Hosting A Walimah

29 Jan 2026 · 10 Shaʻban 1447 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

Can I host a Walimah by feeding an orphanage, or should I prioritize feeding my relatives instead? Please advise on the Sunnah etiquettes of hosting a Walimah?

Answer

Fuqaha (Jurists) state that it is preferable to invite the relatives, neighbours, friends and the pious. Furthermore, one should also invite the poor, as the worst Walimah is that Walimah where the rich are invited and the poor are left out.

Moreover, when hosting a Walimah, one should not be extravagant and one should spend within one’s means. It is also of utmost importance that there should be no intermingling of sexes.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

” عن أبي هريرة رضى الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: شر الطعام طعام الوليمة يدعى لها الأغنياء ويترك الفقراء “(مشكوة ص: ۲۷۸)

ووليمة العرس سنة وفيها مثوبة عظيمة وهي إذا بنى الرجل بامرأته ينبغي أن يدعو الجيران والأقرباء والأصدقاء ويذبح لهم ويصنع لهم طعاماً . (الفتاوى الهندية: ٣٤٣/٥)

Answered by: Mufti Abdul Kader Fazlani
Checked & approved by: Mufti Yacoob Vally Saheb

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Source: Darul Ifta Ibn Masood — https://fataawa.co.za/hosting-a-walimah/
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/ibnmasood-41303

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