Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalam-O-Alikum,

Sir,

Please advice in the light of Quran and Sunnah’ that Nikkah dinner or any kind of refreshment from bridal side to groom side is allowed. If bridal side is offering this with their own will, and is not obligatory from groom side to offer any kind of refreshment to the invitees at Nikkah. This question is because I am getting marriage in a near future and I myself planned to ask the bridal sides that do not serve us any refreshment at Nikkah Ceremony. But we will serve a dinner at valima ceremony to all invitees.

Also tell me is their any differences of opinion among several Ullmah or Fiqah? And if there is a difference then what is that? And from which point of view you are advising me the answer to my question?

Kindly give me the answer in detail.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Food from bride side walima

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Islam has made the concept of marriage a very simple and joyous affair in the lives of the believers; but unfortunately we have today made this whole affair complicated with our self-invented and socially borrowed customs and rituals.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.395         Narrated by Anas

The Prophet (saws) seeing a yellow mark (of perfume) on the clothes of 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf, said, "What about you?" 'Abdur-Rahman replied, "I have married a woman with a Mahr of gold equal to a date-stone."  The Prophet (saws) said, "May Allah bestow His Blessing on you (in your marriage). Give a wedding banquet, (Walima) even with one sheep."

The Way or Sunnah of the Prophet (saws) was that after the Nikaah, he urged the believers to celebrate the joyous occasion of marriage with a marriage feast or ‘Walima’.  Other than the ‘walima’ feast given by the groom after the marriage to announce his marriage to society, which is a preferred Sunnah and not obligatory, there are absolutely no rites, rituals, or feasts which are required or encouraged in Islam.  It is also a part of Islamic culture and in alignment of the guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws) that all, and I repeat, all the expenses related to the marriage be born by the groom, and the bride or her family should not be burdened with any expense whatsoever.

If the bride’s family, of their own free will and without an iota of coercion or social pressure, wish to give refreshments to the people visiting their home during their daughter’s marriage, there is absolutely no harm.

There is absolutely no difference of opinion amongst the scholars of Fiqh in Islam regarding these rulings concerning the financial burden of the marriage being on the groom, or the offering of the ‘walima’ feast after the marriage.  All the scholars of all the schools of thought are absolutely unanimous in their rulings on this subject.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan