over the father. Names expressing servitude to God, such as Abdullah, Abdul-Rahim, and Abdul-Rahman, are regarded as preferable, followed by the names of the prophets and the Imams, with Muhammad given particular preference.
(Imam Khomeini, Mawsu'at al-Imam al-Khomeini, Vol. 23, Tahrir al-Wasilah, Vol. 2, p. 333.)
In another narration, Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) relates through Asma bint Umais from Fatimah al-Zahra (SA):
When her son Imam Hasan (AS) was born, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asked Asma to bring the baby to him. Asma wrapped him in a yellow cloth and brought him to the Prophet. The Prophet then recited the Adhan in his right ear and the Iqamah in his left ear.
After Imam Hussein (AS) was born, he was wrapped in a white cloth and brought to the Prophet, who performed the same ritual for him.
(Shaykh al-Hurr al-Amili, Wasa'il al-Shi'a, Vol. 21, p. 408, Chapter 36, Hadith 5.)
Regarding the appropriate time, it is recommended to recite the Adhan in the newborn’s right ear and the Iqamah in the left ear on the first day after birth, or before the umbilical cord falls off.
(Sayyid Ruhollah Khomeini, Tawdih al-Masa'il, p. 203, 1426 AH.)
In summary, according to these Islamic narrations and scholarly rulings, reciting the Adhan in the newborn’s right ear and the Iqamah in the left ear is considered a recommended practice, preferably performed on the first day after birth.
