Recommended Acts for pregnant Women. One of the most significant and enjoyable events and most often forgotten by society is the joy of becoming a mother. This role is seldom recognised in society today and is considered rather mundane and goes unrewarded by family and society in general. However, we will find many positive and encouraging narrations (hadiths) from the Ahlul Bayt and Qur’ānic verses in our religion which give this event the due recognition and importance. The journey begins with the desire to have a child, to bearing a child and to giving birth to that child. Through these phases, on many occasions the mother encounters hardship and suffering and at this point she needs to find some solace, not only from her family and friends but first and foremost from Qur’ān and narrations. In this article I hope to present narrations and Qur’ānic verses which can guide us through this magnificent experience. During Pregnancy First of these narrations relate to us the reward received when a woman becomes pregnant. One such narration is narrated from Umm Salamah (R), one of the virtuous wives of the Prophet Muhammad (S). Umm Salamah asked the Prophet (S), “Men get all the good rewards but what about women?” He replied, “The reward of pregnancy is the same as fasting and night worship, and struggling in the way of God with one’s wealth and life. Delivery has such an extensive divine reward which no one can comprehend. And for breastfeeding, each suck of the baby has the reward of freeing one of the slaves from the generation of Isma`īl. When the mother stops, a noble angle shall nudge her on the side and tell her, start over since you are forgiven.”[1] We can see that just being pregnant has been given the reward equivalent to not one but three other acts of worship in Islam, fasting, night worship and struggling (jihād) in the way of God, all acts of worship that on their own carry many rewards. The next stage is the period of pregnancy as the child grows and develops in the mother’s womb. The mother should try her best to keep herself occupied with religious acts such as reading Qur’ān, doing du`ā and praying and keeping away from fruitless activities which will not benefit her or the child growing inside her. During this period the mother can perform the following acts recommended by Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Vahid Khorasani, to ensure that the baby becomes religious, virtuous and good: During pregnancy the state of the mother has a great effect on the unborn child. In order to have a morally sound child in the first place stay away from doing sins. Do all your obligatory duties. Pray for the moral soundness of your child from the time of pregnancy. Everyday recite part of the Qur’ān. In the morning after your (obligatory) morning prayers and at night before sleeping recite chapter al-Ḥamd (first chapter of the Qur’ān) eleven times and gift the reward you receive (from reciting it) to Imam Zamān (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him). Everyday recite the Aḥd prayer (Du`ā). As much as possible recite Sūrah (verse) Yā Sīn and gift the blessings you receive from (reciting it) everyday to one of the fourteen infallibles (ma`sūm).[2] Some other Qur’ānic verses recommended to be recited include Surah Wāqi`ah (Chapter 56) in the first 3 months of pregnancy, Surah Raḥmān (Chapter 55) in the second three months of pregnancy and Surah Maryam (Chapter 19) in the last three months of pregnancy. Time of Delivery Regarding the time of delivery in the above narration the Prophet (S) has said, “Delivery has such an extensive divine reward which no one can comprehend.” It has also been narrated from the Prophet (S) who said, “Give your wife a few dates as soon as she delivers her child, since God ordered Mary to eat dates at the time of delivery. Give her seven dates from Medina or your own town. God has said: I swear by my Majesty, Grandeur, Nobility and Highness that if a woman eats dates on the day of childbirth, then the child shall be patient (ḥalīm) whether it is a boy or a girl.”