The rulings of the newborn's sacrifice (aqiqah)
The sacrifice made for a newborn: when to do it, how many goats, the method and supplication (duʿā), and how the meat, hair and skin are handled.
When a baby is born, it is recommended to shave the baby's head and sacrifice a goat. This is called aqiqah.
| Baby | Goats |
|---|---|
| Girl | One goat |
| Boy | Two goats, but one is fine if two cannot be afforded |
When to do it
- The best day is the 7th day after the baby is born.
- If that's not possible, the 14th or 21st day is next best, or whenever you can, though it's good to keep aiming for a 7th-day pattern.
- There's no upper age limit for the baby, but it shouldn't be done before the 7th day.
اَللّٰهُمَّ هَذِهٖ عَقِيقَةُ ابْنِي (name) دَمُهَا بِدَمِهٖ وَ لَحْمُهَا بِلَحْمِهٖ وَ عَظْمُهَا بِعَظْمِهٖ وَجِلدُهَا بِجِلْدِهٖ وَ شَعْرُهَا بِشَعْرِهٖ اَللّٰهُمَّ تَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّي وَاجْعَلْهَا فِدَاءً لِا بْنِي مِنَ النَّارِ
Allāhumma hādhihi ʿaqīqatu'bnī (name), damuhā bidamih, wa laḥmuhā bilaḥmih, wa ʿaẓmuhā biʿaẓmih, wa jilduhā bijildih, wa shaʿruhā bishaʿrih. Allāhumma taqabbalhā minnī wa'jʿalhā fidāʾan li'bnī mina'n-nār
O Allah, this is the aqiqah of my son (name); its blood for his blood, its flesh for his flesh, its bone for his bone, its skin for his skin, and its hair for his hair. O Allah, accept it from me and make it a ransom for my son from the Fire.
After slaughtering
- Shave the baby's head and rub a little saffron or sandalwood, or another nice-smelling powder, on it.
- Weigh the shaved hair against gold or silver, bury the hair, and give that amount of gold or silver away as charity.
- Give the barber a separate gift; don't pay him out of that charity money.
- Name the baby on this same day: naming a baby on the 7th day is sunnah.
When a baby is born, it is recommended to shave the baby's head and sacrifice a goat on its behalf. This is called aqiqah.
Aqiqah is an encouraged act.
1The best time for aqiqah is the seventh day after the baby's birth. Where that is not possible, the fourteenth or twenty-first day, or whenever it can be managed, comes next, though the seventh-day pattern should still be aimed for.
1| Baby's sex | Goats |
|---|---|
| Girl | One goat |
| Boy | Two goats; one goat is sufficient if two cannot be afforded |
The aqiqah goat must be at least one year old and free from the defects that disqualify a qurbani animal; the same conditions apply to both.
12It is best for the baby's father to slaughter the aqiqah goat himself. If he cannot, anyone else may do it in his place.
اَللّٰهُمَّ هَذِهٖ عَقِيقَةُ ابْنِي (name) دَمُهَا بِدَمِهٖ وَ لَحْمُهَا بِلَحْمِهٖ وَ عَظْمُهَا بِعَظْمِهٖ وَجِلدُهَا بِجِلْدِهٖ وَ شَعْرُهَا بِشَعْرِهٖ اَللّٰهُمَّ تَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّي وَاجْعَلْهَا فِدَاءً لِا بْنِي مِنَ النَّارِ
Allāhumma hādhihi ʿaqīqatu'bnī (name), damuhā bidamih, wa laḥmuhā bilaḥmih, wa ʿaẓmuhā biʿaẓmih, wa jilduhā bijildih, wa shaʿruhā bishaʿrih. Allāhumma taqabbalhā minnī wa'jʿalhā fidāʾan li'bnī mina'n-nār
O Allah, this is the aqiqah of my son (name); its blood for his blood, its flesh for his flesh, its bone for his bone, its skin for his skin, and its hair for his hair. O Allah, accept it from me and make it a ransom for my son from the Fire.
After slaughtering, the baby's head is shaved and a little saffron, sandalwood, or another pleasant-smelling powder is rubbed on it.
The shaved hair is weighed against gold or silver; the hair is then buried, and the equivalent weight in gold or silver is given away as charity in Allah's name.
The baby should also be named on this same day; naming a baby on the seventh day is sunnah.
The meat is divided into three parts: one part is given to the poor, and the other two are eaten by the family and shared with relatives and neighbours, whether given raw or cooked.
The butcher must not be paid with the meat or the skin of the animal.
It is not correct to bury the skin or the head parts of the animal.
ʿAqīqah is the sacrifice offered on behalf of a newborn, together with the shaving of the child's head, following the child's birth.
ʿAqīqah is an encouraged act (the source's own term; classical manuals commonly render this as sunnah).
1The seventh day after birth is the preferred time; failing that, the fourteenth or twenty-first day, or any later day it can be managed, remains valid, the seventh-day cycle being kept in view as the ideal.
1| Baby's sex | Goats |
|---|---|
| Girl | One goat |
| Boy | Two goats; one suffices where two cannot be afforded |
The ʿaqīqah goat is subject to the same conditions of validity as a qurbani animal: a minimum age of one year and freedom from every disqualifying defect.
12Performance by the child's own father is preferred; a proxy may perform it where the father is unable.
