Is the pregnant woman advised to recite certain soorahs for the sake of the baby’s wellbeing?

Praise be to Allah.

We have not found anything in the religious texts to indicate that the pregnant woman’s recitation of any specific soorahs of the Qur’an will have any effect on the child’s intelligence or beauty. The one who makes any such claim without proof or evidence is overstepping the mark and speaking about Allah without knowledge.

What is mentioned frequently in some chat rooms about experiments done by some research students is not to be taken seriously, because scientific studies are not accepted unless they are done methodologically, based on statistics including a wide range of samples, in proper stages, with measures gauging causes and results. This is something that requires many years of research, not a few general statements and results that are more likely to be imaginary, and in fact it is not known whether they are true or false.

Undoubtedly the entire Qur’an brings goodness, blessing and reward, but that does not mean that we can attribute to it everything that we want for ourselves or for our children. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says in His holy Book (interpretation of the meaning):

{It is He who forms you in the wombs however He wills. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise} [Aal ‘Imraan 3:6].

Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

That is, whether the person is beautiful or ugly, black or white, tall or short, intact or deficient, and so on." (Al-Jaami‘ li Ahkaam al-Qur’an 1/927).

Nevertheless, there is nothing wrong with a pregnant woman regularly reciting Qur’an and listening to it, because of what has been proven in medical studies that the foetus is affected by external sounds, so if the sound is the voice of someone reciting Qur’an, there is the hope that this will be good for the foetus and bring blessing to him, without specifying the nature of that benefit. Please see the answer to question no. 47059 .

We thank the questioner for checking and looking for shar‘i evidence, and we hope that this will be the way adopted by all Muslims today.

And Allah knows best.