[Q 720] Aqiqah Meat After 8 Months

Question

A baby girl was born and aqiqah was offered, the meat was meant to be distributed to family and some friends, some of the family members said to freeze the meat and organise a aqiqah gathering and cook the meat at once.

Its been 8 month since the aqiqa was offered and the meat is in the freezer.

Are we able to cook these meat as so much time has passed or do we need to offer aqiqah again?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب

Answer

The essence of fulfilling the Sunnah of ‘aqiqah is the slaughtering of the animal. Meaning, if the animal has been slaughtered, the ‘aqiqah is done. There is no need to perform ‘aqiqah again, even if its meat has not yet been used. Therefore, in the aforementioned scenario, even though eight months have passed and the meat has not yet been used, the ‘aqiqah is still valid. And there is no need to perform ‘aqiqah again (by slaughtering an animal), and a feast can be made from this meat. However, from a medical perspective, it should be checked, as the nutritional value of the meat might be affected by remaining frozen for such a long period.

It is stated in Radd al-Muhtar:

“وهي شاة تصلح للأضحية تذبح للذكر والأنثى سواء فرق لحمها نيئا أو طبخه بحموضة أو بدونها مع كسر عظمها أو لا واتخاذ دعوة أو لا”

(Radd al-Muhtar ‘ala Durr al-Mukhtar, vol. 6, p. 336)

It is stated in Bahar-e-Shariat:
The animal that is slaughtered in gratitude for the birth of a child is called ‘aqiqah. According to the Hanafis, ‘aqiqah is mubah and mustahabb.

(Bahar-e-Shariat, vol. 3, part 15, p. 355, Maktabat al-Madinah)

Answered by: Mubashir Madani (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 29th September 2026