What is the ruling on slaughtering a cow as a birth sacrifice of many children?

Answer

Praise Be to Allah and Peace Be Upon His Messenger.

The majority of scholars who belong to the Hanafi and Shafi’i schools and some Maliki scholars decide that the birth sacrifice could be a cow or a camel as well as a sheep. (Al-Majmoo’: 8/447, Tuhfat Al-Muhtaj fi Sharh Al-Minhaj and the footnotes of Al-Sharnawi: 8/167, Al-Badai: 5/72, Hashiyat Ibn ‘Abdeen: 5/213, The Great Explanation of Hashiyat Al-Desouki: 2/126). Thus, if the birth sacrifice which will be slaughtered is a cow or a camel, it can be a sufficient birth sacrifice for seven family members; this is compared to the Udhiyah (Eid Sacrifice). It is then allowed for you to slaughter a cow as a birth sacrifice for all of your children.