What is the ruling on the 'aqiqah? When is it slaughtered? Is it permissible to distribute it among the family? And what is the recommended practice regarding its distribution?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He asks about the 'aqiqah? When is it slaughtered? Is it permissible to distribute it among the family? And what is the recommended practice regarding its distribution?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows, we thank Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for facilitating this pioneering and beneficial platform for the servants of Allah in this Kingdom and outside of it, which is "Light on the Path." Indeed, it is very beneficial, praise be to Allah. We thank the government, may Allah guide it, for facilitating such a platform from which Muslims in the east and west of the earth benefit, those whose voices reach them. We encourage our Muslim brothers to listen to it for the great benefit it contains, for Allah the Exalted may open many doors of knowledge for its listener, and perhaps questions will arise for him that would not have been on his mind had he not listened to this program.
As for the answer to the brother's question about the 'aqiqah, the 'aqiqah is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah) that one who is able to perform it should do. It is prescribed specifically for the father. It is slaughtered on the seventh day after the birth of the child. So if a child is born on a Thursday, for example, it is slaughtered on a Wednesday. If he is born on a Wednesday, it is slaughtered on a Tuesday. The important thing is that it is slaughtered on the day before the day of his birth in the second week. I only mentioned this so that a person does not get tired of counting when the seventh day is. We say the seventh day is the day before the day of his birth in the second week. So if he was born, as I exemplified, on a Thursday, it is on a Wednesday. If he was born on a Wednesday, it is on a Tuesday, and so on.
For a male child, it is two sheep that are equivalent, meaning close in size, fatness, and description. For a female child, it is one sheep. If one limits it to one sheep for a male, the recommended practice (sunnah) is achieved, but the more complete is two sheep, slaughtered on the seventh day as I said. It must be in a manner that is valid, meaning it must reach the age considered valid by the Shari'ah, which is six months for sheep and one year for goats. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan al-Bayhaqi 17:117 This is general for everything slaughtered as an act of drawing near to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), such as the 'aqiqah, the sacrificial animal of the pilgrimage, and the 'Id sacrifice. It must be free from defects that prevent validity, and there are four of them which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified when he was asked what should be avoided in sacrificial animals. He said: and he gestured with his hand Sunan Ibn Majah 3144Sahih (Darussalam) meaning the emaciated one that does not have marrow, i.e., it has no marrow. And whatever has such defects is in the same position as these.
As for how it is eaten and distributed, one may eat from it, give it as a gift, and give it in charity. There is no fixed amount that must be followed in this. One eats what is easy, gives as a gift what is easy, and gives in charity what is easy. If he wishes, he can gather his relatives and friends, either in the town or outside the town. But in this case, he must give something of it to the poor. There is no harm in cooking it and distributing it after cooking, or distributing it while it is raw. The matter is broad in this regard.
We said: It is slaughtered on the seventh day.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But if it is not possible, the scholars say it is slaughtered on the fourteenth day. If that is not possible, it is slaughtered on the twenty-first day. After that, the weeks are not counted in this way, as the scholars said. The matter is broad in this, meaning if, for example, he slaughtered it on the eighth or the tenth or something similar, it is sufficient for him. But it is better to adhere to the seventh day. Yes.
The questioner : If more than a year or a year has passed, O honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : If more than a year has passed, there is no harm.
The questioner : There is no harm.
The Shaykh : There is no harm.
The questioner : Okay, may Allah reward you. Also, he has...