[3] Furthermore, we find this narration from Imam Sadiq (AS) who said: “A woman who dies during delivery will not be accountable for her deeds in this world since she has died with the sorrow of childbirth.”[4] For the easy and safe delivery of a child, the editor of ‘Ṭibbu l-A’immah’ has narrated from Imam Mohammed Baqir (A.S.) that a person approached him and told the Imam that his wife was on the verge of death on account of delivery, the Imam asked him to go back immediately and read the following Du`ā: فَأَجَاءَهَا الْمَخَاضُ إِلَىٰ جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ قَالَتْ يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَـٰذَا وَكُنتُ نَسْيًا مَّنسِيًّا فَنَادَاهَا مِن تَحْتِهَا أَلَّا تَحْزَنِي قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا وَهُزِّي إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ تُسَاقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا. (And the throes (of childbirth) compelled her to betake herself to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died before this, and had been a thing quite forgotten! Then (the child) called out to her from beneath her: Grieve not, surely your Lord has made a stream to flow beneath you; And shake towards you the trunk of the palm tree, it will drop on you fresh ripe dates.) [5] And say loudly: وَاللَّـهُ أَخْرَجَكُم مِّن بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ ۙ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ. (And Allah has brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers-you did not know anything-and He gave you hearing and sight and hearts that you may give thanks.)[6] کَذالِکَ اَخرُجَ أیُّهَا الطَّلقُ اُخرُج بِإِذنِ الله. (Let the pains of birth be removed in the similar way, be removed by permission of Allah.) Whenever he would recite this, his wife would be relieved.[7] After Childbirth After a woman delivers her child, there are some acts which are recommended to be performed on the child as close as possible to the time of birth (recommended even before the child is given breast milk for the first time). These acts include: To give the newborn child a ritual bath (ghusl). To recite the adhān (Islamic call to prayer) in its right ear. To recite the iqāmah in its left ear. To perform taḥnīk for it. Taḥnīk is the name given to the act of putting the soil (turbah) of Imam Husayn (AS) or water from Euphrates (or if none of these are available some sweet water by adding dates or honey to the water) in the child’s mouth by rubbing it on the palate of the mouth. To give the child a good name such as names that indicate slavery to Allah (SWT) (e.g., Abdullah), names of prophets and Imams (AS) and if the newborn is a girl the names of Fāṭimah al-Zahra (SA). According to narration it is recommended (mustaḥab) to choose a name for the unborn child before he or she is born. It is recommended to call the male child Mohammad until the seventh day after his birth and then to call him by the name chosen for him after that. It is discouraged to call the name of the child Ḥakam, Ḥakīm, Khālid or Ḥārith. To give the child a kunyah (type of epithet) but it is discouraged to give the kunyah Abul Qāsim if the boy’s name is Muhammad.[8] Following these traditions, there are some specific rituals which are highly recommended to be carried out on the 7th day of the child’s birth. These are as follows: Shaving the child’s head and giving the weight of the hair in gold or silver as charity. Although it is the giving of the weight in gold or silver as charity which is recommended and the shaving is only the means for measuring the weight of the hair. Therefore, the weight of the hair can be estimated rather than the hair actually being shaved. To perform circumcision on the male child. To pierce the two ears of the female child. To sacrifice a sheep (preferably a male for a boy and a female for a girl) known as (`aqīqah) and to give a banquet inviting believers (mu’min). The parents of the newborn child and anyone who the parents are responsible for and pay their living expenses should not consume the meat from the `aqīqah.