Maliki Ruling on Calling the Adhan and Iqama in the Ears of Newborns

Answered by Shaykh Rami Nsour

Question: What is the Maliki ruling on calling the Adhaan & Iqamaah in the ears of newborn children?

Answer:

Imam Malik on Calling the Adhan and Iqaama in the Ears of a Newborn

According to Imam Malik, the practice of calling the Adhaan & Iqamaah in the ears of newborn children is disliked (makruh) due to the fact that he did not find it as a practice in Medina. Imam Malik was very careful about considering something a sunna if there was not proof that the tradition was maintained by the scholars of Medina. Later Maliki scholars recommended implementing the practice due to the Hadith and this has been accepted as the practice of many of the Maliki scholars. (Al Hattab, Mawahib al Jalil)

Imam Malik, the Practice of Medina and the Madhab

Although the opinions of Imam Malik and the Practice of Medina represents a large amount of the Maliki rulings, there are many opinions of the Madhab that are from Malik’s students or later Maliki mujtahid Imams. Thus, when one follows the Maliki madhab, or any of the four valid schools of thought, they are not only following the opinions of one scholar but rather the opinions of a large group of scholars using similar methodological principles.