Postpartum Recovery in the Sunnah: The Date As Sweet Probiotic For a Newly-Born Baby | Ilham Malick
Channel: Muslim Community Center - MCC East Bay
Date: 2023-08-27

– Complete talk: https://youtu.be/4bC-AVA67Nw
– Sugar in Mouth of a Newborn: Medical Science Takes Time to Catch up to the Sunnah: https://youtu.be/qNw-iUidtvk?si=MNUdWKFVBdcVJ5ON
– More talks on nutrition: https://mcceastbay.org/nutrition

Tahnik (تَحْنِيكِ) is an Islamic practice of rubbing the palate of a newborn baby with honey, sweet juice or pressed dates. Originally the date was softened by mastication by the father or a pious person and rubbed on the infant's palate. The Arabic word ḥanak (حنك), pl. aḥnāk (احناك), means 'palate', from which the word taḥnīk (تَحْنِيكِ) is derived.

During the lifetime of Muhammad, Muslims would bring their newborns for him to perform taḥnīk upon them.

In the collected Ḥadīth books, Sahih Muslim, by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Kitab al-Adab (كتاب الآداب) "Book of Etiquette", contains the account of the origin of the ceremonial ritual performed by the newborn's mother or father:

"It is recommended to perform taḥnīk on the day of birth; to take the newborn to a righteous person or for parents to perform taḥnīk on them. It is permissible to name the newborn on the day of birth, and it is recommended to use the names 'Abdullah, Ibrahim, and the names of all other prophets, (Peace Be Upon Them)."

Anas bin Malik reports this account:

"I took 'Abdullah b. Abi Talha Ansari to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) at the time of his birth. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was at that time wearing a woollen cloak and besmearing the camels with tar. He said: Have you got with you the dates? I said: Yes. He took hold of the dates and put them in his mouth and softened them, then opened the mouth of the infant and put that in it and the child began to lick it. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: The Ansar have a liking for the dates, and he (the Holy Prophet) gave him the name of 'Abdullah."

The taḥnīk also exercises the muscles of the mouth and helps with the circulation of blood in the mouth - this may help the baby to be able to suck and take mother's milk. It is also credited to prevent neonatal hypoglycemia in newborn babies.

Certified Health Coach Ilham Malick shares practical insights on eating a healthy holistic diet in light of Sunnah (prophetic way of living), and how to maintain a healthy weight and practice preventative healthcare.

– Speaker's Deck: https://mcceastbay.org/nutrition-presentation
– More talks on nutrition: https://mcceastbay.org/nutrition
– Learn your body type: https://www.propheticmedicine.com

We all know the Hadith about balancing the dates’ heat with the cucumber’s coolness. Let us learn more about food temperaments, Prophetic Nutrition. Sunnah foods, and how to eat according to different body types.

About the Speaker
Ilham Malick has two Masters’s degrees in Dietetics. She also has an Ijazah in Hadith and she is a certified Health Coach. Follow her on  https://www.instagram.com/inspired_by_ilham

This workshop was delivered at the Muslim Community Center - East Bay (MCC East Bay) in Pleasanton, California on Saturday, June 10, 2023.

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