Question:
I want to ask Mufti regarding the age of a goat to slaughter for aqiqah. Is it a year and one day or two years and one day?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the many countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Aqiqah is one of the eminences of Islam and it is sunnah when one welcomes a baby boy or girl, signifying one’s gratitude to Allah SWT for the blessing of a child. The original sanctioning of aqiqah is based on the actions of the Prophet PBUH himself when welcoming his grandchildren. This is as narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas RA, he said:
عَقَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ الْحَسَنِ وَالْحُسَيْنِ رضى الله عنهما بِكَبْشَيْنِ كَبْشَيْنِ
"The Messenger of Allah offered an 'Aqiqah for Al-Hasan and Al-Husain, may Allah be please with them, two rams for each."
Sunan Abu Daud (2841)
Imam al-Nawawi state that aqiqah is sunnah muakkad. (See al-Majmu’ 8/408). Whereas from the angle of how many goats need to be slaughtered for aqiqah, we have already answered it in AL-KAFI #1013: THE RULING OF AQIQAH OF TWO GOATS SEPARATELY [1]
The Difference in Names
Here, we present the various types of goat or sheep that are famous and well known in Arabic. In order to give a clear explanation, we also include the related pictures of the subject matter.
- al-Dha’n (الضَّأْنِ) or sheep
- al-Dha’n al-Barbari (ضأن بربري), a type of desert goat
- al-Ghanam (الغنم). A type of sheep. Ghanam is a type of sheep with volumes of fur. They are usually reared for their meat, milk and fur. Male Ghanam is also known as Kibasy (كبش) and Kharuf(خروف) and the female is also known as Na'jah(نعجة) and their young is known as Hamal (حَمَل). They are usually farmed in Australia, New Zealand and China.
- al-Kabsy (الكبش). Male sheep.
- al-Kharuf (الخروف), also male sheep.
- al-Ma’iz (الماعز) is a type of strong goat that can survive in various situations.
There are also several types of goats:
- Boer goat
- Katjang goat
- Cashmere goat
- Saanen goat
- Toggenburg goat
- Alpine goat
- Anglo-Nubian goat
- Jamnapari goat
All the description on the above types of goats can be accessed through Google search.
Answering the above question, Syeikh Muhammad al-Zuhaily state that the conditions for aqiqah is the same as the conditions for animal slaughter for sacrifice (qorban). Hence, the age for animal slaughter is as the following:
- Goat: not less than two years old and it has reached three years old.
- Sheep: not less than a year old and it has reached two years old.
(See al-Mu’tamad, 2/494)
In al-Fiqh al-Manhaji (1/563), it is stated: “The age of a goat (المعز) that is going to be sacrificed should reach three years old, while for sheep (الضأن), it must reach two years old or its front teeth must have fallen if it hasn’t reached a year old.”
This is in accordance with a hadith from Abu Hurairah RA, who said, I heard the Prophet PBUH said:
نِعْمَتِ الْأُضْحِيَّةُ الْجَذَعُ مِنْ الضَّأْنِ
"The best male" - or - "female Udhiyah is that from the Jadha' sheep."
Sunan al-Tirmizi (1499)
Syeikh Ali bin al-Syeikh Ahmad said: Al-Jaza’ (الْجَذَعُ) is sheep of a year old going into two years old. (See al-Siraj al-Munir Syarh al-Jami' al-Saghir fi Hadis al-Basyir al-Nazir, 4/355)
In our opinion, it may be because that the meat is tender and delicious.
Conclusion
According to the above discussion and evidences, the age for a normal goat to be slaughtered for aqiqah or sacrifice should be two years old going to three years old.
If the questioner means sheep, then the age must be a year old going to two years old. (See Syarh al-Muqaddimah al-Hadramiah, pg. 698)
In our opinion, it may be due to the fact that the characteristic and type of sheep grow faster than normal goats. This is clear when we observe how big the sheep from Australia, New Zealand and other countries are.
May Allah SWT give us understanding and guidance in understanding His commandments. Amin.
End note:
[1] https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/al-kafi-li-al-fatawi/2965-al-kafi-1013-hukum-menyembelih-dua-ekor-kambing-aqiqah-secara-berasingan?highlight=WyJ1bXVyIiwiYXFpcWFoIl0=