The Shaykh : Perhaps we will also address the topic of naming.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is recommended for a person to name his son, male or female, at his birth. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) announced to his family the birth of his son Ibrahim and said: This is if he had prepared the name and arranged it before the birth of the child. But if he had not prepared it, he makes it on the seventh day following the 'aqiqah. It is recommended for a person to beautify the names of his sons and daughters. The best and most beloved names to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) are 'Abdullah and 'Abd al-Rahman, as established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So 'Abdullah and 'Abd al-Rahman are the best names to be used. If that is not possible, then any name from the names added to Allah, such as 'Abd al-Rahim, 'Abd al-Karim, 'Abd al-Wahhab, 'Abd al-Razzaq, and the like. Then the names that people are accustomed to, for they are better than names that are not known. It has become famous among the common people what they narrate as a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: "The best names are those that praise and those that serve" But this has no basis and its attribution to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is not authentic. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. This listener, Muhammad Ahmad, says.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows, we thank Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for facilitating this pioneering and beneficial platform for the servants of Allah in this Kingdom and outside of it, which is "Light on the Path." Indeed, it is very beneficial, praise be to Allah. We thank the government, may Allah guide it, for facilitating such a platform from which Muslims in the east and west of the earth benefit, those whose voices reach them. We encourage our Muslim brothers to listen to it for the great benefit it contains, for Allah the Exalted may open many doors of knowledge for its listener, and perhaps questions will arise for him that would not have been on his mind had he not listened to this program.
As for the answer to the brother's question about the 'aqiqah, the 'aqiqah is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah) that one who is able to perform it should do. It is prescribed specifically for the father. It is slaughtered on the seventh day after the birth of the child. So if a child is born on a Thursday, for example, it is slaughtered on a Wednesday. If he is born on a Wednesday, it is slaughtered on a Tuesday. The important thing is that it is slaughtered on the day before the day of his birth in the second week. I only mentioned this so that a person does not get tired of counting when the seventh day is. We say the seventh day is the day before the day of his birth in the second week. So if he was born, as I exemplified, on a Thursday, it is on a Wednesday. If he was born on a Wednesday, it is on a Tuesday, and so on.
For a male child, it is two sheep that are equivalent, meaning close in size, fatness, and description. For a female child, it is one sheep. If one limits it to one sheep for a male, the recommended practice (sunnah) is achieved, but the more complete is two sheep, slaughtered on the seventh day as I said. It must be in a manner that is valid, meaning it must reach the age considered valid by the Shari'ah, which is six months for sheep and one year for goats. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Do not slaughter except a mature animal, unless it is difficult for you, then slaughter a one-year-old from the sheep.
لا تذبحوا إلا مسنّة، إلا أن تعسر عليكم فتذبحوا جذعةً من الضأنFour
أربعThe one-eyed animal that is obviously blind in one eye; the sick animal that is obviously sick; the lame animal with an obvious
العوراء البيّن عوّرها، والمريضة البيّن مرضها، والعرجاء البيّن ضلعها، والعجفاءAs for how it is eaten and distributed, one may eat from it, give it as a gift, and give it in charity. There is no fixed amount that must be followed in this. One eats what is easy, gives as a gift what is easy, and gives in charity what is easy. If he wishes, he can gather his relatives and friends, either in the town or outside the town. But in this case, he must give something of it to the poor. There is no harm in cooking it and distributing it after cooking, or distributing it while it is raw. The matter is broad in this regard.
We said: It is slaughtered on the seventh day.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But if it is not possible, the scholars say it is slaughtered on the fourteenth day. If that is not possible, it is slaughtered on the twenty-first day. After that, the weeks are not counted in this way, as the scholars said. The matter is broad in this, meaning if, for example, he slaughtered it on the eighth or the tenth or something similar, it is sufficient for him. But it is better to adhere to the seventh day. Yes.
The questioner : If more than a year or a year has passed, O honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : If more than a year has passed, there is no harm.
The questioner : There is no harm.
The Shaykh : There is no harm.
The questioner : Okay, may Allah reward you. Also, he has...
The Shaykh : Perhaps we will also address the topic of naming.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is recommended for a person to name his son, male or female, at his birth. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) announced to his family the birth of his son Ibrahim and said:
A son was born to me tonight and I named him Ibrahim.
ولد لي الليلة ولد وسميته إبراهيمThe questioner : May Allah reward you. This listener, Muhammad Ahmad, says.