Ruling on gathering, eating, and drinking in the house of the deceased's relatives

Question: There are customs in Yemen that some people practice after the death of one of their relatives. They are compelled to borrow money for the celebrations, food, and drink, and the like, even if the deceased was poor and left nothing behind. What is the ruling on this? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer: It is not permissible to hold celebrations upon the death of any person. The family of the deceased has no right to hold a celebration, slaughter animals, or prepare food for people. All of this is from religious innovations and the practices of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. It is obligatory to abandon it.
It is established from Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "We used to consider gathering with the family of the deceased and preparing food after the death to be part of the wailing." Imam Ahmad narrated it with a valid chain. So what is prescribed for Muslims when a Muslim dies is to ask Allah for his forgiveness and mercy, and to abandon these pre-Islamic age of ignorance celebrations. However, it is prescribed for their neighbors and relatives to prepare food for them, because they are occupied with the calamity, as established in the hadith of Abdullah ibn Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with them both) that 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) after he was killed in the Battle of Mu'tah in the land of Sham, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered his family to prepare food for the family of Ja'far. He said: . As for the family of the deceased, they have no right to prepare food for people, as mentioned above. However, if they prepare it for themselves or for guests who stay with them, there is nothing wrong with it.