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Fatwa CenterSlaughtering the ‘Aqeeqah or the Udhhiyah in a Different Country than that of the One Offering It
Question
I am having a boy and for aqiqah i know i need to sacrifice 2 goats but i wanted to know if it is permissible to sacrifice 1 goat in uk and 1 goat in Bangladesh as we originate from there.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
There is nothing wrong with slaughtering one of the two sheep or goats for the ‘Aqeeqah in one country, and the other in a different country. Jurists stated that it is permissible to authorize someone to slaughter the Udhhiyah (‘Eed sacrificial animal) and the ‘Aqeeqah (sacrificial animal slaughtered for a newborn) on one’s behalf in a different country, and they did not stipulate that they must be slaughtered in the country of residence of the one offering them, nor that the two sheep for the ‘Aqeeqah must be slaughtered (and distributed) in one country.
I‘aanat At-Taalibeen ‘ala Hall Alfaath Fat-h Al-Mu‘een (2/381) reads: “The Fataawa of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Sulaymaan Al-Kurdi, who penned a Haashiyah (commentary) on Sharh Ibn Hajar ‘ala Al-Mukhtasar, reads: (He 
was asked:) “The people of Java are used to authorize someone in Makkah to buy for them the sacrificial animals for the ‘Aqeeqah or Udhhiyah and slaughter them on their behalf in Makkah, while the person offering the ‘Aqeeqah or Udhhiyah is actually in Java. Is this permissible? Please advise!” (The answer is): “Yes, it is permissible to authorize someone to purchase and slaughter the Udhhiyah and ‘Aqeeqah on one’s behalf even if they are slaughtered (and distributed) in a country other than the one where the person offering the ‘Aqeeqah or Udhhiyah is. Scholars held that this is permissible in absolute terms. Similarly, our scholars stated the permissibility of authorizing someone to slaughter the Udhhiyah on one’s behalf as long as the Udhhiyah slaughtered by that agent is lawful as per the Sharee‘ah. They stated the permissibility for a person to authorize or dictate in the Wasiyyah (death will) that someone should purchase and slaughter the livestock on his behalf, and that it is recommended for the one offering the Udhhiyah to attend the slaughter himself, but it is not obligatory. They underlined that the rulings on the Udhhiyah apply to the ‘Aqeeqah as well, except for the exceptions in this regard and this case is not among those exceptions. Therefore, the ruling on the Udhhiyah in this regard applies to the ‘Aqeeqah as well. They also delineated the subsidiary issues related to this one in the areas of Wakaalah (i.e., appointing an individual or agency to act on someone’s behalf) and Ijaarah (hiring); so refer to the relevant chapters in their writings. The Prophet used to send the Hady (sacrificial animal in Hajj) from Madeenah to be slaughtered in Makkah on his behalf. It was cited in Saheeh Al-Bukhaari and Saheeh Muslim on the authority of ‘Aa’ishah 
that she said: 'I plaited the garlands (placed around the necks of the sacrificial animals) for the Hady of the Messenger of Allah with my own hands. Then he himself put the garlands on the Hady and then sent it with Abu Bakr.’ In general, the statements of our Imaams explicitly and implicitly indicate the permissibility of what was stated above, as underlined in their books and commentaries.” [End of quote]
We would like to point out two matters:
First, the jurists held different opinions regarding the ruling on the ‘Aqeeqah for a newborn, whether it is obligatory or recommended, and the preponderant opinion adopted in Islamweb is that it is a recommended act of Sunnah.
Second: the sacrificial animal for the ‘Aqeeqah, like the Udhhiyah, must be from the livestock: camel, cow, or sheep, and the sheep category includes lambs and goats. If someone slaughters any of this livestock for the ‘Aqeeqah, it is valid. Al-Mawsoo‘ah Al-Fiqhiyyah Al-Kuwaytiyyah reads: “For the Udhhiyah and ‘Aqeeqah, the sacrificed animal must be from the livestock (cows, camels, sheep, goats), and no other animal fulfills the requirement. This opinion was agreed upon by the Hanafi, Shaafi‘i and Hanbali scholars, and was the preponderant of the two opinions held by the Maaliki scholars. The opinion that only sheep is acceptable for the ‘Aqeeqah is outweighed. The Shaafi‘i scholars held that the acceptable sacrificial animals for the ‘Aqeeqah are the same as the Udhhiyah; the least of which is one whole sheep or one-seventh of a camel or cow. The Maaliki and Hanbali scholars held that only one whole camel or cow fulfills the requirement for the ‘Aqeeqah.” [End of quote]
Allah Knows best.
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