Aqeeqah

When a child is born, an Aqeeqah must be offered by the parents/guardian as a gesture of thanksgiving to Almighty Allah (SWT), protection from Shaytaan, expiation of sins and preventing any calamities. It was mentioned in one of the hadiths of the Prophet (Pbuh) that “A child is held in pledge by his `Aqeeqah that is slaughtered on his behalf on the seventh day, the harm is removed from him (i.e. the head is shaved) and he is named.”

(Reported by Ahmad (7/5), Abu Dawood (2838), At-Tirmidhee (1522). It was graded Saheeh by: At-Tirmidhee, Al-Haakim, Abdur-Razzaaq Al-Ishbeelee and others.)

Essentially, ‘Aqeeqah’ is an Islamic tradition of the sacrifice of an animal on the occasion of a child's birth. On behalf of the boy there are two equivalent sheep, and for the girl just one.

In Islam, the baby is named on the seventh day by the mother and father who make a joint decision on what the child should be called. It is Sunnah for the parents to eat from the meat of Aqeeqah. The Aqeeqah is sunnah and mustahabb; it is not obligatory at all, so there is no sin on anyone who does not do it. Almighty Allah says, “He did not impose hardship upon you in the religion” (Qur'an,22:78)

In the event where the parent/guardian cannot offer the ‘Aqeeqah sacrifice on the seventh day, it can be done on the fourteenth or twenty-first day after birth or any other day until the age of puberty. On that day, the child should also be named, and the child’s hair should be shaved (Please confirm if the shaving of hair is before or after the naming of the child (with evidence)).

Nimab Welfare Trust is available to support our Muslim brothers and sisters in performing the Aqeeqah rites. Please contact our office for further information or support on 0121 406 7588 or 07538 281 085.