Consoling the family of the deceased is an act of worship, not a custom
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The issue of condolence and gathering for it: Some people, if we speak to them about this, say: We do this and we do not intend to worship with it, but rather we intend it as a custom. How do we respond to them?
The answer to this is: Consoling the bereaved is a recommended practice (sunnah) and it is an act of worship. If the act of worship is formulated in a manner that was not known in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), it becomes a religious innovation (bid'ah). For this reason, the reward was mentioned for the virtue of one who consoles the bereaved, and reward is only for acts of worship.
The answer to this is: Consoling the bereaved is a recommended practice (sunnah) and it is an act of worship. If the act of worship is formulated in a manner that was not known in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), it becomes a religious innovation (bid'ah). For this reason, the reward was mentioned for the virtue of one who consoles the bereaved, and reward is only for acts of worship.