Removing the newborn’s umbilical cord
Question
What was the norm in the time of Rasūlullāh ﷺ with regards to the detachment of the umbilical cord?
Is there any problem if a woman wants to allow it to dry up itself and naturally fall off from the baby, as opposed to intentionally being cut?
Another name for this is lotus birth, which usually takes around two weeks to naturally detach.
Answer
We were unable to find any narration with regard to the exact time of removal of the umbilical cord during the blessed era of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). What is mentioned in the books of Hadith is, that the umbilical cord should be buried when detached from the body. Notwithstanding the above, since the umbilical cord is considered as impure, it should be removed immediately after birth and buried.
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) used to command that seven parts of the human body should be buried. These seven parts have been listed below:
- Hair
- Nails
- Blood
- Sanitary Pads (after use)
- Teeth
- Clods of blood
- Placenta
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
. والمشيمة والمضغة والعلقة جميعها نجس مطلقا على المختار للمذهب انتهى.(البدر التمام شرح بلوغ المرام ص124 ج1)
كان يأمر بدفن سبعة أشياء من الإنسان: الشعر والظفر والدم والحيضة والسن والعلقة والمشيمة.( كنز العمال 7/127)
- Answered by
- Maulana Abdul Kader Fazlani
- Checked & approved by
- Mufti Mohammed Desai
Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.
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Source: Darul Ifta Ibn Masood — https://fataawa.co.za/removing-the-new-borns-umbilical-cord/
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/ibnmasood-22401