A month ago, my wife delivered a baby boy, but I have not shaved his head yet, can I shave his head these days?

Answer

Praise Be to Allah and Peace Be Upon His Messenger.

Referring to your question, shaving the head of a baby on the seventh day of birth, whether this baby is a boy or a girl, is not a duty, but it is Sunnah (tradition). However, there is a healthy benefit a baby can get if its head is shaved. Such benefit is announced by doctors which is strengthening the scalp.

The evidences which tell that shaving the head on the seventh day is Sunnah are:

Samurah RAA narrated that the messenger of Allah said: “every baby is pawned against his ‘Aqiqah’ to be slaughtered on his behalf on the seventh day of its birth, its head is to be shaved, and he must be given a name.” Ahmad and Tirmidhi graded this hadith as sahih.

It is also preferred, Sunnah, to weigh the shaved hair, and give the equivalent weight of his hair in silver as Sadaqa (charity).

Ali ibn Abi Talib RAA reported that the messenger of Allah sacrificed a sheep on the seventh day for Al-Hasan and said: “Shave his head, Fatimah, and give the weight of his hair in silver as sadaqah.”

How should this sadaqah be given to the poor; in other words, silver or money?

The sadaqah is paid as follows. If the weight of the shaved hair is 5 grams, for example, then you recognize the price of five grams of silver, but you do not buy silver; you get that price (the amount of money) and give it to the poor.

If a parent does not slaughter a sheep on the seventh day of birth, they can slaughter on the fourteenth; if they do not do this on the fourteenth, let it be on the twenty first. If they do not, they can slaughter a sheep regardless of the days and weeks. And as a parent, if you do not shave the baby’s hair, it does not matter.