in his Al-Muwatta’ (7). Al-Hasan and Dawud said: It is obligatory. It is narrated from Buraydah that people are presented to it just as they are presented to the five prayers; because Samurah ibn Jundub narrated that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Every boy is held in pledge by his aqiqah; it is slaughtered for him on his seventh day, he is named on it, and his head is shaved" (8). A similar report is from Abu Hurayrah (9). Ahmad said: Its chain of narration (10) is sound. Al-Athram and Abu Dawud narrated the hadith of Samurah. From Aisha, that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) commanded them [to sacrifice] for a boy two equivalent sheep (11), and for a girl one sheep (11). The apparent meaning of the command is obligation. Our argument for its recommended status is these hadiths, and from Umm Kurz al-Ka'biyyah, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying: "For a boy [there are] two equivalent sheep, and for a girl one sheep." In another wording: "For a boy [there are] two equal sheep, and for a girl one sheep." Narrated by Abu Dawud (12). In one narration, he said: "The aqiqah for a boy is two sheep" (13). As for consensus, Abu
(7) In: The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding the Aqiqah, from the Book of the Aqiqah, Al-Muwatta’ 2/500. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on the Aqiqah, from the Book of Sacrifices, Sunan Abi Dawud 2/96; and Al-Nasa’i, in: The Chapter on 'Ahmad ibn Sulayman informed us...', from the Book of the Aqiqah, Al-Mujtaba 7/145; and Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/182, 183, 194; 5/369, 430. (8) Recorded by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on the Aqiqah, from the Book of Sacrifices, Sunan Abi Dawud 2/95; and Al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on the Aqiqah, from the Chapters of Sacrifices, 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 6/319; and Al-Nasa’i, in: The Chapter on 'When should one perform the aqiqah?', from the Book of the Aqiqah, Al-Mujtaba 7/147; and Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on the Aqiqah, from the Book of Slaughtered Animals, Sunan Ibn Majah 2/1057; and Al-Darimi, in: The Chapter on the Sunnah regarding the Aqiqah, from the Book of Sacrifices, Sunan al-Darimi 2/81; and Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 5/7, 8, 12, 17, 22. (9) Recorded similarly by Al-Bayhaqi, in: The Chapter on What Should be Slaughtered for a Boy and What Should be Slaughtered for a Girl, from the Book of Sacrifices, Al-Sunan al-Kubra 9/302. See: The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding the Aqiqah, from the Chapters of Sacrifices, 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 6/314. (10) In [M]: "Its chain of narration". (11) Omitted from [M]. Mukafi’atayn: identical/equivalent. The hadith of Aisha was recorded by Al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding the Aqiqah, from the Chapters of Sacrifices, 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 6/314; and Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on the Aqiqah, from the Book of Slaughtered Animals, Sunan Ibn Majah 2/1056; and Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 6/31, 158, 251. (12) In: The Chapter on the Aqiqah, from the Book of Sacrifices, Sunan Abi Dawud 2/95. It was also recorded by Al-Nasa’i, in: The Chapter on the Aqiqah for a Girl, and the Chapter on the Aqiqah for a Boy, from the Book of the Aqiqah, Al-Mujtaba 7/146; and Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on the Aqiqah, from the Book of Slaughtered Animals, Sunan Ibn Majah 2/1056; and Al-Darimi, in: The Chapter on the Sunnah regarding the Aqiqah, from the Book of Sacrifices, Sunan al-Darimi 2/81. (13) Recorded by Al-Darimi, in: The Chapter on the Sunnah regarding the Aqiqah, from the Book of Sacrifices, Sunan al-Darimi 2/81; and Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 6/381, 422, 456.
