A child who fell from his mother’s womb before completing four months: is an ‘Aqiqah sacrificed for him?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you, esteemed Shaykh. Does a small child who falls before completing [his term] have an ‘Aqiqah or not?
The Shaykh : First, what falls before completing four months has no ‘Aqiqah, is not named, no prayer is performed over it, and nothing else is done; it is buried in any place on the earth. As for what falls after four months, the soul has been breathed into it, so it is named, washed, shrouded, prayed over, buried with the Muslims, and an ‘Aqiqah is sacrificed for it, as we see. Some scholars say: no ‘Aqiqah is sacrificed for it until it lives for seven days, but the correct view is that an ‘Aqiqah is sacrificed for it, because it will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection and will be an intercessor for its parents.
The Shaykh : First, what falls before completing four months has no ‘Aqiqah, is not named, no prayer is performed over it, and nothing else is done; it is buried in any place on the earth. As for what falls after four months, the soul has been breathed into it, so it is named, washed, shrouded, prayed over, buried with the Muslims, and an ‘Aqiqah is sacrificed for it, as we see. Some scholars say: no ‘Aqiqah is sacrificed for it until it lives for seven days, but the correct view is that an ‘Aqiqah is sacrificed for it, because it will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection and will be an intercessor for its parents.