Aqiqah For Little Princess

Last Sunday, our niece, Iffah Irdina had her special moment of kenduri aqiqah and cukur jambul.

Two things that I can't forget about the feast were, the baby princess was shoO cute plus the nasi beriyani & kambing kuzi (Braised Mutton in Tradisional Malay Spices) cooked by Auntie Asmah was so amazing!~

Before the luncheon, they did some form of rituals like Marhaban. Then, the close relatives took their turn to shave the baby princess's head.

After that, the celebrated baby princess was placed in a decorated swing and was lullabied again by the marhaban group of elderly.

Uttermost, we prayed for Princess Iffah Irdina to be a good person, good to her parent & good to her Creator and to get the blessing from Allah.

A bit on Aqiqah which I picked out from the net:

THE LAWS OF AQIQAH
1.The performance of aqiqah is sunnah muakkad (highly encouraged). It is to be performed by the parents or the guardians of the child.

2.Prophet Muhammad and his companions used to perform aqiqah when they were bestowed with a new born.

3.To offer the aqiqah or sacrifice for a newborn child is the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). An aqiqah involves the sacrifice of two animals for a boy and one for a girl, with a portion of the meat to be distributed to the poor and needy. An aqiqah can be offered at any point after a child's birth, but it is recommended to perform it within the first week (and ideally on the seventh day). In addition, it is the recommended Sunnah for parents to give sadaqah of equal value to the weight in silver of their baby's hair (when it is shaved on the seventh day after birth).

THE PURPOSE OF AQIQAH
There are many benefits in the performance of aqiqah and some of them are :

1. Announcing the blessing of Allah with the birth of a baby.
Being bestowed a baby is a great blessing from Allah. It is only with Allah grace that a couple could enjoy the joy of receiving a baby. Thus to show gratitude and joy to Allah for this gift, blessing and great occasion, an animal is slaughtered and the meat shared amongst friends and relatives.

2. Making known the baby's genealogy and her family.
Aqiqah is also an occasion to pronounce the birth that has taken place in a family.This is to inform friends and relatives about the new member in the family and to avoid misunderstanding or gossips that could arise from that birth. It is also to confirm the baby's rights to the family's wealth and name.

3. Promoting acts of benevolent and promoting kindship and friendship by giving meat to family, friends and neighbours.

Gathering families and friends on this joyous occasion would promote better relation, understanding and love. Even the poor is not left out from this festivities as they are also entitled to the food and meat served on this occasion.