Male or Female for qurban?

Male or female sacrifices are an annual topic of discussion that Muslims always talk about. Because every Muslim certainly endeavors to provide sacrificial animals as well as possible, as far as possible and of course most importantly.
Before discussing further about male or female sacrificial animals, we need to know the rationale for making sacrifice and the law of sacrifice.
The arguments that provide for the sacrifice
The basis for sacrificial worship can be read in QS. Al-Kautsar verse 2 as follows:
 
Meaning: "So pray for your Lord, and sacrifice (as worship to get closer to Allah)."
While the argument based on the Prophet's hadith, namely the hadith of Imam Bukhari's history from Anas bin Malik, is as follows:
Meaning: "Prophet SAW. sacrifice with two fat and horned goats. I saw the Prophet. put both feet on the shoulders of the goat, then the Prophet. read basmalah, takbir and slaughter with his own hands. "
In addition, there is also a hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Majah from Abu Hurairah, the Prophet. say;
Meaning: "Whoever gets space but does not sacrifice, then he should not approach our place of prayer."
Those were the arguments that emphasized the sacrifice. There is still one discussion before getting into what animal sacrifices are the main, male or female sacrifices. Namely regarding the law of sacrifice.
Sacrifice Law
The law of sacrifice on Eid al-Adha is the sunnah muakkad. However, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) never left this worship, even since it was prescribed until he died. So it can be said that this sacrifice is mandatory for the Prophet Muhammad. This is based on one of his sayings narrated by at-Tirmidhi;
 
Meaning: "I was ordered (obliged) to sacrifice, and that is a sunnah for you" (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi).
The legal provisions of the sunnah muakkad were pinned by Imam Malik and Imam Shafi'i. Meanwhile, Imam Abu Hanifah said that for people who are able and not traveling, the law is obligatory.
In the Imam Syafii school of thought, the sunnah muakkad here is kifayah. So if one family already sacrifices with enough animals for seven people, such as cows, buffaloes and camels. So, other family members no longer have the pressure to sacrifice. This Sunnah is also imposed on people who are mature, intelligent and capable.
Muhammad al-Khathib asy-Syarbini, in al-Iqna 'fi halli Alfazhi Abi ash-Syuja' said that the law of sacrifice is the sunnah muakkad which is kifayah if there are many in one family, so if one of them has done it it is sufficient to everything, if not then it becomes Sunnah others. While mukhatab (people who are subject to khitab / burden of worship) are Muslims who are free, mature, intelligent and capable.
After knowing the original law of sacrifice, namely the sunnah muakkad, we now enter into the criteria for sacrificial animals.
Criteria for Sacrificial Animals
To find out which is greater, male or female sacrifice. We must read about the good criteria for sacrificial animals.

1. These animals are livestock. So what will be used for sacrifices is livestock such as camels, goats, sheep, cows, or buffalo.
2. Farm animals have met the age requirements. The provisions for each type of livestock that may be sacrificed are different. For goats or sheep, it is an animal that is one year old, cow or buffalo is two years old, and for camels it is five years old.
3. The animal to be sacrificed has undergone replacement of the front and lower incisors. Usually, the character of baby teeth is small and pointed, while the permanent teeth from the replacement are large and flat.
4. Sacrificial animals must be in a healthy condition and show no signs of illness such as lack of appetite, fever, scabies, excreta (waste) from the nostrils, dull and standing hair, sunken and dirty eyes, diarrhea, and weakness. This shows that the meat that will be spread during the sacrifice day is the meat of the highest quality.
5. The animal is not thin and deformed (lame, blind, no earlobe). The perfection of the sacrificial animals also became a calculation. Even if they have such livestock, they can be slaughtered independently, not for sacrifice.

Male or female sacrifices, which is more important?
Explicitly, it turns out that there is no text, either the Koran or a hadith, which discusses the virtues of male or female sacrificial animals. However, the scholars confirmed the issue of the sex of the sacrificial animals with the animals intended for aqiqah.
In Al-Majmū 'Syarḥ al-Muhadzzab, Imam An-Nawawi has also explained this. According to him, the sex of the sacrificial animals is analogous to the hadith which explains the ability to use both male and female animals for aqiqah.
Meaning: "And it is permissible to sacrifice with both male and female animals. As referring to a hadith narrated by Umm Kuraz from the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam, that he once said "(aqiqah) for boys are two goats and for women one goat. Either male or female, it doesn't matter. "
According to Imam Nawawi, the type of male or female animal is not a problem, so it is the same with the sacrifice. There are no problems and nothing more important.
 
Meaning: "If in terms of aqiqah alone it is allowed on the basis of the hadith, then this shows the ability to use both male and female animals in sacrifices. Because male meat is more delicious than female meat, and female meat is more moist. " (See: An-Nawawi, al-Majmū 'Syarḥ Muhazzab, Beirut, Dār al-Fikr, j. 8, p. 392)
This is the answer which is more important between male or female sacrifice. Nothing is more important. The most important thing is to meet the criteria as stated earlier.
Tips for Choosing a Sacrificial Animal
To perform a sacrifice, one must choose between raising livestock by themselves or buying from a market or animal sacrificial outlet. Of course, criteria such as adequate age, have experienced a change of teeth, no disease (such as lack of appetite, fever, scabies, excreta (waste) from the nostrils, dull and standing hair, sunken and dirty eyes, diarrhea, and weakness ), and not experiencing any disabilities.
As additional information when choosing sacrificial animals, because healthy sacrificial animals have wet nostrils (not due to flu), clean and shiny fur, normal breath and heart rate, normal appetite, clean drinking holes and pink in color. Allah knows best