She was told that reading Soorah Muhammad will make her have a baby boy

11-3-2013 | IslamWeb

Question:

assalamualaikum,i am pregnant now and i started reading surah mohammed before my pregnancy and i am reading it now also for a baby boy, i have been told that if u read surah mohammed during pregnancy you will be blessed with a boy and you must name the baby with mohammed. but now i am scared that may be my inlaws will not keep my baby's name with mohammed. if i will not keep my baby's name mohammed will that have any effect on my baby? is there any kuffara for that?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

 

Saying that reading Soorah (chapter) Muhammad during pregnancy will result in having a baby boy and that you must name the baby Muhammad, have no basis in the Sharee‘ah (Islamic law). There is absolutely no doubt that the name Muhammad is one of the best names. However, if Allaah grants you a boy, you can name him with that name or with any other of the good names. If you do not name him Muhammad, there is no harmful effect on the baby, Allaah Willing. As for expiation, there is no mention of it at all.

It should be noted that naming the child is the right of the father in principle. It was stated in Tuhfat Al-Mawdood fi Ahkaam Al-Mawlood by Ibn Al-Qayyim : "The Fifth Chapter: The naming of the children is the right of the father and not the mother, and there is no disagreement among the people (i.e. scholars) about this issue, and if there is a disagreement between the parents about naming the child, then it is the father who has the right to name the child, and each of the aforementioned Ahaadeeth support that." [End quote]

However, if there is an agreement on a certain name, this will be better.

Allaah Knows best.