اَللّٰهُمَّ هَذِهٖ عَقِيقَةُ ابْنِي (name) دَمُهَا بِدَمِهٖ وَ لَحْمُهَا بِلَحْمِهٖ وَ عَظْمُهَا بِعَظْمِهٖ وَجِلدُهَا بِجِلْدِهٖ وَ شَعْرُهَا بِشَعْرِهٖ اَللّٰهُمَّ تَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّي وَاجْعَلْهَا فِدَاءً لِا بْنِي مِنَ النَّارِ
Allāhumma hādhihi ʿaqīqatu'bnī (name), damuhā bidamih, wa laḥmuhā bilaḥmih, wa ʿaẓmuhā biʿaẓmih, wa jilduhā bijildih, wa shaʿruhā bishaʿrih. Allāhumma taqabbalhā minnī wa'jʿalhā fidāʾan li'bnī mina'n-nār
O Allah, this is the aqiqah of my son (name); its blood for his blood, its flesh for his flesh, its bone for his bone, its skin for his skin, and its hair for his hair. O Allah, accept it from me and make it a ransom for my son from the Fire.
Following the slaughter, the child's head is shaved, and saffron, sandalwood, or another pleasant-smelling substance is applied to it.
The shaved hair is weighed against gold or silver; the hair is then interred, and its equivalent weight in gold or silver is disbursed as ṣadaqah in Allah's name.
Naming the child falls on the same day; naming on the seventh day is itself sunnah.
The meat is apportioned in thirds by number of shares but not by an equal three-way split as in qurbani: one share to the poor, the remaining two consumed by the household and shared, raw or cooked, with relatives and neighbours.
Remunerating the butcher from the meat or hide of the ʿaqīqah animal is excluded.
Burying the hide or the head parts of the animal is not correct.
This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 561 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Aqiqah
- When a baby is born, it is recommended to slaughter a goat after shaving the baby’s head. This act is called aqeeqah.
- Aqeeqah is encouraged,
- The best time to do aqeeqah is on the 7th day after the baby’s birth. If that’s not possible, you can do it on the 14th or 21st day, or whenever you can, but try to do it according to the 7th day. There is no age limit for the baby, but it is not correct to do it before the 7th day.
- For a girl, aqeeqah should be done with one goat, and for a boy, it should be done with two goats. If someone cannot afford two goats, then one goat is fine.
- The goat for aqeeqah should be at least one year old and free from any defects. The conditions for the aqeeqah animal are the same as those for the animal for qurbani (sacrifice).
Note: There is no difference between male or female animals for aqeeqah.
- It is better for the baby’s father to slaughter the goat, but anyone can do it if he cannot. When slaughtering, say this prayer:
اَللّٰهُمَّ هَذِهٖ عَقِيقَةُ ابْنِي (name) دَمُهَا بِدَمِهٖ وَ لَحْمُهَا بِلَحْمِهٖ وَ عَظْمُهَا بِعَظْمِهٖ وَجِلدُهَا بِجِلْدِهٖ وَ شَعْرُهَا بِشَعْرِهٖ اَللّٰهُمَّ تَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّي وَاجْعَلْهَا فِدَاءً لِا بْنِي مِنَ النَّارِ
After Saying the prayer, say "بِسمِ اللّٰہ و َ اَللّٰہُ اَکبَر" (In the name of Allah, Allah is the Greatest) and then slaughter the goat.
Note: If the father is performing the sacrifice for a boy, he should recite the prescribed prayer and replace the word "name" with the boy’s name. For a girl, he should adjust the words by using feminine pronouns and replacing "ابنی" with "بنتی"
If someone else is performing the sacrifice, they should mention the child’s name and the father’s name. Additionally, for a boy, they should say "تَقَبَّلْهَا مِنْهُ" (accept it from him) and "فِدَاءً لِابْنِهٖ" (as a ransom for his son). For a girl, they should use "بنت فلان" instead of "بنتی" and make other necessary adjustments for feminine pronouns.
- After slaughtering, shave the baby’s head and rub some saffron or sandalwood (or any pleasant-smelling powder) on the baby’s head. The shaved hair should be weighed in gold or silver and then buried in the ground. The gold or silver should be given as charity in the name of Allah. You should not pay the barber, but give him something separately.Also, on the same day, give the baby a name (as naming the baby on the 7th day is a sunnah).
- The meat of aqeeqah should be divided into three parts:
- One part should be given to poor people.
- The other two parts should be eaten by you and shared with your relatives and neighbors (whether cooked or raw).
Note: The rules for aqeeqah are similar to those for qurbani. Just like you can eat the meat of qurbani, the parents, grandparents, and other close family members can eat the meat of aqeeqah as well.
- You can give the skin of the animal to a poor person or keep it for your own use.
- You cannot pay the butcher with the meat or skin of the animal.
- There is no problem with breaking the bones of the aqeeqah animal when cutting the meat.
- It is not correct to bury the skin or head parts of the animal.
Terms on this page
Related
- The animals for the Eid sacrifice (qurbani), the method, and dividing the meat Which animals qualify for the Eid sacrifice (qurbani), their age and condition, sharing a sacrifice between up to seven people, how to slaughter it, and how the meat and skin are divided.
- Welcoming a newborn The bath and call to prayer (adhan) for a new baby, softening a date in its mouth (tahnik), and how to choose a good name.
- The rulings of slaughtering (zabḥ) What makes a slaughter valid, who may perform it, the sunnah method, and what makes the meat unlawful.
- Who must offer the Eid sacrifice (qurbani), and when Who the Eid sacrifice (qurbani) is obligatory on, the minimum wealth (niṣāb) that makes someone wealthy enough, who it is offered for, and the three days it can be done.