40/4. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4217 — Male or Female Aqiqah Sheep
How Many Sheep Should Be Slaughtered As An 'Aqiqah For A Girl?
Male or Female Sheep for Aqiqah: Both Are Accepted in the Hadith
Sunan an-Nasai : 4217
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4217
أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ أَبِي يَزِيدَ - عَنْ سِبَاعِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ أُمِّ كُرْزٍ، قَالَتْ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِالْحُدَيْبِيَةِ أَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ لُحُومِ الْهَدْىِ فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ " عَلَى الْغُلاَمِ شَاتَانِ وَعَلَى الْجَارِيَةِ شَاةٌ لاَ يَضُرُّكُمْ ذُكْرَانًا كُنَّ أَمْ إِنَاثًا " .
Umm Kurz Narrated from:
I came to the Prophet and asked him about the sacrificial meat. I heard him say: 'For a boy, two sheep, and for a girl, one sheep, and it does not matter if they are male or female.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4217In-book reference : Book 40, Hadith 6English translation : Vol. 5, Book 40, Hadith 4222
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4217
This hadith about male or female sheep for aqiqah gives both the number and the permitted sex of the animals. Umm Kurz heard the Prophet say that two sheep are for a boy and one sheep is for a girl. He then added that it does not matter whether the animals are male or female. This final statement is the distinctive point of the narration. It removes concern about choosing only male animals or only female animals for the sacrifice. The hadith does not discuss other animal conditions or wider aqiqah rulings, so the explanation should not add them. Its direct teaching is easy to follow: observe the stated number, while either male or female sheep may be used according to the words reported here.
What we learn from this hadith
- Two sheep are stated for a boy.
- One sheep is stated for a girl.
- The animals may be male or female.
- The narration removes concern about the sex of the sheep.
