| Answer: If we collect and analyze all the Ahādīth on this subject, the
picture which emerges is:
1. In Arabic, the word Walīmah means a feast or a banquet. Using it
specifically for a post-wedding banquet is a later practice. It is not by any
means part of the Islamic Sharī‘ah. It is basically a cultural function that
depends on the customs and traditions of a society.
2. The Ahādīth which urge Muslims to call the poor to such banquets
consequently do not just pertain to the post-wedding functions of today, but to
all banquets.
3. The words poor and the needy in these Ahādīth particularly refer to the
poor who are known to the bridegroom – eg if there are some among his relatives
or friends; similarly his servants at his house or office. Of course, these
Ahādīth do not mean that it is required to go out and hunt for them. |