He said: "With the boy is his aqiqah, so shed blood on his behalf and remove the impurity from him." Recorded by Abu Dawud. (18) This necessitates that he should not be touched with blood, because it is an impurity. Yazid ibn Abd al-Muzani narrated from his father that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "An aqiqah is performed for the boy, and his head is not to be touched with blood." Muhanna said: I mentioned this hadith to Ahmad, and he said: How eloquent it is. It was also recorded by Ibn Majah (20), but he did not say: "from his father." This is because it is a defilement (tanjis) for him, so it is not prescribed, just as smearing him with other impurities is not. Buraydah said: We were in the pre-Islamic period (Jahiliyyah), and if a boy was born to one of us, he would slaughter a sheep and smear his head with its blood. When Islam came, we would slaughter a sheep, shave his head, and smear it with saffron. Recorded by Abu Dawud. (21) As for the version of the one who narrated: "and he is smeared with blood (yudma)," Abu Dawud said: "and he is named (yusamma)" is more correct. This is how Salam ibn Abi Muti' reported it from Qatadah, and Iyas ibn Daghal from al-Hasan. Hammam erred and said: "and he is smeared with blood." Ahmad said: Ibn Abi Arubah said regarding it: "He is named." Hammam said: "He is smeared with blood." I do not consider it to be anything but a mistake. (22) It has been said that it is a distortion (tashif) by the narrator.

1772 - Issue; he said: (And one avoids regarding it from defects that which is avoided in the sacrificial animal [udhiyah].)

In summary, the ruling of the aqiqah is the same as the ruling of the udhiyah regarding its age, that the defects which are forbidden in one are forbidden in the other, and that the attributes which are recommended in one are recommended in the other. Aisha used to say: "Bring me one with good eyes and horns." Ata said: "The male is more beloved to me than the female, and the sheep is more beloved to me (1) than the goat." Thus, it does not suffice to offer less than the jadha' (a lamb of at least six months) of sheep, or the thaniyy (an animal that has reached a certain age) of goats. It is not permissible in it for an animal to be one-eyed with a clear defect of its eye, or lame with a clear limp, (2) or sick with a clear illness, or so emaciated that it has no marrow, or having more than half of its ear or horn cut off.