It is our custom that when a woman completes forty days of post-natal bleeding, food is prepared for her from dates and pastries, called the "Fortieth Miracle," and people are invited to it.

The questioner : It is our custom that when a woman completes forty days of post-natal bleeding, food is prepared for her from dates and pastries, called the "Fortieth Miracle," and the neighbors and relatives are invited to it, or it is distributed among the neighbors. Is this practice a religious innovation?

The Shaykh : It is not a religious innovation; this is a celebration that follows custom. However, one should not go to the extent of extravagance, waste, or excessive spending in it. But if someone were to ask: Is it permissible to make the 'aqiqah (sacrifice for a newborn) in this manner, meaning that we slaughter the 'aqiqah on the seventh day and invite the neighbors and relatives to it, or that we slaughter the 'aqiqah and give it in charity? The answer is: Combining charity with gathering the relatives is better, because charity benefits the poor, and it is necessary that the poor benefit from what is slaughtered as an act of drawing near to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And gathering the neighbors and relatives has good in it; it involves maintaining family ties, getting to know one another, fostering affection, and displaying this religious observance, which is the 'aqiqah.

The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.