ʿAqīqah for a Stillborn Child
Author: Imran Ayub Lahori
Ruling on ʿAqīqah for a Stillborn Child
Although some scholars have said that if a child is born after the soul has been breathed into it, then ʿAqīqah should be performed for him, according to our knowledge, since the seventh day does not come upon a stillborn child — and the seventh day of birth has been fixed for ʿAqīqah — therefore, ʿAqīqah will not be performed for such a child.
Saudi Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta:
There is no ʿAqīqah for a stillborn child, even if it becomes clear whether the fetus was male or female, and even if it was miscarried after the soul had been breathed into it. This is because such a fetus cannot be called a ghulām (boy) or mawlūd (newborn child). Moreover, the sacrificial animal of ʿAqīqah is to be slaughtered on the seventh day after birth.
[Fatāwā Islāmiyyah: 2/326]
