Tahnik
Taḥnīk is an Islamic ceremony of rubbing the palate of a newborn baby with honey, sweet juice or pressed dates. Originally the date was softened by mastication by the pious person and rubbed on the infant's palate. The Arabic word ḥanak, pl. aḥnāk, means 'palate', from which the word taḥnīk is derived.
During the lifetime of Muhammad, Muslims would bring their newborns for him to perform taḥnīk upon them.
In the collected Ḥadīth books, Sahih Muslim, by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Kitab al-Adab "Book of Etiquette", contains the account of the origin of the ceremonial ritual performed by the newborn's mother or father:
Anas bin Malik reports this account:
The taḥnīk also exercises the muscles of the mouth and helps with the circulation of blood in the mouth - this may help the baby to be able to suck and take mother's milk. It is also credited to prevent neonatal hypoglycemia in newborn babies.