Tahnik is the Sunnah practice of gently rubbing a small piece of softened date (or something naturally sweet, if dates are unavailable) onto a newborn’s palate shortly after birth. Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari describe the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) performing Tahnik for many companions’ newborns, often naming the child in the same session. While it is a cherished and recommended Sunnah, it is not a prerequisite for naming — a child can be formally named with or without Tahnik being performed, and the two practices, while historically often combined, are religiously independent of one another.