In Islamic tradition, tahnik is the newborn practice of rubbing a softened date on the baby’s palate.
The date is traditionally softened or chewed and then gently applied to the infant’s palate. The practice is associated with reports about the Prophet Muhammad and is followed by some Muslim families as an act of blessing for a newborn.
Tahnik is not the same as reciting the adhan, the call to prayer, into a newborn’s ear. It is also separate from aqiqah, the naming and animal-sacrifice observance commonly associated with the seventh day after birth.
Contemporary families may adapt, omit, or seek medical advice about the practice, especially because infants can face choking and food-safety risks. Historical descriptions of tahnik should therefore be distinguished from modern pediatric feeding guidance.