Is Aqeeqa obligatory?
Mu' meneen Brothers
and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be
upon all of you)
One of our
brothers/sisters has asked this question:
Assalamu Alaikum !
it is compulsory to give aqeeqa within a week time after birth of a baby or if
we give aqeeqa later is there any sin. what is the difference giving it within
a week or after that Please explain quoting a relevant surah. Thank u !
(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
In the name of Allah, We praise
Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can
misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We
bear witness that there is no one (no idol,
no person, no grave, no
prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
It has been
reported on the authority of Hadrat Samurah ibn Jundub that the Messenger of
Allah (saws) said: “A boy is in pledge
for his Aqiqah, sacrifice is made for him on the seventh day, his head is
shaved and he is given a name.”
The ‘Aqiqa’ or sacrifice at the
birth of a new-born is not a ‘fard’ or obligatory duty in Islam; it is a voluntary deed and a recommended
Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).
If one performs this
sacrifice, there is a huge reward from
Allah Subhanah; and if for any reason
one is not able to perform the ‘aqiqa’,
there is no sin.
The Sunnah and recommendation of
the Messenger of Allah (saws) is to perform the ‘aqiqa’ on the seventh day of
the birth of the child; but if for any
reason, one performs it later, there is no harm. But it is obviously better to follow the recommendation of the
Prophet (saws) and perform the ‘aqiqa’ on the seventh day.
The Messenger of Allah (saws)
himself performed the ‘aqiqa’ of his grandsons Hadrat Hasan in Ali (r.a.) and
Hadrat Hussain ibn Ali (r.a.) on the seventh day.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He
is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in
Islam,
