Fawzaan Islamic Jurispridence Vol 1 - Al Quran wa Sunnah [Home ...

v, liAJJwho offered 'aqlqah On the occasion of his birth: Imam Ibnul-Qayyim said,"A child grows up good-natured and well-mannered if ''''liqah is offered on theoccasion of hi:;/her birth:According to the most valid opinion in this connection, 'aqlqah is aconfirmed act of the Sunna!.. Mor ~ over, ~aCTificingan animal as 'aqlqahis much better than giving its value in charity,'Aqiqah is a sign of the parents' gratitude to Allah for blessing themwith a newborn baby, It is also a means of drawing oneself near toAlmighty Allah, being charitable to the poor, and spiritually ransomingthe newborn child,Two equal ewes, with nearly the same age and shape, are to be sacrificedas 'aqlqah for a newborn boy, whereas onc ewe is to be sacrificed for anewborn girl. Umm Korz AI -Ka' biyyah narrated that she had heard theProphet (PBUH) saying:"Two equal ewes are 10 be sacrificed for the (newborn) boy and oneewe iJ 10 be sacrificedfor a (ne wborn) girl: '(Related by lm~m Ahmad and At-Tirmidh! who d~med it ~bib(authentic) according to a baditll narrated by 'A'ishah)The difference in the number of the sacrificial an imals offered as ' aqiqahfor males and females is due to the fact that a male's portion of inheritancein tslam is equal to that of two females, Moreover, the happine~s of a fatherwhom Allah grants a boy is usually much greater than the CaSe of beinggranted a girl; this is why 'oqiqali , which is offered as a sign of gratitude toAllah, is double ia case of a newborn hoy,Regarding the time of offering 'aqlqa/r, it is preferable to be on theseventh day after the child's birth, However, it is permissible to offer itbefore Or after that day, [t i. also more preferable to name the child onthat day, as it is stated in the Sut/an and other books of HadUh that theProphet (PBUH) said:~Sacrifice is made for him (tIl e newborn baby) on Ihe seventh dayand he is to be named as well (on thal day)."'Jt is permissible, however, to name the child on the day of hi 51 her birth,for some scholars maintain that this is more preponderant than naming thechild on th ~ seventh day of his/her birth,