ISLAMABAD: A new fatwa issued by the religious scholars at a National Ulema Conference has allowed newborn babies to receive the azaan before they have been bathed.
The religious verdict was passed keeping in mind the death of 200,000 newborns last year due to pneumonia due to the misconception that the azaan can only be recited in their ears after they have been bathed.
Speaking at the conference, Dr Atif Butt from the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) said, “There are three main reasons for their deaths including diarrhea, malaria, and pneumonia. Just like mountaineers have to acclimatise themselves before starting their climb, babies also need to acclimatise to the environment after birth.”
He explained that babies need about six hours to acclimatise and that giving them a bath so soon after birth disturbs their body temperature.
Dr Butt further added, “It is not mentioned anywhere in Shariah that babies need to be given a bath just after birth. We need to save their lives by removing these misconceptions.”
IIUI President Dr Ahmed Yousif Al-Deriweesh also spoke at the conference and placed emphasis on the fact that the Islamic Shariah Law focuses first and foremost on saving and protecting human life and that awareness should be spread about this misconception surrounding the bathing of infants as soon as they are born because it is harmful for them.
Scholars from all schools of thought unanimously agreed to this and then passed a resolution with the decree that there is no harm in not bathing newborns due to medical reasons before the azaan is recited in their ears.
