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The Importance of the Aqeeqah |
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Written by Azeem
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Saturday, 12 March 2005 |
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Al-hamdo Lilla-he NahmaduhuWanastaeenohu Wa Nastaghfiru-hu WaNauoozu billa-hee min shoroore anfosena
Maiy-yah-dehiLaahu faLaa mudil-lala-hu
wa maiy-yudlilLaa-hu faLaa ha-deya la
hu wa ash-hado allah illa-ha illala-hu wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan Abduhu wa rasoolu
All Praise is for Allah. We praise and glorify him and seek His help and forgiveness. And seek refuge from the evils of our desires. Whomsoever Allah gives guidance none can mislead him. And whomsoever Allah misleads none can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his servant and apostle.
Qallalahoo Ta la Fil Quran il Majeed
AaOzuuBillahimishaytaanirrageen Bismillah hirahmaa niraheem
Wah-Lamoo Annamaaa Am-Waa Lukum Wa Auo-Laa-Dakum Fitnah. Wa annal Laaha In-da-hooo Ag-run Adheem. Saddakullohuladheem.
Asalamualikum Brothers and Sisters in Islam, the verse which I have recited for you is Verse 8 in Surah Anfal:
.It can be translated as:
“And know that your possessions and your progeny are but a trial; and that it is Allah with whom lies your highest reward.” (Quran 8:28)
On the occasion of the Aqeeqah of Danyal ibn Shoaib who was born 6 months ago. I was asked to speak about the importance of the Aqeeqah itself. Surprisingly I have found that the Aqeeqah is a very popular practice yet very few people know too much about it. I myself didn’t know too much about this topic and had to do much research to prepare this talk. So Inshallah this talk will be a little educational and well as being motiviational.
There is no mention of the Aqeeqah in the Qur’an. But it is a confirmed Sunnah and has been recorded in detail in various authentic ahadith which appear in many collections. I will quote a few of these ahadith for you in order to establish an authentic view of the Aqeeqah.
It is reported that Samurah Ibn Jundub, may Allah be pleased with him, quotes the Messenger of Allah, (S), as saying: “A boy is ransomed by his `Aqeeqah. Sacrifice should be made for him on the seventh day, he should be given a name and his head should be shaved.”
(Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, 1522; An-Nasaa'i, 4220 and Abu Dawood, 2838.
The Hadith is classed as Saheeh by Al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him, in Al-Irwaa’ 4/385).
Narrated Salman bin 'Amir Ad-Dabbi:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "'Aqiqa is to be offered for a (newly born) boy, so slaughter (an animal) for him, and relieve him of his suffering."
Bukhari: Volume 7, Book 66, Number 380:
Yahya related to me from Malik from Jafar ibn Muhammad that his father said, "Fatima, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah(S), weighed the hair of Hasan, Husayn, Zaynab and Umm Kulthum, and gave away in sadaqa an equivalent weight of silver."
Malik's Muwatta: Book 26, Number 26.1.2:
It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that the Messenger of Allaah (S) commanded them to sacrifice two similar sheep for a boy and one for a girl.
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1513; Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 1221; Abu Dawood, 2834; al-Nasaa’i, 4212; Ibn Maajah, 3163
These hadith define the basic parameters of the Aqeeqah which are
1. Making sacrifice
a. 2 sheep or goats for a boy
b. 1 sheep or a goat for a girl
2. Shaving Head and donating the weight of the cut hair in silver
3. Giving the child a name
Beyond the basics there are some technical details which the ulema have made clear for us. I would like to share some of their points with you. These points cover various common Fiqhi questions which are raised in regards to the Aqeeqah:
• If one does not make the aqeeqah on the seventh day, one should bear in mind the seventh day (when making the aqeeqah in the future) In order to stay closer to the Sunnah
• It is permissible to slaughter the animal either before or after shaving the head
• The animal that cannot be used for qurbaani cannot be used for aqeeqah as well. If an animal is permissible for qurbaani, it will be permissible for aqeeqah as well.
• The meat of aqeeqah could be distributed raw, cooked, or it could be prepared as a meal and people could be invited to join in the meal.
• It is permissible to add extra meat other than the one or two sheeps in order to accommodate your guests at your child’s aqeeqah gathering
• It is permissible for the parents, grand parents, etc. to consume the meat of aqeeqah.
• A person who does not have sufficient wealth can sacrifice one sheep instead of two. If a person does not make aqeeqah at all, there is no harm in this as well.
• Performing the Aqeeqah is a Sunnah in which there is no sin if not done. Yet it is something that the Prophet (S) did and there is reward in following the Sunnah
• And there is great reward for reviving a Sunnah which has been abandoned
• Some other Islamic traditions related to childbirth which are mentioned are Giving the Adhaan the in the childs ear and having the boys circumcised which is an obligatory Sunnah which must be done eventually
So now that we know what the Aqeeqah entails we should know what is its importance or significance.
Ibn Al-Qayyim, rahimulllah, states: "Among the benefits of `Aqeeqah are:
1. It is a sacrifice by means of which the child is brought close to Allah soon after he comes into this world.
2. It is a ransom for the newborn so that he or she can intercede for his parents.
3. It is a sacrifice by which the newborn is ransomed just as Allah ransomed Isma`eel with the ram.
4. Perhaps another benefit of the `Aqeeqah is the gathering of relatives and friends for a feast.
Another topic which is closely related to a new child being born is that of the rights of the child.
It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (S) said: “Each of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The ruler who is in charge of people is a shepherd and is responsible for them. The man is the shepherd of his household and is responsible for them. The woman is the shepherd of her husband’s house and child and is responsible for them. The slave is the shepherd of his master’s wealth and is responsible for it. Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2416; Muslim, 1829.
Last week Br. Shoaib had called me to invite me to attend this beautiful gathering of Muslims who have come together to celebrate and remember Allah on the occasion of the beginning of a new life. When Br. Shoaib had called me I was in my car, and I was driving from Brooklyn to Queens to a masjid where I was going to attend a gathering of Muslims who had come together to mourn the loss of a life and perform the Janazah prayer.
A 19 year old Muslim Youth had died in a car accident. And I thought Subhanallah If we zoom out and look at this life as it ought to be looked at. We find that this entire life from the beginning of our life to its end is really only the first stage of life. Although we feel that there is much to accomplish in this lifetime it is still nothing compared to the two stages of life which are follow. And by that I mean life in the grave, and finally our eternal life after the day of judgment which will be spent in either Heaven or Hell.
And Subhanallah I thought Allah (S) has created markers for us…or pit stops on this highway of life. When a child is born, we may have an Aqeeqah. Five times a day we take a break from our lives, In Ramadan we have a 30 day pit stop to really get ourselves together, When someone passes away it is fard-e-kifaya to do their Janazah. Which means it is obligatory on the community to do it. Someone has to do it. So I thought all of these things which seem like religious customs or rituals in Islam are much more than that. What these pit stops do is, they help us to reconnect ourselves with Allah.
Sometimes when we are using the internet we find that our connection is lost. And we can’t go to any websites to login to check our email, or the news. So then we check our modem to see what’s going on. The same way when we feel that we have lost our connection with Allah (S) we have to troubleshoot our hearts to find the problem so we can reconnect ourselves.
Ibn Qayyim rahimullah said:
“One of the best ways of mutual support (in righteousness and piety) is to help one another on the journey of migration to Allah and to his messenger with hands, tongues and hearts, and by teaching, educating and caring. A person having this attitude toward the worshippers of Allah will see prosperity rush to him from all directions. Allah will move toward him the hearts of His worshippers, will open for his heart the gates of knowledge, and will make smooth for him the path of bliss.”
This Aqeeqah is an example of that mutual support. There are so many good deeds which are associated with this Aqeeqah such as sacrificing in the way of Allah and Bringing hearts together so that they may be filled with Allah’s remembrance. This is the best way to start young Danyal’s journey of life with the right destination in mind.
I am going to conclude with this beautiful verse of the Qur’an:
Qul Inna Salatee Wa Nu su Key Wamah Yaa Ya Wa Ma Maa Thee Lil lahee Rabbil Alimeen
Say: Surely my Prayer, all my acts of worship, and my living and my dying are for Allah alone, the Lord of the whole universe (6:162 Qu’ran)
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