Qurbani for a Newborn Baby

May 18, 2024

Sunnah Sacrificed for a Newborn Baby

We heard a lot about the sacrifice of a newborn on the seventh day of his birth. It is called an ‘Aqiqah because it cuts its veins at the time of Allah for his generosity, and for the male birth, two sacrifices are sacrificed to him, while the female sacrifices one sacrifice for her.

Aqiqah is carried out by the Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah (peace be upon him). It involves the slaughter of animals such as goats and sheep. However, nothing is keeping you from doing it later.

The sacrifice is then divided between the family members carrying out the sacrifice. It’s then handed out to the poor and needy.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) gave an Aqiqah to his 2 beloved grandsons, Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Husain (peace be upon them).

It was narrated from Salmaan ibn ‘Aamir al-Dabbi that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Aqiqah is to be offered for a (newly born) boy, so slaughter (an animal) for him, and remove all dirt from him.”.

Aqiqah or Qurbani For Newborn

Many people think that Qurbani and Aqiqah are the same. However, they are not.

Qurbani is performed during the first four days of Eid al-Adha, i.e., from the 10th to the 13th of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah. You can offer Qurbani every year if you have the financial means to do it.

In contrast, aqiqah can only be offered once in a lifetime. It is Sunnah to perform aqiqah on the seventh day after a child is born. Samurah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, “The boy is held in pledge by his aqiqah; slaughtering should be done for him on the seventh day, he should be given a name, and his head should be shaved.”

If the child’s parents or guardians cannot do so on the seventh day after the birth, they can do so on the fourteenth day. If that is also missed, they can do it on the 21st day of the child’s life or any following seventh day until the youngster reaches puberty.