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Is it permissible to cut the newborn's hair with scissors instead of shaving it, and is it valid to estimate the weight of the hair to give charity for it, and can it be given to his non-Muslim grandmother? And are shaving the hair, tahneek (rubbing a chewed date on the infant's palate), and adhan (call to prayer) specific to males, or do they include females, and when should the adhan be recited, and can it be delayed, or can the mother perform these sunnahs? And is it permissible to pay a bribe to enter the hospital and perform these sunnahs?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

This is a frequently recurring question, and the answer to it is straightforward: These words have no basis in the Sunnah, nor are they mentioned in the Book of Allah. They are not part of the prescribed remembrance (dhikr); rather, they are among the innovated forms of remembrance and are considered newly invented innovations.

Therefore, it is obligatory for a Muslim to adhere to what is stated in the Book and the Sunnah, and to beware of innovations and newly invented matters, for every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance leads to the Hellfire.

Thus, whoever hears these words must denounce them, clarify to people that they are an innovation, that they are not part of the prescribed remembrance, and warn people against them.

And Allah knows best.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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