❖ Can a Person Perform Their Own ʿAqīqah? — In Light of Authentic Aḥādīth
Excerpted from the book “Parents and Children’s Rights” by Shaykh Jāwīd Iqbāl Sialkoti
❀ Can a Person Perform Their Own ʿAqīqah?
If, for some reason, the parents were unable to perform the ʿaqīqah, then a person may perform their own ʿaqīqah, because the individual remains pledged until it is offered.
① Prophetic Statement on Being Held in Pledge for ʿAqīqah
◈ Arabic:
قال النبي: كل غلام مرتهن بعقيقته
◈ Translation:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Every child is held in pledge for his ʿaqīqah.”
📚 (Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter on ʿAqīqah: 3165)
② The Prophet ﷺ Performed ʿAqīqah for Himself
◈ Arabic:
عن أنس أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم عق عن نفسه بعد ما بعث نبيا
◈ Translation:
Anas رضي الله عنه narrated that:
“The Prophet ﷺ performed ʿaqīqah for himself after he was sent as a Prophet.”
📚 (Ḥasan — al-Ṭabarānī in al-Awsaṭ, ḥadīth no. 994; Musannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Book of ʿAqīqah: 7990)
✔ Conclusion and Benefit
① If a father fails to perform ʿaqīqah, then it is not obligatory upon the child to do it for themselves.
② However, if the person chooses to perform their own ʿaqīqah, intending to fulfill what their father could not do, it is commendable and virtuous.
③ This act signifies one’s respect for a Prophetic tradition and a desire to release oneself from the pledge, as indicated by the ḥadīth.