[9] Nursing the child It is highly recommended in Islam that the mother should suckle the child for up to the age of two. In the Qur’ān, Allah says: And the mothers should suckle their children for two whole years for him who desires to make complete the time of suckling; and their maintenance and their clothing must be borne by the father according to usage; no soul shall have imposed upon it a duty but to the extent of its capacity; neither shall a mother be made to suffer harm on account of her child, nor a father on account of his child, and a similar duty (devolves) on the (father’s) heir, but if both desire weaning by mutual consent and counsel, there is no blame on them, and if you wish to engage a wet-nurse for your children, there is no blame on you so long as you pay what you promised for according to usage; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah and know that Allah sees what you do.[10] This verse also gives the mother and father of the child options regarding nursing of the child. If the mother and father both wish to give the child to another woman for nursing then there is no harm in doing so but it is recommended that the women suckling the child should be a Twelver Shi`ah, sane, virtuous and with a good looking face. It is discouraged to give the child for suckling to a woman who is intellectually challenged, has a bad looking face, is born out of wedlock or has a child born out of wedlock.[11] In Islam there is no obligation on the mother to suckle her child. Nonetheless it is highly recommended (mustaḥab) that the mother suckles her child and if she chooses to suckle the child she may ask for compensation from the father of the child and the father is liable to pay a reasonable amount for the period of nursing. However, it is recommended that the mother does not ask for compensation for suckling her own child.[12] Footnotes: [1]Allamah Majlisī. Biḥār al-Anwār. Beirut: Mu`assisah al-Wafā’ Beirūt, 1404 A.H., v.101, pp.106-107. [2]Verdict (Isteftā) number 10670. [3]Allamah Majlisī. Biḥār al-Anwār. Beirut: Mu`assisah al-Wafā’ Beirūt, 1404 A.H., v.101, p.116. [4]Allamah Majlisī. Biḥār al-Anwār. Beirut: Mu`assisah al-Wafā’ Beirūt, 1404 A.H., v.101, p.107. [5]Qur’ān: 23-25. [6]Qur’ān: 16:78. [7]Husayn wa Abdullah ibnā Basṭām. Ṭibbu l-A’immah. Qom: Enteshārāt Sharīf Raḍī, 1411 A.H., p.69. [8]Grand Ayatollah Kho’ī and Grand Ayatollah Vaḥīd Khorāsānī. Minhāj al-Ṣāliḥīn. Qom: Madreseye Imam Bāqir al-`Ulūm (AS), n.d., v.3, pp.322-323; Sheikh Ṭusi. Al-Nihayah: A Concise Description of Islam Law and Legal Opinions. Translated by A. Ezzati. London: ICAS Press, 2008, p.355; Al-Muḥaqqiq al-Ḥillī. Sharā’i al-Islām fī Masā’il al-Ḥalāl wa l-Ḥarām. Translated by Hasan M. Najafi. Qum: Ansariyan Publications, 2003, v.2, 306; Allamah Majlisī. Biḥār al-Anwār. Beirut: Mu`assisah al-Wafā’ Beirūt, 1404 A.H., v.101, pp.116. [9]Grand Ayatollah Kho’ī and Grand Ayatollah Vaḥīd Khorāsānī. Minhāj al-Ṣāliḥīn. Qom: Madreseye Imam Bāqir al-`Ulūm (AS), n.d., v.3, pp.322-323; Sheikh Ṭusi. Al-Nihayah: A Concise Description of Islam Law and Legal Opinions. Translated by A. Ezzati. London: ICAS Press, 2008, pp.355-356; Al-Muḥaqqiq al-Ḥillī. Sharā’i al-Islām fī Masā’il al-Ḥalāl wa l-Ḥarām. Translated by Hasan M. Najafi. Qum: Ansariyan Publications, 2003, v.2, 307; Allamah Majlisī. Biḥār al-Anwār. Beirut: Mu`assisah al-Wafā’ Beirūt, 1404 A.H., v.101, pp.108-109. [10]Qur’ān 2:233. [11]Grand Ayatollah Vaḥīd Khorāsānī. Tozīḥ al-Masā’il. Qom: Madreseye Bāqir al-`Ulūm (AS), 1423 A.H., p.676. [12]Grand Ayatollah Vaḥīd Khorāsānī. Tozīḥ al-Masā’il. Qom: Madreseye Bāqir al-`Ulūm (AS), 1423 A.H., p.676; Sheikh Ṭusi. Al-Nihayah: A Concise Description of Islam Law and Legal Opinions. Translated by A. Ezzati. London: ICAS Press, 2008, p.356. Copyright © Fatima Zahra Charitable Association. All rights reserved. « Hadith: Intellect and VirtueEid Mab`ath (Announcement of the Messengership of Prophet Muhammad), 1431 A.H. »
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 02:41:28 +0000
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