What are the conditions and proper time for the ‘aqiqah?
Short answer
It is best to offer the ‘aqiqah on the seventh day. The animal should meet the age requirements that would suffice for an udhiyah. It may be distributed or served as a meal, and delaying it beyond the seventh day does not prevent it from being valid.
Evidence and explanation
The source mentions the seventh day, the age requirements for the animal, the permissibility of distribution or serving a meal, and that offering it after the seventh day still counts.
Scholar referenced
This editorial summary is based on the original source linked below and is not presented as a verbatim quotation from the scholar.
From the text of the answer (Arabic, with an English translation)
Original answer — Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz
شروط العقيقة ووقتها وصفاتها — فتوى ٣٢٨٣- Question
«ما هي العقيقة؟ وما شروطها، وما صفاتها، وما وقتها؟ وهل يجوز تقسيمها مثل الأضحية إلى ثلاثة أقسام، أو أن يعملها وليمة ويجمع عليها أقاربه؟»
English translation (unreviewed): What is the 'aqiqah? What are its conditions, its characteristics and its time? And may it be divided like the sacrificial animal into three portions, or may he make it a banquet and gather his relatives for it?
- From the text of the answer
«العقيقة يقال لها: النسيكة، ويسميها بعض الناس التميمة، وهي ذبيحة تذبح عن الولد في يوم سابعه، يقال لها: عقيقة، ويقال لها: نسيكة. وهي مثل الضحية، يعني سنها سن الضحية، جذع ضأن، أو ثني معز عن الرجل، يعني عن الذكر يذبح اثنتين، وعن الأنثى واحدة، والأفضل يوم السابع، وإن ذبحها بعد ذلك؛ أجزأت لكن الأفضل في يوم السابع.»
English translation (unreviewed): The 'aqiqah is also called the nasikah, and some people call it the tamimah. It is an animal slaughtered for the child on his seventh day; it is called 'aqiqah and it is called nasikah. It is like the udhiyah: its age is the age of the udhiyah, a jadha' of sheep or a thaniyy of goats. For a male two are slaughtered, and for a female one. The best is the seventh day, and if he slaughters it after that it is sufficient, but the seventh day is better.
The Arabic excerpts matched the original page word for word by an automated check and have not had human scholarly review. The English translations are unreviewed translations made for this site; they are not an approved Shari‘ah translation. Rely on the Arabic original.
Source
Conditions, timing, and description of the ‘aqiqah
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him