Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamualikum Warahmatulla-e-Wabarakatu

i want to ask that

as my aqeeqa hasn`t been done yet can we do it with eid-ul azha

plz tell me about it. 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Aqiqa not done earlier

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

The Aqiqa sacrifice is not obligatory or ‘fard’ in Islam; but rather it is a Sunnah and thus voluntary. If one does offer this sacrifice as a form of gratitude to his Merciful Creator, there is a huge reward, and if one does not offer it, there is no sin.

Your Question: can we do it with eid-ul azha

The Aqiqa is the responsibility of the parents, and if they did not perform the Aqiqa sacrifice at the birth of their child for any reason whatsoever, there is no compulsion or need for the child to offer this sacrifice later, or when he grows up.

Every rite of worship has its own particular time; and the time to offer the sacrifice of aqiqa is at the birth of one’s child. Performing an ‘aqiqa’ for a child after say 15-20 years, would be similar to the case if one who marries a woman and does not offer the Sunnah of a ‘walima’ or marriage banquet to announce his marriage, but chooses to have a ‘walima’ or marriage banquet at 15-20 years into his marriage! There is absolutely no harm if one wishes to offer a belated marriage banquest 15-20 years after his marriage, but the wisdom, intention, and spirit of the rite would have been lost!

If your parents, of their own free will, really wish to offer the ‘aqiqa’ sacrifice they did not offer when you were born now, there is no harm; but they need not wait for ‘eid-ul-adha’ to offer it. They can offer this sacrifice whenever they wish. There is absolutely no compulsion or sin on them if they do not offer the belated sacrifice; but if they really wish and insist on doing it, there is no harm.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan