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Is it permissible to slaughter animals other than sheep for the Aqiqah, such as a calf or a young buffalo? How is the Aqiqah distributed: by cooking and holding a feast, or by distributing it raw? Is it permissible to delay the Aqiqah for several months to perform it in one's home country with family? Is it sufficient to slaughter one sheep, or must there be two?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The majority of scholars agree that sheep, cattle, and camels are sufficient for the 'Aqiqah, provided they meet the same conditions as in the Udhiyah regarding age and freedom from defects. It is permissible to perform the 'Aqiqah with a calf from cattle or buffalo if it has reached the stipulated age. The Sunnah is to slaughter the 'Aqiqah on the seventh day of the newborn's life; if that is missed, then on the fourteenth or twenty-first, or at any time it becomes convenient. It is permissible to distribute the meat of the 'Aqiqah raw or cooked, and there is no harm in performing the 'Aqiqah for a male with a single sheep.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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