Aqiqah is an animal sacrifice offered in thanks to Allah for the birth of a child. In its complete form it is accompanied by shaving the child’s head and giving the child a name. The meat is shared between the family, relatives and neighbours, and people in need. It is also transliterated as aqiqa or aqeeqah.

How many animals are needed for aqiqah?

The commonly transmitted position, reported as preferred by all four schools, is two sheep or goats for a boy and one for a girl. Scholars differ on what happens when two are not affordable: the majority hold that one animal for a boy is valid and the aqiqah is fulfilled, while others maintain the two-animal preference more strictly.

When should aqiqah be performed?

The seventh day after birth is agreed by all four schools to be preferred. Beyond that scholars differ: some allow the fourteenth or twenty-first day, others allow any time until the child reaches puberty, and some hold the recommendation is tied to the seventh day specifically. There is also a difference over whether the day of birth is counted.

Can an adult perform aqiqah for themselves?

Scholars differ. Some hold the recommendation lapses once the child reaches puberty, as it was addressed to the parent. Others permit it, citing a report — itself debated for its authenticity — that the Prophet performed aqiqah for himself. Several contemporary scholars regard it as permissible and rewarding without insisting it carries the specific status of aqiqah.

What Is Aqiqah (Aqiqa)? Timing, Number of Animals, and What the Schools Say

Q: Is aqiqah obligatory?

There is no consensus. The Shafi’i and Hanbali schools classify it as sunnah mu’akkadah, a confirmed emphasized practice. The Maliki school treats it as mandub, strongly recommended. The Hanafi school regards it as mustahabb, commendable. A minority view reported from some early scholars held it obligatory, but this is not the position of any of the four schools.

Aqiqah is the sacrifice offered in thanks to Allah for the birth of a child, traditionally performed on the seventh day, after which the meat is shared and the child’s head is shaved. The Prophet ﷺ established the practice and it is kept by Muslim families worldwide, though the schools differ on whether it is a confirmed sunnah or simply commendable, and on how much latitude there is once the seventh day has passed. You will see it spelled as aqiqah, aqiqa or aqeeqah; they all refer to the same thing.

What Is Aqiqah?

Aqiqah is an animal sacrifice offered on behalf of a newborn as an expression of gratitude for the child. The word itself is traced back in Arabic to the hair a baby is born with, which is shaved as part of the same occasion. In its complete form the practice has three elements that the sources mention together: the sacrifice, the shaving of the child’s head, and the giving of a name. The meat is then shared — eaten by the family, given to relatives and neighbours, and distributed to people in need.

Unlike Qurbani, which is tied to a few specific days in the year, aqiqah is tied to an event, so it can fall in any month and there is no season to wait for.

Where the Practice Comes From

The primary text is a hadith recorded by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasa’i on the authority of Samurah ibn Jundub, in which the Prophet ﷺ said that every child is in pledge for his aqiqah, which is sacrificed for him on the seventh day, and he is shaved and named. A second widely cited narration, from A’ishah, gives the number of animals as two for a boy and one for a girl. The Prophet ﷺ is also reported to have performed aqiqah for his grandsons.

Scholars have debated what “in pledge” (murtahan) means; views range from a statement about intercession to a general expression of the practice’s weight, and no single interpretation is agreed upon.

Is Aqiqah Obligatory or Recommended?

There is no consensus here. The Shafi’i and Hanbali schools classify aqiqah as sunnah mu’akkadah — a confirmed, strongly emphasized practice that a parent who is able should not leave. The Maliki school also treats it as strongly recommended (mandub). The Hanafi school regards it as mustahabb, a commendable act, and some Hanafi scholars describe it in weaker terms still. A minority view reported from some early scholars held it obligatory on the strength of the “in pledge” narration, though this is not what any of the four schools teach. What matters practically is that every school encourages it and none of them treats it as something beyond a family’s means.

How Many Animals, and Why the Difference?

The commonly transmitted position is two sheep or goats for a boy and one for a girl, based on the narration from A’ishah, and all four schools consider this the better practice. Where they differ is what happens when two are not affordable: the majority hold that a single animal for a boy is entirely valid and the aqiqah is fulfilled, citing the Prophet’s ﷺ own reported practice, while others maintain the two-animal preference more strictly. Scholars also disagree about whether a larger animal such as a cow may be used in place of sheep, and whether it can be shared between families in the way a Qurbani share works. Most schools prefer sheep or goats and do not permit shares here, but this is not unanimous either.

