What is the ruling on bathing an infant after birth, and is the default state one of purity after emerging from the womb? If the default state is purity, is it permissible for the mother to embrace the child immediately after birth?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The newborn emerges pure by the consensus of Muslims, and it is not obligatory to wash him at birth; rather, it is permissible to embrace and kiss him. Among the things prescribed to be done immediately after birth is the call to prayer () in the newborn's ear, so that the remembrance of Allah is the first thing that strikes his hearing and takes root in his heart.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/29577
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 29577
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Read the full answer on Ftawy