A child is born.

Screaming, crying or quiet, his or her presence inspires love and warmth, and sometimes the envy of the childless visitor. As the child is cradled by his proud, tired parents, he or she is greeted by the father's call to prayer: the father will recite the adhan the call to prayer - in the right ear of the baby, and in the left, he will read the Iqamah:

Allahu Akbar

Allahu Akbar

Ash hadu an la ilaha illal lah

Ash hadu an-na Muhammadar rasulul lah

Hayya 'alas salah, Hayya 'alas salah

Hayya 'alal falah, Hayya 'alal falah

Allahu Akbar

Allahu Akbar

La ilaha illal Lah

Allah is the greatest

Allah is the greatest

I bear witness that there is no God but Allah.

I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is the messenger of Allah.

Come to prayer, come to prayer

Hasten to your success, hasten to your success

Allah is the greatest

Allah is the greatest

There is no deity but Allah.

The ritual

Then a dab of something sweet is brushed against the baby's tiny and tender lips, a practice The Prophet (Peace be upon him) conducted too during his time.

Seven days after the baby is born, or perhaps sometime after that, like a month or two later, he or she makes his debut to the rest of the world. His parents will host the Cukur Jambul ceremony, which means the cutting of hair. There will be the slaughter of two goats if a son is born or one goat to celebrate the daughter's presence. The feast is shared among the poor and destitute, as well as the relatives and friends of the parents.

A word of note: the Qidah ceremony, which is the sacrifice of goats and the feast as mentioned earlier, is a Muslim practice while cukur jambul is a traditional Malay celebration, which originated from an Indian custom.

The celebrations may differ depending on location: a rural cukur jambul is an open air fest, with the whole village attending while city folks may hold the affair in either mosques, community halls or homes. Nonetheless, the gathering is joyous.

The baby is placed in the middle of the room, dressed in fine clothes and in a small cot or decorated mattress. He or she looks up, bemused by the many strange faces, and gurgles displeasure, coos and fidgets. The anxious mother is close by, attending to the baby's needs.

In the village, a group of singers with their kompangs (goat skin tambourines) sing praises to Allah, and in the city, there are groups of matrons that 'perform' hymms - berzanji - (nasyid) in private homes. It is not really that dissimilar, the celebrations in either localities.

The matrons lead the ladies to prayers, supplications and sing a few hymms.

The baby falls asleep, lulled into slumber by the recitations of Quranic supplications.

The father hovers with his camera, joking with his relatives, capturing every moment. The baby turns to the direction of his father's voice and chirps, recognising Ayah.

The ladies nod approvingly, so young and the baby already knows the father's voice!

Blessing the baby

At the end of the session, the baby is carried and meets everyone of the guest. The baby looks unblinkingly at each one, and they say, a baby can see the true soul of an adult for he is not spoilt yet by the corrupt world. His or her hair is snipped and put into a bowl of water. You may be reminded of an old fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, who was blessed by three fairy god-mothers.

A tray of bunga rampai, betel nut leaves, saffron rice and white rice are some of the accoutrements that accompany the occasion. Bunga telur (flower eggs) are given as gifts to guests, though in these modern times, gifts are more creative. Tiny cushions, boxes of sweets guests delight in the party favours.

In an essay written by Amatullah Abdullah, that was circulated on the Internet, she wrote, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the model for the whole of humankind. His attitude towards children was always compassionate and merciful. Being fond of children, Prophet Muhammad showed great interest in playing with them. His involvement in children's games shows us the great importance in playing with our children. He would have fun with the children who had come back from Abyssinia and tried to speak in Abyssinian with them.

It was his practice to give lifts on his camel to children when he returned from journeys.

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), the servant of the Prophet, had another recollection:

I never saw anyone who was more compassionate towards children than Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). His son Ibrahim was in the care of a wet nurse in the hills around Madinah. He would go there, and we would go with him, and he would enter the house, pick up his son and kiss him, then come back. (Muslim)

The Prophet's love for children was not restricted to his children and grandchildren. The scope of his mercy and affection embraced all children, and he showed the same interest and gentleness to his Companion's children."

So the baby's parents strive to give their best, to love their child like The Prophet once did: the best love, the best school, the best everything that they can give. The baby looks back at the parents and reaches for them.

Who knows what will happen to them. If Fate is kind, the baby will grow up in a loving family and become successful. Yet some families are not so lucky. A divorce, abuse, there is no light in their lives. One can only hope and pray. Nobody knows what the future holds.

In the meantime as the proud parents hold their child, the future is bright.

DINA ZAMAN lives in Kuala Lumpur. She is an overly indulgent aunt to a five year old nephew.