What is the ruling on the custom of secluding the postpartum woman alone for forty days without her child?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
السؤال:
He says: After the completion of the first week of birth, a person known among them for his bravery, skill, and ability to keep secrets takes the baby. The mother of the newborn remains in seclusion for forty days; she does not come out of her house but stays inside a room alone in isolation until these forty days are over. He also requests guidance regarding this matter.
The Shaykh: Repeat, repeat.
He says: Among the customs remaining with them regarding the birth of a child is that a person known for bravery, skill, and keeping secrets takes the newborn. The mother of the newborn remains in seclusion for forty days; she does not come out of her house but stays inside a room alone in isolation for forty days. Do these actions, as our brother says, do these actions contain any element of religion in your view? We ask for guidance. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
This is like what came before it; it is all invalid, all without any basis. Taking the child by a person known for bravery to a specific place, or carrying it to such and such, or taking it to such and such—none of this has any basis. Rather, the newborn stays with its mother for breastfeeding and care from the moment of its birth, or it is entrusted to someone who will hold it, raise it, and breastfeed it if the mother is unable to do so and has no milk. Likewise, the mother is not to confine herself in a room or anywhere else; rather, like other women, she leaves the place of childbirth and goes to attend to her needs. No room or other place is to be locked upon her. Rather, all of this is invalid, and it is all an excessive stringency with no justification. In fact, it is from Satan. We ask Allah for safety. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah accept it. May Allah reward you with good.
He says: After the completion of the first week of birth, a person known among them for his bravery, skill, and ability to keep secrets takes the baby. The mother of the newborn remains in seclusion for forty days; she does not come out of her house but stays inside a room alone in isolation until these forty days are over. He also requests guidance regarding this matter.
The Shaykh: Repeat, repeat.
He says: Among the customs remaining with them regarding the birth of a child is that a person known for bravery, skill, and keeping secrets takes the newborn. The mother of the newborn remains in seclusion for forty days; she does not come out of her house but stays inside a room alone in isolation for forty days. Do these actions, as our brother says, do these actions contain any element of religion in your view? We ask for guidance. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
This is like what came before it; it is all invalid, all without any basis. Taking the child by a person known for bravery to a specific place, or carrying it to such and such, or taking it to such and such—none of this has any basis. Rather, the newborn stays with its mother for breastfeeding and care from the moment of its birth, or it is entrusted to someone who will hold it, raise it, and breastfeed it if the mother is unable to do so and has no milk. Likewise, the mother is not to confine herself in a room or anywhere else; rather, like other women, she leaves the place of childbirth and goes to attend to her needs. No room or other place is to be locked upon her. Rather, all of this is invalid, and it is all an excessive stringency with no justification. In fact, it is from Satan. We ask Allah for safety. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah accept it. May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.