Fathwa, - 'Aqeeqah meat may be kept and served later

Question
As salaam o alaikom. Thanks for answering myprevious question. I am
presently pregnant Alhamdulillah and would like to do the aqiqah of my
child on the seventhth day Insha allah. Can the meat be preserved and
used for giving a feast after a couple of weeks, as I will not be able
to attend to guest due to ill health? It is a practice in our family
to give gifts to newborn irrespective of the fact that the aqeeqah is
performed or not. So they inquire if aqeeqah will be done or not. If
done they bring gifts along with them in the invitation and if not
done they come and giveanyday. So I will not be able to stop them
bringing gifts. Can the gifts be accepted for the fact that it is
given out of love and not as an exchange of aqeeqahs invitation?
Please answeras soon as possible as there is only a month left for my
delivery. Jazak Allah Khair.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
isHis slave and Messenger.
It is permissible, Allaah willing, to slaughter an 'Aqeeqah on the
seventh day after the birth of the child and serve it at a Waleemah
(banquet) on another day; the matter in this regard is flexible. It
should be noted that it is permissible to distribute the 'Aqeeqah as
meat, and it is also permissible to cook the meat and invite the
people to it. Ibn Qudaamah said: " If one cooks it [the 'Aqeeqah] and
calls his (Muslim) brothers to it, then this is good. "
On the other hand, it is permissible for you to accept the gifts on
the occasion of the birth of the newborn whether or not the 'Aqeeqah
is held, as the teachings of Islam urged people to accept gifts and to
recompense for them. Abu Hurayrah said the Prophet said: " Exchange
gifts, as this removes the spite from your hearts towardsone another;
and a Muslim woman should not look down upon the gift sent by her
she-neighbor even if it were the trotters of the sheep ."
[At-Tirmithi]
Allaah Knows best.

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