What is the ruling on celebrating the naming of a newborn in East Africa by slaughtering a sheep or goat, cooking rice, serving drinks, and inviting relatives and friends, given that the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions did not do so?
The Sunnah is to slaughter two sheep for a boy and one sheep for a girl on the seventh day after birth as an Aqiqah. The purpose of the Aqiqah is to slaughter an animal as an act of drawing closer to Allah and showing gratitude for the blessing of a child. It is permissible to distribute its meat cooked, raw, or both. The Sunnah for naming the newborn is on the first or seventh day, and there is no harm in naming the child or slaughtering the Aqiqah on any day. There is no harm in celebrating the naming of the newborn and gathering for it, if it is done out of joy and happiness and involves eating the Aqiqah meal, and not with the belief that it is a Sunnah.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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