Should ʿAqīqah Animals Be Male or Female?
Written by: Imran Ayoob Lahori
The Ruling:
For ʿAqīqah, both male and female animals may be sacrificed. This is clearly established from the following Hadith:
عن أم كرز رضى الله عنها أنها سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى العقيقة قال: عن الغلام شاتان وعن الجارية شاة لا يضركم ذكرانا كن أو إناثا
“Umm Karz رضي الله عنها narrates that she heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say regarding ʿAqīqah: For a boy two goats and for a girl one goat should be sacrificed. Whether they are male or female does not harm you.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Mawārid al-Ẓamʾān by al-Albānī: 885; Kitāb al-Aḍāḥī: Bāb mā jāʾ fī al-ʿAqīqah; Mishkāt: 4152; Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl 4/390; Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd: 2525]
✅ Conclusion:
- For a boy: two goats (male or female).
- For a girl: one goat (male or female).
- There is no restriction on gender; both are valid for ʿAqīqah.
