Ruling on holding a walimah (wedding feast) in which the condolence visitors gather

Question:
What is the ruling on the custom of some people to slaughter camels and sheep, and to hold a walimah (wedding feast) upon the death of a deceased person, in which the condolence visitors and others gather, and in which the Qur'an is recited?

Answer:
This is all a bid'ah (religious innovation); the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did not do it. It is established from Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali, the famous Companion (may Allah be pleased with him) , that he said: "We used to consider gathering at the house of the deceased and preparing food for them after his burial to be a form of wailing (niyahah)." Imam Ahmad and Ibn Majah narrated it with a valid chain.
What is prescribed (mashru') is to prepare food for the family of the deceased and send it to them, whether from their relatives, neighbors, or others; because they are preoccupied with the calamity and unable to prepare food for themselves. This is based on the authentic hadith from Abdullah ibn Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with them both) who said: "When the news of the death of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah narrated it with a valid chain.
This practice, in addition to being a bid'ah (religious innovation), also burdens the family of the deceased and tires them out amidst their calamity, and wastes their wealth in something that is not a right. May Allah help us.