All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

Al-'Atīrah refers to a sacrifice slaughtered during the first ten days of Rajab, and it is also called "Al-Rajabiyyah." It is a recommended act (mandūb) according to the school of the esteemed Shāfi'ī scholars, as it is among acts through which one seeks nearness to Allah the Almighty, by distributing its meat to the needy. The great scholar Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy on him, stated: "The reliable position in our school, consistent with the authentic ḥadīths as clarified in Al-Majmūʿ... is that Al-'Atīrah—which is what is slaughtered during the first ten days of Rajab—and Al-Faraʿ—which is the first offspring of a livestock animal, slaughtered hoping for its blessing and the increase of its progeny—are both recommended acts; because the purpose behind them is nothing other than seeking nearness to Allah by giving its meat in charity to the needy. Thus, they do not carry the rulings of Udhiyah (Eid sacrifice), as is apparent." [Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj fī Sharḥ al-Minhāj Vol.9/P.377]

As for the ḥadīth reported in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī from Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "There is no Faraʿ and no 'Atīrah," it refers to what they (Polytheists) used to slaughter during the pre-Islamic period of ignorance (Jāhiliyyah) for idols as an act of worship and seeking nearness. However, if the slaughter is for Allah the Almighty, it is permissible, as inferred by Imām al-Shāfiʿī to reconcile between this ḥadīth and the ḥadīth in Sunan Abī Dāwūd, where the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked about Al-Faraʿ, and he said: "Al-Faraʿ is a right."

Furthermore, what supports its recommendation is what was reported by Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasā'ī, and Ibn Mājah from Nubayshah, who said: A man called out to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saying: "We used to perform 'Atīrah during the Jāhiliyyah in Rajab, so what do you command us?" He replied: "Slaughter for Allah in any month, fulfill your duty to Allah the Almighty, and feed." The man said: "We used to perform Faraʿ in the Jāhiliyyah, so what do you command us?" He replied: "For every grazing animal, there is a Faraʿ; until it becomes strong enough to carry a load, you slaughter it and give its meat in charity, for that is better."

The great scholar Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "Neither Faraʿ—which is slaughtering the first offspring of a livestock animal—nor 'Atīrah—which is designating the first ten days of Rajab for slaughter—is disliked due to the ḥadīth in al-Bukhārī: 'There is no Faraʿ and no 'Atīrah.' The author's interpretation of them as he stated is based on what the Jāhiliyyah used to do. Otherwise, in origin, Faraʿ was the first offspring of a livestock animal they used to slaughter without claiming ownership, hoping for blessing in the mother and an increase in her progeny, and 'Atīrah was a sacrifice they used to slaughter in the first ten days of Rajab and also called it Al-Rajabiyyah. Then he said: The prohibition refers to what they used to do by slaughtering for their idols, or the intended meaning is a negation of obligation, or that they are not like Udhiyah in recommendation or in the reward of shedding blood. However, distributing the meat to the poor is charity. Imām al-Shāfiʿī explicitly stated in the Sunan of Ḥarmalah that if one is able to do that every month, it would be good." [Asnā al-Maṭālib Vol.1/P.550]

Therefore, Al-'Atīrah is a sacrifice slaughtered during the first ten days of Rajab, and it is recommended according to the school of the esteemed Shāfi'ī scholars, as it is among acts through which one seeks nearness to Allah the Almighty. And Allah the Almighty knows best.