Birth Rites in the Bohra Tradition

The Birth as a Sacred Event

In the Islamic and Ismaili-Bohra framework, every human birth is a cosmic event: a soul that took the primordial covenant (misaq) with the divine before its descent into the world (7:172) is now entering the realm of time and embodiment. The birth rites serve to:

Welcome the soul into the community of the faithful
Re-mark the covenant: the mithaq the soul made in the primordial realm is now affirmed in the world
Protect the newborn: from spiritual and physical harm
Begin the child’s identity as a member of the da’wa community

The Adhan in the Newborn’s Ear

The first act after birth: the adhan (call to prayer) is recited softly in the newborn’s right ear.

“The Prophet (SAW) called the adhan in the ear of al-Hasan when Fatima gave birth to him.” — Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi

The spiritual significance: The first sound a Muslim child hears in the world is Allahu Akbar — Allah is Greater. Before the child hears any human voice, any worldly sound — before the world’s noise has entered the soul’s awareness — the divine’s greatness is announced.

In the Bohra tradition, the adhan recited in the newborn’s ear includes the third shahada: Ashhadu anna ‘Aliyyan waliyyullah — affirming the child’s walayah to the Imam from the first moments of life.

Some traditions also recite the iqama (the call to stand for prayer) in the left ear.

Al-Tahnik — The First Taste

One of the most beautiful prophetic practices for newborns: tahnik — placing a small amount of something sweet (traditionally a chewed date, or in later practice, honey) on the newborn’s upper palate.

“The Prophet (SAW) was brought a child and performed tahnik with a date for it.” — Bukhari, Muslim

In the Bohra tradition: The tahnik is performed by the Dai al-Mutlaq or his representative, or by the most senior and pious family member. The use of the Dai’s blessing in the tahnik connects the child’s first earthly taste to the Imam’s barakah through the Dai.

The symbolism: The child’s first taste is sweet — a prayer that the child’s life will be filled with sweetness. But more deeply, in the Ismaili ta’wil, the date or honey represents the ta’wil — the sweet inner knowledge of the divine’s reality. The child’s first taste is a taste of the divine’s sweetness.

Al-‘Aqiqa — The Birth Sacrifice

‘Aqiqa is the sacrifice performed on behalf of a newborn, typically on the seventh day after birth:

“For every child there is an ‘aqiqa to be sacrificed for him on his seventh day, his name should be given on this day, and his hair should be shaved.” — Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i

The classical rulings:

Two sheep/goats for a boy; one for a girl (in the majority ruling)
On the seventh day; if missed, the fourteenth; if missed again, the twenty-first
The ‘aqiqa meat is distributed — to the family, to the poor, and some kept for the household
A portion is given as sadaqa

Spiritual significance: The ‘aqiqa is the child’s “ransom” — the animal is sacrificed in place of the child, as a symbolic acknowledgment that the child’s life belongs to the divine, and the parents are caretakers, not owners.

In the Bohra tradition, the ‘aqiqa sacrifice is accompanied by du’a’s and often timed to coincide with a gathering where the community celebrates the birth together.

See also: Sadaqa, Ahl Al Bayt

Al-Tasmiya — The Naming Ceremony

Tasmiya (naming) is performed on the seventh day, simultaneously with the ‘aqiqa. The naming is a sacred act — the name will shape the child’s identity and is announced in the presence of the community:

“Name your children with the names of the prophets.” — Abu Dawud

Islamic naming principles:

Names with good meanings are preferred (‘Abd Allah, ‘Abd al-Rahman, names of prophets and righteous people)
Names with negative meanings are to be avoided
The Prophet (SAW) changed people’s names when their names had poor meanings

Bohra naming tradition: Names in the Bohra community often carry Arabic roots: the Prophet’s family names (Muhammad, ‘Ali, Fatima, Husayn, Zaynab, Hasan), names of the Dais and their family, names of the companions. Many names carry the Ismaili theological vocabulary — Saifuddin (sword of the religion), Burhanuddin (proof of the religion), Mufaddal (the preferred/chosen one).

The naming ceremony in the Bohra tradition often includes:

Recitation of Quran
Salawat on the Prophet and Ahl al-Bayt
Du’a’ for the child’s well-being and faithfulness to the da’wa
Announcement of the name with prayers

The Shaving of the Head

On the seventh day, the newborn’s head is shaved (halq). The tradition prescribes that the weight of the shaved hair in silver (or its equivalent value) be given as sadaqa.

Symbolism: The shaving of the first hair is a removal of the “trace of the womb” — the child is transitioning from the pre-birth state to the post-birth state. The sadaqa of the hair’s weight in silver marks this transition with an act of generosity toward the poor.

Entry into the Mithaq Community

The most distinctively Ismaili-Bohra birth practice: when the child comes of age (traditionally at adolescence, though practices vary), they take the mithaq — the formal covenant with the Imam through the Dai al-Mutlaq. The mithaq ceremony marks the child’s formal entry into the Ismaili da’wa community as a responsible adult member.

The birth rites described above are preparatory — welcoming the soul, marking it with the adhan and tahnik, sacrificing the ‘aqiqa, and giving it a name — but the mithaq is the formal covenant that makes the community membership explicit.

The connection: The primordial mithaq (the soul’s covenant in the spiritual realm — 7:172), the symbolic mithaq of the birth rites (adhan, tahnik), and the formal mithaq ceremony (at coming-of-age) form a three-stage covenant arc across the person’s life.

Du’a for the Newborn

The Prophet (SAW) taught specific du’as for newborns:

“U’idhuka bi-kalimatillahi al-tammati min kulli shaytanin wa hammah, wa min kulli ‘aynin lamma.” (“I seek protection for you in the perfect words of Allah from every devil and every poisonous thing and from every evil eye.”)

“Baraka Allahu laka fi al-mawdud, wa shakarta al-wahib, wa balagha ashuddahu, wa ruziqta birrahu.” (“May Allah bless you in the gift given to you; may you give thanks to the Giver; may the child reach maturity; and may you be provided with his righteousness.”)

In the Bohra tradition, these du’as are supplemented with specific prayers from the da’wa literature — du’as invoking the Imam’s blessing on the newborn and praying for the child’s faithfulness to the da’wa.

See also: Morning Evening Adhkar, Tawassul

Birth Rites in the Bohra Tradition — Welcoming a New Soul