First, these hadiths are numerous, having been narrated by ‘Ā’ishah, ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Amr, Umm Kurz al-Ka‘biyyah, and Asmā’.

Abū Dāwūd (1) narrated from Umm Kurz that she heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: “For a boy, two matched sheep; for a girl, one sheep.”

Abū Dāwūd said: I heard Ahmad say that “matched” means equal or nearly equal. I say: The word is pronounced mukāfa’atān, with an a on the letter fā’, or mukāfi’atān, with an i on it. Hadith scholars prefer the former. Al-Zamakhsharī (2) said: There is no difference between the two readings, because whoever you match also matches you.

He also narrated from her that she heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: “Leave birds undisturbed in their places.” She also heard him say: “For a boy, two sheep; for a girl, one sheep. It does not matter whether they are male or female” (3).

She also narrated, attributing it to the Prophet: “For a boy, two alike sheep; for a girl, one sheep” (4). Al-Tirmidhī said: This is a good and authentic hadith.

The hadith of ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb, from his father, from his grandfather, concerning this has already been cited.

‘Ā’ishah narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, instructed them to offer two matched sheep for a boy and one sheep for a girl. Al-Tirmidhī said: This is a good and authentic hadith (5).