Advanced search
Visit
10216
Last Updated: 2013/05/15
Summary of question
Is this fine to help or give money to needy people instead of giving a walima (feast), if a couple is going to marry?
question
Is it not better for a would-be couple to help the needy with the money which they intend to spend on giving a feast in a wedding ceremony?
Concise answer
The religion of Islam being perfect addresses all aspects of human life. It has prescriptions and codes of practice for Muslims to help them live a balanced and objective life. Hence, one must not go to extremes acting upon one injunction and putting others into oblivion. In this respect, there is no doubt in the fact that being charitable, doing charitable work and helping others are highly recommended in Islam. God, the Exalted, gives rewards to all those who engage in charitable activities but giving a feast on a wedding day – if it is not wasteful and  lavish – is good and Islam views it as a positive action.
In this regard, the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) says:
«إِنَّ مِنْ سُنَنِ الْمُرْسَلِینَ‏ الْإِطْعَامَ‏ عِنْدَ التَّزْوِیج»[1]
It is among the traditions of prophets to give a walima (feast) on their marriage.
It should be noted, however, that what was considered to be a common practice in the early period of Islam was to give only one kind of food – such as broth – which was not very costly as it was not accompanied with sundries. For this reason, apart from exceptional cases, it is not advised at all to put this good practice into complete oblivion. In fact, one can be frugal by spending economically during a wedding and he can spend what he has economized (the money in excess of the expenses) to give to the needy. Thus he can practice both of the good deeds that have been prescribed and recommended by Islam.
 

[1] Kulayni, Muhammad bin Ya’qub, Al-Kafi, vol.5, p. 367, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyah, Tehran, 1407 A.H.
Question translations in other languages
Comments
Number of comments 0
Please enter the value
Example : Yourname@YourDomane.ext
Please enter the value
Please enter the value

Thematic Category

Random questions

  • Is it true that some Muslim Gnostics can fly or levitate?
    12266 Practical 2007/02/08
    That which you have mentioned is an effect and result of Man’s spiritual strength, sometimes this may come about by acting in accordance with religious laws and legitimate ascetic discipline. This means that; by moving closer to Allah, Man can possess the greatest name ...
  • What are the distinct criteria through which we can distinguish a lafdhi mutawatir report from an ijmali or ma\'anawi one?
    9619 Contextual study 2014/09/28
    Mutawatir literally means for things to come one after another, without any interval between them and in hadithic terms, refers to a hadith that has been narrated by a group of narrators that one can be definite haven’t all agreed on forging and lying about altogether. Any ...
  • What are the features and privileges of Behar al-Anwar?
    6998 Contextual study 2015/05/03
    Behar al-Anwa being a huge hadith collection is the most important work by Allamah Muhammad Baqir Majlisi. It is a big encyclopedia of Shiite traditions encompassing all religious issues and themes including exegesis of the Quran, history, jurisprudence, theology etc. Some of the most important features of ...
  • Please explain the principles of Sheikh Toosi's political thought.
    8594 Laws and Jurisprudence 2010/12/21
     With the emergence of every era new needs and questions are generated which cause scientists and scholars to think and contemplate and strive to find appropriate answers to, and Sheikh Toosi is one the great scholars who has carried such a burden. The fundamentals of ...
  • Are there any women who reached the rank of ijtihad in religious seminaries?
    9574 تاريخ بزرگان 2007/11/04
    A worthy interaction of Islam with science, and requiring that from every Muslim man and woman, has resulted in women always studying the sciences in Islamic communities and finally some of them reached the rank of ijtihad.As an example, lady Mujtahideh Amin who passed away in 1403h. Lady Mujtahideh ...
  • Who were the Ansar?
    9406 تاريخ بزرگان 2010/04/07
    Ansar is the plural form of Naser from the root of Nasr, and means people who help and aid. In the advent of Islam, the residents of Medinah and its outskirts, especially the members of the two tribes of the Aws and Khazraj were called the Ansar, because ...
  • What is the relationship between man’s efforts and the sustenance that has been measured out for him?
    12817 Traditional 2011/08/15
    There are two kinds of sustenance. There is a sustenance that we go after and a sustenance that comes after us. In the traditions, the sustenance that comes after us is called “the sustenance that seeks,” and the sustenance that we seek has been named “the sought ...
  • What is the proof for Prophet Adam and Nuh (pbuh) being buried in Najaf?
    23457 تاريخ بزرگان 2010/07/20
    The main reasoning that proves the burial of Prophet Adam and Nuh (pbuh) in Najaf are the many hadith that disclose this fact. ...
  • Is it permissible to evade government tax in non-Islamic countries?
    7801 Laws and Jurisprudence 2011/01/10
    The answer given by Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani is as follows:1. You must abide by the rules of the country in which you are living except for when the rules may be opposed to Islamic Shari'ah.
  • I wish to know what the seven paradises are. Can you explain them for me?
    47501 Traditional 2012/04/07
    Dar al-Salam (Abode of Peace), Dar al-Jalal (Abode of Glory), Jannatul Mava (Garden of Refuge), Jannatul Khuld (Garden of Eternity), Jannatul Adan (Garden of Eden), Jannatul Firdous (Garden of Paradise) and Jannatul Naeem (Garden of Bliss) (or Delight) are names for the seven paradises which have been ...

Popular