Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said, in what he quoted from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:.
His saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 1913Sahih (Darussalam): It is possible that the wedding feast (walimah) referred to here is the wedding feast of a marriage, and it is possible that it is more general, and that the wedding feast refers to everything to which people are invited to gather, whether a marriage or otherwise. Allah willing, this will be clarified in the rulings.
And his saying:Sunan Ibn Majah 1913Sahih (Darussalam) That is, the rich are invited to it, and the rich person does not strive to attend when invited, because he is self-sufficient with his wealth. And the poor are kept away from it, and the poor person, when invited, responds. So this wedding feast is not a feast that brings one closer to Allah, because those who are more deserving of it, namely the poor, are not invited to it; rather, the rich are invited to it.
As for the wedding feast in itself, and especially the wedding feast of a marriage, it is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf:: So he commanded him to hold a wedding feast. He said: , meaning even with a small amount. A sheep is a small amount relative to 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him), because he was among the rich.
And his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 1913Sahih (Darussalam): This indicates that responding to the invitation to a wedding feast is obligatory, because nothing is a sin to leave unless it is obligatory. However, there are conditions for this:
The first condition: that the inviter be a Muslim. If he is not a Muslim, responding is not obligatory, but it is permissible to respond, especially if there is a benefit in it. That is, if a disbeliever invites you to his wedding feast, there is nothing wrong with responding, especially if there is a benefit in it, such as inclining him toward Islam. And it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):: meaning old, changed bread.
As for justice: meaning the condition that the inviter be just is not a condition. It is permissible to respond to the invitation of an open sinner (fasiq) if a person who prays little with the congregation, or who shaves his beard, or who smokes, invites you. Respond to him just as you would respond to one who is free from that.
But if not responding leads to a benefit, such that this inviter is embarrassed and leaves the sin he was accustomed to because people do not respond to his invitation, then his invitation is not obligatory, the invitation is not obligatory, for the sake of his benefit. But if he does not benefit whether you respond or not, then respond to the invitation because he is a Muslim.
It is also a condition for the obligation of responding to the invitation: that his wealth be lawful (halal). If his wealth is forbidden (haram), like one who earns wealth through usury or interest (riba), then it is not obligatory to respond to him, because his wealth is forbidden. And for one whose wealth is forbidden, a person should be scrupulous about eating from his wealth, but it is not forbidden. That is, it is not forbidden for you to eat from the wealth of one who earned it through forbidden means, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ate from the food of the Jews, and they were eating usury, taking usury and dealing in it. But scrupulousness is not to eat from one whose wealth is forbidden.
As for if there is some forbidden in his wealth, meaning his wealth is mixed, he trades in lawful trade and earns forbidden earnings, then there is nothing wrong with responding to him, and you should not be scrupulous about his wealth, because many people today are not free from having some forbidden in their wealth. Some people cheat and earn through forbidden means, some engage in usury in some things, and some are employees. Many employees do not fulfill the duty of their job; you find them late for work, or leaving before the end of work hours. This is not a lawful salary, as long as he is late for the time he is required to be present, or leaves early before the end, then he is eating from the forbidden to the extent of what he deducted from his job duties, because he is bound by the contract with the government, for example, to perform his job from such a time to such a time. So if you investigated people today, you would find that many of them have some taint of the forbidden in their wealth.
The third condition: that there be no evil (munkar) in the invitation. If there is evil in the invitation, then responding is not obligatory. For example, if you know that they will bring singers, or that they have shisha that the attendees smoke, or that they have smokers, then it is not obligatory unless you are able to change this evil. In that case, it is obligatory for you to attend for two reasons:
The first reason: removing the evil.
And the second reason: responding to the invitation.
As for if you will attend but you are not able to change the evil, then your attendance is forbidden.
The fourth condition: that he specify you. And the meaning of specifying you is that he says: “O so-and-so, attend, I invite you to attend the wedding feast.”
If he does not specify you by making a general invitation in a gathering, saying: “O people, you see we have a wedding celebration, a wedding feast, attend,” then it is not obligatory for you to attend, because he made a general invitation and did not specify you. So he must specify you. If he does not specify you, then it is not obligatory. Then it is recommended for a person to respond to every invitation, because it is the right of a Muslim over his brother that he respond to his invitation, except if there is a stronger benefit in not responding, then let him follow the benefit. And Allah grants success.
The student: Shaykh, is changing the evil by action, or is it sufficient with the tongue?
The Shaykh : No, he must change it, meaning in the sense that you say: “Stop this action,” and they stop. As for merely saying: “Stop the action,” and they continue, that is not sufficient. Do not attend.
The reader: The author (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted: “From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:Sahih Muslim 1432d, Muslim narrated it.”
And in a narration in the two Sahihs, from Abu Hurayrah, in his own words:Sunan al-Bayhaqi 10:1836 “.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said, in what he quoted from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The worst food is the food of the wedding feast, to which those who refuse it are invited, and from which those who come to it are kept away, and whoever does not respond to the invitation has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.
شر الطعام طعام الوليمة، يُدعى إليها من يأباها، ويُومنعها من يأتيها، ومن لم يجب الدعوة فقد عصى الله ورسولهHis saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
The worst of food is food of a wedding feast
شر الطعام طعام الوليمةAnd his saying:
The worst of food is food of a wedding feast
شر الطعام طعام الوليمةAs for the wedding feast in itself, and especially the wedding feast of a marriage, it is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf:
Hold a feast, even if it is only with a sheep
أولم ولو بشاةeven if it is only a sheep
ولو بشاةAnd his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever does not accept an invitation has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.
ومن لم يجب فقد عصى الله ورسولهThe first condition: that the inviter be a Muslim. If he is not a Muslim, responding is not obligatory, but it is permissible to respond, especially if there is a benefit in it. That is, if a disbeliever invites you to his wedding feast, there is nothing wrong with responding, especially if there is a benefit in it, such as inclining him toward Islam. And it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
That a Jew invited him in Madinah, so he responded, and he prepared for him bread of barley and a thick, foul-smelling porridge.
أن يهودياً دعاه في المدينة، فأجابه، وجعل له خُبزاً من الشعير، وإهالة سَنِخةAs for justice: meaning the condition that the inviter be just is not a condition. It is permissible to respond to the invitation of an open sinner (fasiq) if a person who prays little with the congregation, or who shaves his beard, or who smokes, invites you. Respond to him just as you would respond to one who is free from that.
But if not responding leads to a benefit, such that this inviter is embarrassed and leaves the sin he was accustomed to because people do not respond to his invitation, then his invitation is not obligatory, the invitation is not obligatory, for the sake of his benefit. But if he does not benefit whether you respond or not, then respond to the invitation because he is a Muslim.
It is also a condition for the obligation of responding to the invitation: that his wealth be lawful (halal). If his wealth is forbidden (haram), like one who earns wealth through usury or interest (riba), then it is not obligatory to respond to him, because his wealth is forbidden. And for one whose wealth is forbidden, a person should be scrupulous about eating from his wealth, but it is not forbidden. That is, it is not forbidden for you to eat from the wealth of one who earned it through forbidden means, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ate from the food of the Jews, and they were eating usury, taking usury and dealing in it. But scrupulousness is not to eat from one whose wealth is forbidden.
As for if there is some forbidden in his wealth, meaning his wealth is mixed, he trades in lawful trade and earns forbidden earnings, then there is nothing wrong with responding to him, and you should not be scrupulous about his wealth, because many people today are not free from having some forbidden in their wealth. Some people cheat and earn through forbidden means, some engage in usury in some things, and some are employees. Many employees do not fulfill the duty of their job; you find them late for work, or leaving before the end of work hours. This is not a lawful salary, as long as he is late for the time he is required to be present, or leaves early before the end, then he is eating from the forbidden to the extent of what he deducted from his job duties, because he is bound by the contract with the government, for example, to perform his job from such a time to such a time. So if you investigated people today, you would find that many of them have some taint of the forbidden in their wealth.
The third condition: that there be no evil (munkar) in the invitation. If there is evil in the invitation, then responding is not obligatory. For example, if you know that they will bring singers, or that they have shisha that the attendees smoke, or that they have smokers, then it is not obligatory unless you are able to change this evil. In that case, it is obligatory for you to attend for two reasons:
The first reason: removing the evil.
And the second reason: responding to the invitation.
As for if you will attend but you are not able to change the evil, then your attendance is forbidden.
The fourth condition: that he specify you. And the meaning of specifying you is that he says: “O so-and-so, attend, I invite you to attend the wedding feast.”
If he does not specify you by making a general invitation in a gathering, saying: “O people, you see we have a wedding celebration, a wedding feast, attend,” then it is not obligatory for you to attend, because he made a general invitation and did not specify you. So he must specify you. If he does not specify you, then it is not obligatory. Then it is recommended for a person to respond to every invitation, because it is the right of a Muslim over his brother that he respond to his invitation, except if there is a stronger benefit in not responding, then let him follow the benefit. And Allah grants success.
The student: Shaykh, is changing the evil by action, or is it sufficient with the tongue?
The Shaykh : No, he must change it, meaning in the sense that you say: “Stop this action,” and they stop. As for merely saying: “Stop the action,” and they continue, that is not sufficient. Do not attend.
The reader: The author (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted: “From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:
The worst kind of food is at the wedding feast from which one who comes is turned away, and he who refuses it is invited, and he who did not accept the invitation disobeyed Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ).
شر الطعام طعام الوليمة، يُمنعها من يأتيها ويُدعى إليها من يأباها، ومن لم يجب الدعوة فقد عصى الله ورسولهAnd in a narration in the two Sahihs, from Abu Hurayrah, in his own words: