Evidence from Ahadith
In the narrations of the Prophet ﷺ, the animals mentioned for ʿAqīqah are goats and rams only. A few of these Ahadith are as follows:
➊ Umm Karz al-Kaʿbiyyah رضي الله عنها narrates:
سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول عن الغلام شاتان مكافئتان وعن الجارية شاة
“I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: For a boy two equivalent goats, and for a girl one goat.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Abū Dāwūd 2458; Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl 4/390; al-Nasāʾī 7/165; al-Dārimī 2/81; Ibn Ḥibbān 1060; Musnad Aḥmad 6/381]
➋ ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb, from his father, from his grandfather narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من ولد له ولد فأحب أن ينسك عنه فلينسك عن الغلام شاتان وعن الجارية شاة
“If anyone has a child born to him and he wishes to perform ʿAqīqah, then for a boy two goats and for a girl one goat should be sacrificed.”
[Ḥasan: Abū Dāwūd 2468; Musnad Aḥmad 2/182; al-Nasāʾī 7/162; al-Ḥākim 4/238; al-Bayhaqī 9/300 – authenticated by al-Ḥākim and al-Dhahabī]
➌ Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrates:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عق عن الحسن والحسين بكبشين كبشين
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ offered ʿAqīqah for Ḥasan and Ḥusayn رضي الله عنهما by sacrificing two rams each.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: al-Nasāʾī 3935, 4224; Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl 1164]
From these narrations, it is clear that the Prophet ﷺ mentioned only goats and rams for ʿAqīqah.
The View of Scholars
✿ Imām al-Shawkānī رحمه الله said:
والجمهور على إجزاء البقر والغنم
“The majority of scholars hold that cows and goats are sufficient (for ʿAqīqah).”
[Nayl al-Awṭār 3/506]
✿ Dr. Wahbah al-Zuḥaylī رحمه الله stated:
هي مثل الأضحية من الأنعام: الإبل والبقر والغنم وقيل لا يعق بالبقر ولا بالابل
“ʿAqīqah is like Udhḥiyah (sacrifice) from the livestock: camels, cows, and sheep. However, it is also said that cows and camels should not be used for ʿAqīqah.”
[al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuh 3/637]
A Weak Report on Camels and Cows
Some scholars who permitted camels and cows based their view on a narration from Anas رضي الله عنه that mentions:
يعق عنه من الإبل والبقر والغنم
“ʿAqīqah may be done with camels, cows, or goats.”
But this narration is not authentic.
[al-Ṭabarānī in al-Ṣaghīr 1/84; Fatḥ al-Bārī 11/11]
Imām al-Haythamī رحمه الله said:
The chain contains Masʿadah ibn al-Ṣabāḥ, who is a liar.
[Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid 4/61]
Conclusion
- Authentic Ahadith mention only goats and rams for ʿAqīqah.
- The narration about camels and cows is fabricated.
- Therefore, it is best and safest to restrict ʿAqīqah to goats and rams, as practiced and taught by the Prophet ﷺ.
