the name has not been chosen before the birth. If it has been chosen before the birth, then he is named on the day of his birth.

The evidence for this is that the Prophet ﷺ once came to his family and said, “A son was born to me tonight, and I have named him Abraham.” (1) Thus, he named him from the time of his birth because the name had already been selected.

If the family agree to name him on the fourth or fifth day, then it is preferable to defer this until the seventh day.

Issue: On the seventh day, the male child’s head should be shaved, and silver—equal in weight to his hair—should be given in charity. This applies if it is possible to find a barber who can shave the child’s head. If none can be found, and one wishes to give in charity an amount approximating the weight of the hair on his head, then I hope there is nothing wrong with that. Otherwise, it appears that shaving the head on that day has an effect upon the hair follicles. Yet we may not find a barber able to shave the child’s head, because on that day it is not possible to control his movements; he may move suddenly, and his head is soft, so the razor may harm him. If none can be found, then one should give silver in charity equal to its estimated weight.

On this occasion, one must choose for his child a name for which he will not be ridiculed or harmed when he grows older. A father may like a particular name, but the child may be harmed by it in the future, making the father a cause of harm to his son. It is well known that harming a believer is unlawful. Therefore, he should choose the best of names