Disclaimer: This is our (Muslims) beliefs and please respect them even if you disagree with them.
Aqiqah in Islam is basically the act of sacrificing an animal on the occasion of a child's birth in a way of saying thanks or show gratitude to Allah for being blessed with a child. It is sunnah muakkadah which means strongly encouraged but no harm if it is not acted upon on.
As written by Aqiqah Singapore which also the company we liased aqiqah for Sarah & Jhon.
"There are many benefits in the performance of Aqiqah. One is the announcing the birth of the baby. Being bestowed a child is a great blessing from the Creator. Another purpose is inviting family members, neighbors, and friends to celebrate the blessed occasion. The poor should be included in the celebration by offering them food and meat served on this occasion.
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
"Among the benefits of `Aqeeqah are:
1. It is a sacrifice by means of which the child is brought close to Allah soon after he comes into this world.
2. It is a ransom for the newborn so that he or she can intercede for his parents.
3. It is a sacrifice by which the newborn is ransomed just as Allah ransomed Isma`eel with the ram.
(Tuhfat al-Mawdood, p. 69).""
There are preferred sunnah dates to have the aqiqah which is either the 7th, 14th or 21st day after baby's birth but yet again, it's okay if it is done on a different day. Remember, Islam is never meant to be troublesome or complicated. The meat will be cut and/or cooked and distributed to the needy.
There are many ways people can do their aqiqah from having it done live in front of your eyes or have someone do it on your behalf, have goats/sheeps from Indonesia/Cambodia/Myanmar or Australia and whether to have an actual ceremony or not.
Nowadays, everything can be done online so majority of parents have the easiest way to book. There are a few companies that you can book online and I've chose Aqiqah Singapore. To ensure everything was done properly, they provide photos, videos and an e-certificate for authentication. Note that Australia does not allow photo and video taking and meat will be flown to Singapore to your doorstep or to the needy in Singapore.
Anyways, for girls, we are encouraged to sacrifice 1 goat/sheep and for boys, 2. If parents could not afford 2 for their son, 1 is enough and if they choose to sacrifice 1 more in the future, it is also allowed.
For reverts, it is not necessary to perform aqiqah but allowed if wanted to. That is why, I also booked aqiqah for Jhon together with his daughter. Aqiqah Singapore's response was very quick and I managed to confirm everything within 2 days.
I received the photos by Dropbox first but I only looked at the first and last few photos and quickly glanced the others because I don't have the heart to see gore photos of the goats/sheeps. In Islam, we can't pity their sacrifice for us and Allah. If we do, we are advised not to eat.
The feelings Jhon and I had were mixed.
Initially, it was admiration of the animals because they look so cute, sadness knowing that they were sacrificing their lives, happiness to see the children benefiting from the meat and lastly spiritual fulfillment knowing that we are doing this for the sake of Allah.
Jhon got to feed more orphans because he sacrificed 2 goats.
Weeks later, they uploaded e-certificate with attached photos. Jakun aku sekejap.
It's good that there are certificates now. Mak didn't remember if we had been aqiqah or not and just in case I forgot, nah, got proof. haha
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