Aqiqah calculator, the 7th day, goats and hair
Enter your baby's date of birth to see the 7th, 14th and 21st days. Then see how many sheep or goats are needed for a boy or a girl, and what the hair sadaqah comes to at today's silver price.
Madhhab
On the day
- Slaughter
- Sheep or goat, as for udhiyah
- Shave
- Give its weight in silver
- Name
- If not named yet
- Meat
- Eat, gift and give
Everything you type stays on this device. Silver and gold prices: gold-api.com, refreshed hourly.
Guide
Aqiqah, what it is and how to do it
Aqiqah is the sacrifice of an animal to thank Allah for a newborn child, usually on the seventh day after birth. On that day the baby's head is shaved, its weight in silver is given in charity, and the child is named if this has not been done already. A boy has two sheep or goats and a girl one, in the Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Every child is held in pledge for his aqiqah, which is slaughtered for him on the seventh day, and he is named, and his head is shaved."1
Is aqiqah required?
Aqiqah is mustahabb (recommended), and some Hanafi texts call it simply permissible (mubah). It is a way of thanking Allah, not an obligation, so a family that cannot afford it is not sinful. Contemporary Hanafi scholars generally encourage it as a sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.2
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Hanbali
- A confirmed sunnah (sunnah muakkadah). Imam Ahmad said the father is encouraged to do it even if he has to borrow, hoping Allah will repay him.
- Maliki
- A sunnah (mandub), done on the seventh day only. If it is missed, it is not made up later.
Which day is the seventh day?
Count the day of birth as day one. A quick rule many scholars give: the seventh day is the day before the weekday of birth. A baby born on a Friday has the aqiqah on the next Thursday. Because the Islamic day begins at sunset, a baby born after Maghrib counts from the next day. The calculator does this for you.
Day one is the day of birth. If the seventh day is missed, it may be done on the 14th or the 21st, and after that on any day. It can also be done later in life.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Hanbali
- The day of birth counts as day one. The Hanbali school recommends the 14th, then the 21st, if the 7th is missed. The Shafi'i school allows it until the child reaches puberty, after which the child may do it for themself.
- Maliki
- If the baby is born after Fajr, that day is not counted, and the count starts the next day. The aqiqah is done on the seventh day only.
The reports that name the 14th and the 21st days are weak in their chains. Scholars who mention these days take them as a good practice, not as a firm sunnah.3
How many goats for a boy and a girl?
Umm Kurz reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "For a boy, two sheep that are alike, and for a girl, one sheep."4 He also slaughtered one ram for al-Hasan and one for al-Husayn.5 So one animal for a boy is valid, and two is better if you can afford it.
| Hanafi | Shafi'i | Maliki | Hanbali | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boy | 2 (1 is valid) | 2 (1 is valid) | 1 | 2 |
| Girl | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Share of a cow or camel | Yes, 1/7 per sheep | Yes, 1/7 per sheep | No, whole animal | No, whole animal |
The animal has the same conditions as the Eid udhiyah: a goat of at least one year, a sheep of at least six months if it is as big as a yearling, a cow of two years or a camel of five, free of clear defects. When slaughtering, say Bismillah, Allahu akbar, as for any slaughter. The meat may be eaten by the family, given to relatives and friends, and given to the poor, raw or cooked.
Shaving the head and the silver sadaqah
When al-Hasan was born, the Prophet ﷺ told Fatimah: "Shave his head and give the weight of his hair in silver to the poor." Its weight was a dirham or a little less.6 At-Tirmidhi graded it hasan gharib, and its chain is not fully connected, but it is widely acted on.
Shaving the baby's head on the seventh day and giving its weight in silver is mustahabb, for boys and girls. Giving its value in money is fine.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Hanbali
- Recommended for boys and girls. Silver is mentioned in the hadith; gold is also allowed by the Shafi'i school.
- Maliki
- Recommended, and the hair's weight may be given in gold or silver.
Naming the baby
The child may be named on the day of birth or on the seventh day. Both are in the Sunnah: the Prophet ﷺ named his son Ibrahim on the night he was born.7 He said the names most loved by Allah are Abdullah and Abdur-Rahman.8 Choose a name with a good meaning. Browse Islamic names with meanings.
Tahnik
Tahnik is softening a date, by chewing it, and rubbing a little on the baby's palate. Abu Musa brought his newborn son to the Prophet ﷺ, who named him Ibrahim, did tahnik with a date and made dua for him.9 Families often ask a pious elder to do it. Use only a tiny amount, and check with your midwife or doctor first, as newborns should not be given food.
The adhan in the baby's ear
Abu Rafi said he saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ give the adhan in the ear of al-Hasan when he was born.10 At-Tirmidhi graded it hasan sahih, but many hadith scholars find its chain weak. It is still the practice of most Muslims, and the Hanafi school recommends it, with the iqamah in the left ear.
- Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Samurah ibn Jundub; at-Tirmidhi graded it hasan sahih.
- Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, on aqiqah; Fatawa Mahmudiyyah. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
- Reported by al-Bayhaqi and at-Tabarani, from Buraydah; weak.
- Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Umm Kurz al-Kabiyyah; at-Tirmidhi graded it sahih.
- Sunan Abi Dawud, from Ibn Abbas.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Ali ibn Abi Talib.
- Sahih Muslim, from Anas ibn Malik.
- Sahih Muslim, from Ibn Umar.
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Abu Musa al-Ashari.
- Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Abu Rafi.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know
How many goats for aqiqah for a boy?
Two sheep or goats for a boy, in the Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools, and one is also valid. The Maliki school says one for a boy and one for a girl.
How do I calculate the 7th day for aqiqah?
Count the day of birth as day one, so the 7th day is the day before the weekday of birth. A baby born on Monday has the aqiqah on Sunday. If the baby was born after sunset, start counting from the next day.
Can aqiqah be done after the 7th day?
Yes. In the Hanafi school it may be done on the 14th or 21st day, or on any day after that, even years later. The Maliki school limits it to the seventh day.
Can I do the aqiqah and qurbani in one cow?
In the Hanafi school, yes. A cow or camel has seven shares, and some can be for aqiqah and some for udhiyah. The Hanbali and Maliki schools want a whole animal for aqiqah.
How much silver do I give for the baby's hair?
Its weight in silver, or the value in money. Weigh the hair in grams and the calculator above works out the value at today's silver price.
Can I do my own aqiqah as an adult?
Yes. Many Hanafi and Hanbali scholars say an adult whose aqiqah was never done may do it for themself, and the Shafi'i school allows it once the child is grown.