Advice of Scholars - TO JUGULATE AQÎQA

Aqîqa means to jugulate an animal with the intention of thanking Allâhu ta’âlâ for the blessing of child. When the child is seven days old it is mustahab to name it, to shave its head, to give as alms the hair’s weight in gold or silver (only silver if it is a girl), and to kill two animals of an aqîqa for a boy and one for a girl. It is mustahab in Hanafî Madhhab. The animal for aqîqa should be the same as the animal for qurbân. It can be killed later too. [It can be killed any time. It can be killed during the ’Iyd of qurbân too. It is written in Shir’a that after his prophethood, Rasûlullah (sall Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam) performed aqîqa for himself. A baby born dead is not named, nor is the aqîqa performed for him]. The meat can be eaten by the person who has sacrificed the animal and can be given cooked or uncooked to anyone rich or poor.

Performing an aqîqa is sunnat-i-muakkada in the Madhhabs of Shâfi’î and Mâlikî. In the Madhhabs of Shâfi’î and Hanbalî, the bones are not thrown away or broken. They are separated from one another by the joints and then put together. Then they are wrapped up in clean, white cloth, and buried. The bones can be broken in the Madhhabs of Hanafî and Mâlikî. The aqîqa protects children against calamities and illnesses. It increases the children’s intercession for their parents. It is written as follows in the first volume of Mawâhib-i-leduniyya: “Ibrâhim was born in the eighth year of the Hegira, and on the seventh day Rasûlullah had Ibrâhim’s hair cut, gave as alms the hair’s weight in silver, and killed two rams as aqîqa. Then he buried the hair. ”