What are the rulings concerning the newborn, from naming to the 'aqiqah?

The questioner : The questioner says: I am a man, and all praise and grace belong to Allah, and I am married. I am expecting a newborn in the coming days. I ask for guidance on what I must do regarding the newborn, the 'aqiqah, and all rulings related to the newborn. I ask that you make a sincere supplication for us.

The Shaykh : We ask Allah to grant you righteous offspring. If we are present in this country when the time for the 'aqiqah comes, invite us to it. I say: It is recommended (sunnah) first to improve the name, to improve the name of the newborn, , so do not replace these two names with anything else, as long as these two names are the most beloved names to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, because each of us loves to do what Allah the Mighty and Majestic loves. The naming takes place at birth, unless the name is not ready, in which case it is done on the seventh day. The evidence that naming takes place at birth is that Ibrahim, the son of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), was born, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) announced the good news with . This is evidence that if the name is ready and prepared, the person is named with it from the moment he is born. Also, from a rational perspective, one should hasten to name the child so that your child does not remain for seven days without a name. However, if the name is not prepared, then as came in the hadith, the head is shaved and the child is named on the seventh day. On the seventh day, the head of the male is shaved, and charity is given in the weight of his hair in silver.
Also on the seventh day, the 'aqiqah is performed for him: if it is a male, two animals; if it is a female, one. It should be that the two are equivalent, meaning close in size, so that one matches the other in body, fatness, and all qualities considered. The father slaughters them if he is skilled in slaughter; otherwise, he appoints someone to slaughter them, and he is present. He gives charity from them with what is easy, sends what is easy, and prepares a walimah (wedding feast) to which he invites his relatives and brothers. There is no harm in taking them to the open field, because the intention is to display this ritual and to make it clear that the person has performed the 'aqiqah for himself. Even Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a man who has no money, and he said: He borrows and performs the 'aqiqah. I hope Allah will replace it for him, reviving a sunnah. But what Imam Ahmad said, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said should be qualified by the condition that he expects to be able to repay, such as expecting dirhams that will come to him. As for the poor man who does not expect to be able to repay, he should not burden his conscience with something that is not obligatory. For example, if this man is an employee and has nothing at the time of the 'aqiqah, the employee usually expects to have dirhams by the end of the month, so he may borrow from his brothers and perform the 'aqiqah. On the seventh day, the scholars said: If it is missed, then on the fourteenth; if it is missed, then on the twenty-first. After that, the weeks are not considered.

Another questioner : Meaning, do not leave it out.

The Shaykh : As for a female, choose from the names what is appropriate for the time in which she is. But we must beware of naming with the specific names of the disbelievers, such as George. Ha? No, Zaydan is not the issue. Areej. I do not think I want something specific. In any case, that is enough. You know better than I do about those names. It is not permissible to name with the specific names of the disbelievers. It is well known, my brothers? Good.
I also refer you, my brothers, to a book written by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) titled *Tuhfat al-Mawjud fi Ahkam al-Mawlood* (The Gift of the Newborn in the Rulings of the Newborn). It is a good book in which he mentioned a large number of the rulings of the 'aqiqah and the name. He also mentioned at the end the wisdom of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in the creation of man and the creation of the fetus. It is a book that a student of knowledge should possess and benefit from. Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned it in that book.