Is the 'Aqiqah sacrificed and distributed, or is a wedding feast held?
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The questioner : O Shaykh, regarding the 'Aqiqah, what is the ruling on it? Is the sacrificial animal slaughtered and distributed, or is a feast held for a group of people?
The Shaykh : There is no specific system prescribed by the Shari'ah regarding the 'Aqiqah; rather, the matter is left to the person performing it and the one slaughtering it. If, for example, he is poor, he and his family are more deserving of it. If he is wealthy... if he is rich with surplus, he is always, meaning, satiated with meat, so he should satiate others with the meat of the 'Aqiqah. There is no doubt that the others are more deserving if they are poor. However, there is no harm in distributing some of it in this situation. If he is wealthy, there is no harm in distributing it to the poor and inviting some friends to it. In short, he is free to dispose of it as he wishes; there is no system like that of the Udhiyah. In the case of the Udhiyah, one must eat from it, one must store some of it, and one must give some in charity. Some people imagine that these three things are equal shares, i.e., one-third, one-third, and one-third, but that is not the case. The important thing is that he eats what he likes from it, whether it is a quarter or a tenth, then he stores what he likes from it, and he gives the rest in charity. In other words, if this wealthy person who performed the sacrifice distributed it all, he would be in violation. He must eat from it. Then, if he ate from it and distributed the rest, he would also be in violation. He must store some of it, because the concept of the Udhiyah includes the concept of blessing. Therefore, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the Farewell Pilgrimage, he slaughtered sixty camels and slaughtered them with his own hand (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he entrusted 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) with them and ordered him to cook a piece from each camel for him to take. This is the ruling regarding the Udhiyah. As for the ruling regarding the 'Aqiqah, the matter is broad, as I mentioned.
The Shaykh : There is no specific system prescribed by the Shari'ah regarding the 'Aqiqah; rather, the matter is left to the person performing it and the one slaughtering it. If, for example, he is poor, he and his family are more deserving of it. If he is wealthy... if he is rich with surplus, he is always, meaning, satiated with meat, so he should satiate others with the meat of the 'Aqiqah. There is no doubt that the others are more deserving if they are poor. However, there is no harm in distributing some of it in this situation. If he is wealthy, there is no harm in distributing it to the poor and inviting some friends to it. In short, he is free to dispose of it as he wishes; there is no system like that of the Udhiyah. In the case of the Udhiyah, one must eat from it, one must store some of it, and one must give some in charity. Some people imagine that these three things are equal shares, i.e., one-third, one-third, and one-third, but that is not the case. The important thing is that he eats what he likes from it, whether it is a quarter or a tenth, then he stores what he likes from it, and he gives the rest in charity. In other words, if this wealthy person who performed the sacrifice distributed it all, he would be in violation. He must eat from it. Then, if he ate from it and distributed the rest, he would also be in violation. He must store some of it, because the concept of the Udhiyah includes the concept of blessing. Therefore, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the Farewell Pilgrimage, he slaughtered sixty camels and slaughtered them with his own hand (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he entrusted 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) with them and ordered him to cook a piece from each camel for him to take. This is the ruling regarding the Udhiyah. As for the ruling regarding the 'Aqiqah, the matter is broad, as I mentioned.