Status of ʿAqīqah in the Ḥanafī school
Question
What is the status of ʿAqīqah in the ḥanafī school? I recently heard that it is not established practice in the ḥanafī school.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
Answer
There appears to be mixed views among our earlier jurists in relation to ʿAqīqah because of the apparently conflicting statements in the writings of Imam Muḥammad (d. 180/805). Accordingly, some jurists like ʿAllāmah Kāsānī (d. 587/1191) and Mufti Rashīd Aḥmad Ludyānwī (d. 1422/2002) suggest that ʿAqīqah should not be performed because it is abrogated.
However, according to the majority of jurists, ʿAqīqah is an established practice. Some jurists suggest that it is permissible. However, if done with the intention of reward, it appears that the person will be rewarded according to this view, otherwise it would serve no purpose. Other jurists suggest that it is recommended. Imam Ṭaḥāwī (321/933) suggests that it is an optional deed, which clearly suggests that a person will be rewarded. Similarly, Imam Qudūrī (d. 428/1037) suggests that it is mustaḥab (desirable) and indicates that this is the view of our ḥanafī scholars. This view is shared by the majority of our jurists of the Indian sub-continent and is the preferred position.
For further details, refer to our earlier Fatwa regarding ʿAqīqah and Qurbānī in one animal, where this issue has been discussed at length in Arabic.
Allah knows best
Yusuf Shabbir
30 Dhū al-Ḥijjah 1439 / 10 September 2018
Approved by: Mufti Shabbir Ahmed and Mufti Muhammad Tahir