Aqiqa (Boy) | Aqiqa (Girl) | Food Security

When Should It Be Performed?

The seventh day after birth is the timing named in the narration and all four schools agree it is preferred. Beyond that the positions separate. A widely held view allows the fourteenth or the twenty-first day if the seventh is missed, working in cycles of seven. Others hold that it may be performed at any point until the child reaches puberty, after which the responsibility shifts away from the parent. Some scholars hold that the recommendation attaches to the seventh day specifically, and that a later sacrifice, while a good act, is not technically the aqiqah.

Whichever view you follow There is a further difference over how the seventh day is counted — whether the day of birth is included, which moves the date by one. Whichever view you follow, missing the seventh day doesn’t mean you’ve missed the chance.

Shaving the Head and Giving Its Weight in Silver

The narration pairs the sacrifice with shaving the child’s head, and a further report describes the Prophet ﷺ instructing that the weight of the hair be given in silver as charity. Whether this applies to girls as well as boys is disagreed: some scholars extend it to both, others limit the shaving to boys, and some treat the shaving as recommended alongside the aqiqah rather than part of it. Because the amount is tied to the weight of a newborn’s hair, the sum involved is very small — historically a fraction of a dirham — and the point is generally understood to be the act of giving rather than the quantity. Families who want to observe it usually estimate the silver value at the current rate and give the equivalent.

Aqiqa (Boy) | Aqiqa (Girl) | Food Security

Who Receives the Meat?

The classical guidance mirrors Qurbani: the family may eat from it, some is given to relatives, friends and neighbours, and some goes to people in need. The proportions are not fixed and no school requires a particular split. Some scholars prefer that the meat be cooked and served rather than distributed raw, on the strength of narrations describing it being prepared for guests, while others see no meaningful difference. For families in the United States, having the sacrifice performed in a country where meat is scarce is one way of making sure it reaches households that rarely see fresh protein rather than sitting in a freezer. The sacrifice remains yours either way; the question is only where the meat does the most good.

Can You Perform Aqiqah for Yourself as an Adult?

This comes up often from converts, and from people whose parents were not in a position to do it. Scholars differ. Some hold that once the child reaches puberty the recommendation has lapsed and there is nothing to make up, because it was addressed to the parent rather than the child.

Others hold that a person may perform it for themselves and there is nothing to make up, because it was addressed to the parent rather than the child. Others hold that a person may perform it for themselves later, citing a report — itself debated for its authenticity — that the Prophet ﷺ performed aqiqah for himself after prophethood. A number of contemporary scholars take a middle position: that doing so is permissible and rewarding as an act of sacrifice and charity, without insisting it carries the specific status of aqiqah. If this is your situation, it is worth asking someone who can advise you directly.

The questions on which scholars have given different answers are long-standing disagreements, each held in good faith by qualified scholars across the recognised schools. We do not take a side on any of them. If you want a ruling for your own situation, ask your local imam or a scholar you trust.

Sources

This article draws on the following. Hadith reference numbers are given as they are commonly cited and are worth confirming against the collections directly.

Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami’ al-Tirmidhi and Sunan al-Nasa’i — the narration of Samurah ibn Jundub that every child is in pledge for his aqiqah, sacrificed on the seventh day, with the shaving and the naming (commonly cited as Sunan Abi Dawud 2838; Jami’ al-Tirmidhi 1522).
Jami’ al-Tirmidhi — the narration from A’ishah on two sheep for a boy and one for a girl (commonly cited as Jami’ al-Tirmidhi 1513).
Sunan Abi Dawud and other collections — reports of the Prophet ﷺ performing aqiqah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn.
Muwatta of Imam Malik and Jami’ al-Tirmidhi — the report on giving the weight of the shaved hair in silver.
Shafi’i and Hanbali classification as sunnah mu’akkadah — in the books of those schools.
Maliki classification as mandub — as recorded in Maliki commentary on the Muwatta.
Hanafi classification as mustahabb — in the standard Hanafi books.
Positions on aqiqah after puberty, and on the report that the Prophet ﷺ performed aqiqah for himself — a narration whose authenticity is itself disputed — discussed across the schools with differing conclusions.