A child is a gift from Allah, and hence parents must welcome this wonderful divine gift in a most fitting manner. There are certain rituals associated with childbirth to be performed. Among these rituals is to shave his or her head and give in charity the equivalent of the hair weight in gold or silver.
Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, states: “It is recommended (i.e. not obligatory) to shave a newborn’s head, whether male or female. The hair that is shaved should be weighed and then an amount of gold or silver equal to the weight of hair should be given in charity to the poor or needy.
The Prophet’s daughter, Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) is reported to have weighed the hairs of Al-Hassan, Al-Husayn, Um-Kulthum and Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with them all) and given an amount of silver equal to the weight of the hair in charity.”