The Ruling on the 'Aqiqah and Naming for One Who Died Before Birth

Question:
May Allah keep you safe. This questioner from Sudan says, Honorable Shaykh: Three of my children passed away in the eighth month of gestation. I did not perform the 'aqiqah for them, nor did I name them. Is anything required of me regarding the 'aqiqah and naming?

Answer:
It is not obligatory for you, but it is recommended that you name them, and it is recommended that you perform the 'aqiqah for each one, if they had reached four months. If the fetus died after four months, after the soul was breathed into it, then it takes the ruling of a born child. It is recommended that it be named, and it is recommended—indeed, I prefer that the 'aqiqah be performed for it. It is obligatory that it be washed, shrouded, and that the funeral prayer be performed for it. It is obligatory that it be buried in the Muslim cemeteries. It takes the rulings of a born child. However, if it was before the completion of four months, then it has none of these matters, because the soul was not breathed into it, and life did not exist in it. Yes.