Aqiqah abroad: what it costs, when it happens, and how you know it was done

Aqiqah is the sacrifice made to welcome a newborn, and it can be performed in another country on your behalf. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah is explicit on the point that makes this work: unlike the Eid al-Adha sacrifice, the distribution of aqiqah meat is unrestricted. The meat does not have to be eaten by your household or stay in your city, so having the animal slaughtered where meat is scarce is a valid way to fulfil it.

Two animals are recommended for a boy and one for a girl, on the seventh day after birth. This page gives the rulings with their sources, the 2026 cost, and the part most providers skip: how you find out it actually happened.

In this article

• What is aqiqah, and is it required?
• How many animals for a boy, and how many for a girl?
• When must aqiqah be performed?
• Can aqiqah be performed in another country?
• What does aqiqah cost, and what should the price include?
• How do you know your aqiqah was actually performed?
• Frequently asked questions

What is aqiqah, and is it required?

Aqiqah is an animal sacrificed for a newborn, alongside naming the child and shaving the head. Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah, fatwa 9408, groups it with two other recommended acts of welcome: giving the adhan in the child's right ear and the iqama in the left, and rubbing a softened date on the palate.

The narration people cite for it is at Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1522, from Samurah (رضي الله عنه), reporting the Prophet ﷺ:

"The boy is mortgaged by his 'Aqiqah; slaughtering should be done for him on the seventh day, he should be given a name, and his head should be shaved."

It is a strongly encouraged sunnah rather than an obligation, and the schools word that emphasis differently. If you have missed it, you have missed a recommended act and not a duty. Keep reading, because the window is wider than most people assume.

Aqiqah meat distributed after a Friday fulfilment. Dar al-Ifta places no restriction on who receives it.

How many animals for a boy, and how many for a girl?

Two for a boy, one for a girl, is the position most people are given. It comes from a report at Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1513, graded hasan sahih by al-Tirmidhi (رحمه الله) himself, in which Aisha (رضي الله عنها) reports that the Prophet ﷺ ordered that for a boy two sheep were sufficient and for a girl one sheep.

The schools do not all read it as a fixed requirement.

Fatwa 9406 states it plainly: "It is permissible to slaughter one sheep for a male baby when one cannot afford two." It adds that where two are intended, there is no objection to slaughtering one and delaying the second until it becomes affordable.

On doing the two together, the Mufti of the Federal Territory of Malaysia cites Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (رحمه الله) in Fath al-Bari (9/592) that both should be slaughtered as one event rather than one delayed, then rules that separating them is permissible where someone lacks the capacity to do otherwise. See Al-Kafi 1013.

Qohyrah follows the two-for-a-boy position in its pricing. If you hold the position that one is sufficient, the ruling above is the one to take to your own scholar first.

When must aqiqah be performed?

The seventh day after birth is the recommended day. The fourteenth and the twenty-first are the next two, and after that the window stays open for years.

Dar al-Ifta's fatwa 9406 sets it out: "The sacrifice must be made on the seventh, fourteenth or the twenty-first day after the child's birth. If this is not possible, it can be done on any day until the child attains puberty."

So a parent whose child is two, or five, has not lost the chance. This is the single most common worry people bring to an aqiqah service, and the answer is more generous than the panic suggests.

Can aqiqah be performed in another country?

Yes, and the reason sits in how the meat may be distributed.

Dar al-Ifta's fatwa 9408 draws the contrast directly: "Unlike the udhiya, the matter of distributing the meat of the aqiqah sacrifice is unrestricted." The Eid al-Adha sacrifice carries conventions about shares and who eats what. Aqiqah does not carry the same restriction, so directing the whole animal to families who rarely eat meat is a legitimate way to fulfil it rather than a workaround.

What you are buying is an agent performing a slaughter on your behalf, in your child's name, on a stated day, with the meat distributed. The things that decide whether it is done properly are the same anywhere: a real animal, a named intention, a fixed schedule, and evidence afterwards.

Aqiqah, Indonesia

Perform an aqiqah

Performed every Friday on a successful order, in your child's name. The meat is distributed to at least 25 people in need, and a named e-certificate follows fulfilment.

$250 USD girl, $500 boy Book an aqiqah →

What does aqiqah cost, and what should the price include?

Prices below are Qohyrah's, in US dollars, current as of August 2026.

Four things are worth checking against any provider, here included:

• A fixed slaughter day. Qohyrah performs aqiqah every Friday on a successful order, so you know the date before you pay rather than waiting on an unspecified queue.
• A stated distribution floor. The meat reaches at least 25 people in need. A provider that will not tell you how many people are fed is not telling you the size of the animal either.
• A named certificate. Issued in your child's name after fulfilment, not on order.
• A refund window. Orders can be refunded in full within 12 hours, which matters when a relative has already arranged one and you find out afterwards.

Aqiqah, Makkah

Perform an aqiqah in Makkah

The same fulfilment, carried out in Makkah instead of Indonesia, at the same price. Choose the location at checkout.

$250 USD girl, $500 boy Choose Makkah →

How do you know your aqiqah was actually performed?

You ask what arrives after the fact, and when.

Qohyrah shares photo or video proof after fulfilment and issues a named e-certificate once the aqiqah is done. Aqiqah is performed in Indonesia and Makkah through a partner operator on the ground, which is how nearly every overseas aqiqah service works and is worth stating rather than implying a team of your own everywhere.

The honest limit: proof reaches customers, and it does not reach every customer at the same speed. That is a known weakness being worked on rather than a solved problem. Any provider promising a flawless chain of evidence is describing an intention, not a track record, and that includes this page.

Frequently asked questions

Can aqiqah be done after the seventh day?

Yes. Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah gives the seventh, fourteenth and twenty-first day as the preferred days, then states that if none of those is possible it can be done on any day until the child reaches puberty.

How many goats are needed for a boy?

Two is the recommended number in the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools, drawn from Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1513. Hanafi and Maliki scholars permit one. Dar al-Ifta's fatwa 9406 allows one for a boy where two cannot be afforded.

Is aqiqah obligatory?

No. It is a strongly encouraged sunnah rather than a duty, and the schools differ in how firmly they word that. Missing it is not a sin you need to make up, though the window to perform it stays open for years.

Can I perform aqiqah for myself as an adult?

Scholars differ, and the answer depends on which position your school takes on aqiqah after puberty. Ask a scholar you follow rather than a shop.

What happens to the meat?

Dar al-Ifta states that distribution of aqiqah meat is unrestricted, unlike the Eid al-Adha sacrifice. Qohyrah distributes the whole animal to at least 25 people in need.

Is Qohyrah a charity?

No. Qohyrah is a for-profit social enterprise registered in Singapore, operating since 2020. Purchases are not tax deductible and do not qualify for Gift Aid. You are buying a fulfilled service at a stated price.

Related reading: 5 practical ways to welcome Ramadan. For year-round giving, see the sadaqah range.