What is the ruling on the ‘aqiqah for a newborn?
Short answer
The ‘aqiqah is an emphasized Sunnah. It is prescribed to offer two sheep for a boy and one sheep for a girl, and the seventh day is the preferred time.
Evidence and explanation
The source explains that it is an emphasized Sunnah and states what is offered for a male and a female child and the preference for the seventh day.
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
ما حكم العقيقة؟ — فتوى ١٦٥٣٨- Question
«أولى رسائل هذه الحلقة رسالة وصلت إلى البرنامج من المستمع محمد بن إبراهيم باري، من غينيا كناتري، له جمع من الأسئلة في أحدها يسأل، ويقول: ما حكم العقيقة؟»
English translation (unreviewed): The first letter of this episode reached the programme from the listener Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Bari, from Guinea Conakry. He has a group of questions; in one of them he asks: What is the ruling on the 'aqiqah?
- From the text of the answer
«بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. الحمد لله، وصلى الله وسلم على رسول الله وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن اهتدى بهداه، أما بعد: فالعقيقة هي الذبيحة التي تذبح عن المولود في اليوم السابع من ولادته، يقال لها: عقيقة، ويقال لها: نسيكة ويسميها بعض الناس: تميمة، وهي عن الذكر ثنتان وعن الأنثى واحدة من الغنم، تجزئ في الأضحية، يعني: جذع ضأن أو ثني المعز فما فوق، فهذه يقال لها: العقيقة، وهي سنة مؤكدة؛ لأن الرسول أمر بها عليه الصلاة والسلام، أمر أن يعق عن الغلام شاتان وعن الجارية شاة، وقال: كل غلام مرتهن بعقيقته تذبح عنه يوم سابعه ويحلق ويسمى .»
English translation (unreviewed): In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and companions and whoever follows his guidance. To proceed: the 'aqiqah is the animal slaughtered for the newborn on the seventh day after birth. It is called 'aqiqah and nasikah, and some people call it tamimah. It is two sheep for a male and one for a female, of an age that suffices for the udhiyah, that is a jadha' of sheep or a thaniyy of goats or older. This is called the 'aqiqah, and it is a confirmed sunnah, because the Messenger ﷺ commanded it: he commanded that two sheep be slaughtered for a boy and one for a girl, and he said: “Every boy is held in pledge for his 'aqiqah, which is slaughtered for him on his seventh day, and his head is shaved and he is named.”
- Evidence as the shaykh cited it
«فالسنة لأب الطفل أن يذبح عن ولده الصغير ثنتين إذا كان ذكرًا، وعن الجارية واحدة في اليوم السابع، فإن لم يتيسر ذبحها بعد ذلك، في الرابع عشر في الحادي والعشرين كما يروى عن عائشة رضي الله عنها أو في غير ذلك، ليس لها حد محدود بعد السبع، إن تيسر اليوم السابع فهو أفضل ويحلق رأس الطفل الذكر ويسمى وإن سمي عند ولادته فلا بأس، قد سمى النبي ﷺ بعض أولاد الأنصار يوم الولادة وسمى ابنه إبراهيم يوم الولادة وإن سمي يوم السابع فكذلك كله سنة.»
English translation (unreviewed): So the sunnah for the child's father is to slaughter two animals for his young son if he is male, and one for the girl, on the seventh day. If that is not possible, then afterwards, on the fourteenth or twenty-first day as is reported from 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, or at some other time; there is no fixed limit after the seventh. If the seventh day is possible, it is better. The male child's head is shaved and he is named; if he was named at birth there is no harm, for the Prophet ﷺ named some of the children of the Ansar on the day of birth and named his son Ibrahim on the day of birth; and if he is named on the seventh day, all of that is sunnah.
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
What is the ruling on the ‘aqiqah?
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him