Prayer TimesTahnik is the practice of rubbing the palate of a newborn with a softened date or something sweet before the baby is breastfed. This is a Sunnah act passed down from our Prophet (ﷺ).
Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) brought his son to the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was born. The Prophet (ﷺ) named him Ibrahim, rubbed his palate with a date, prayed for blessings, and made du‘a for him. In another hadith, when Abu Talha’s (may Allah be pleased with him) son was born, the Prophet (ﷺ) chewed some dates, put it in the baby’s mouth, and rubbed his palate.
Hafiz ibn Hajar in his book “Fath al-Bari” (9/588) explains: “Tahnik is chewing something and then rubbing it on the baby’s palate. The purpose is to strengthen the baby’s mouth muscles and prepare them for sucking and eating. The best is to use dates. If dates are not available, any sweet thing can be used. Among sweet things, honey is considered better than others.”
With the advancement of knowledge and technology, some scientific aspects of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) Sunnah are being revealed. Medical experts say that especially premature babies need glucose in their bodies. If they do not get it, they may refuse to feed, their growth may be stunted, their brains may be damaged, and they may suffer from various illnesses. By performing tahnik with dates or something sweet, the missing glucose is supplied, as dates are rich in glucose.
As mentioned in the hadiths above, the Companions would bring their newborns to the Prophet (ﷺ) for tahnik. There is also the aspect of seeking blessing (tabarruk) here. Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that when Umm Sulaym gave birth, she said: “O Anas! Do not feed this child anything until you have taken him to the Prophet (ﷺ) for tahnik.” Imam an-Nawawi commented on the benefit of this hadith: “When a child is born, it is recommended to take him to righteous and respected people to have his palate rubbed with dates.” (Sharh an-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim 14/100).
Similarly, among our people, there is a tradition of having elders, heroes, or wise people put something in the newborn’s mouth. This tradition, inherited from our ancestors, also has its roots in the Sunnah. The intention is that the child will grow up to be as honorable and exemplary as those people.
Medet QURMASHULY,
Specialist, Sharia and Fatwa Department, SAMK
“Iman” magazine, No.2, 2024
This content was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor.