Congratulations on your baby
Plan your aqiqah ceremony
Everything for the gathering itself, in the order you will need it. Tick as you go; your ticks stay on this device.
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In the first days
Two or three days before
On the day
Afterwards
Your aqiqah ceremony, step by step
Plan in the first days, celebrate on the seventh. The aqiqah is sacrificed on the seventh day, the baby’s head is shaved and the baby is named (Sunan Abi Dawud 2838). The checklist above follows the order most families plan in; for the rulings and the date calculator, see Aqiqah Guide.
If you are arranging one, give your aqiqah openly and see it carried out. See the top 10 Muslim charities in the UK by DonateOpenly’s score.
The aqiqah ceremony in three numbers
- 7th day after the birth: the day of the aqiqah Sunan Abi Dawud 2838
- 2 · 1 sheep or goats: two for a boy, one for a girl Sunan Abi Dawud 2834
- 6 card designs to send or print, free Our invitation cards
Plan the aqiqah ceremony
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Invitation cards
Six designs, square to send and A6 to print. -
Invitation wording
Messages to copy for family, elders, neighbours and colleagues. -
Menu ideas
What to cook with the aqiqah meat, and how much rice and bread. -
The seven-day timeline
What happens when, from the birth to the gathering. -
Duas for a newborn
Protection for children (Sahih al-Bukhari 3371) and the prophets’ prayers.
A gathering of thanks
Food, family and dua. Many families cook the aqiqah meat and invite relatives, friends and neighbours to share it, keeping a portion for people in need. There is no fixed programme: a warm welcome, a good meal and duas for the child are the heart of it.
Aqiqah ceremony questions
Does the aqiqah ceremony have to be on the seventh day?
The seventh day is the day named in the hadith (Sunan Abi Dawud 2838), and at-Tirmidhi reports scholars recommending the fourteenth or twenty-first if it is missed (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 1522). The meal for guests can be held when the family can gather.
Do we have to invite people?
No. Inviting guests to eat is a common way to share the meat, not a condition; many families share it out instead, with relatives, neighbours and people in need.
Can the aqiqah be done abroad and the gathering held here?
Yes. Many families appoint someone to sacrifice on their behalf in another country, where the meat goes to families in need, and hold a small meal at home for relatives.