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Q&A · Death & Afterlife

Is it a Sunnah to hold a gathering and serve food on the third, seventh, or fortieth day after a death?

The Sunnah is in fact the reverse: when news came of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib's death, the Prophet ﷺ said, "Prepare food for the family of Ja'far, for something has come upon them that occupies them" (Sunan Abu Dawud 3132; Jami at-Tirmidhi 998, graded hasan) — so the neighbours and relatives feed the bereaved, not the bereaved the guests. Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali said, "We used to consider gathering with the family of the deceased and preparing food after the burial to be a form of wailing" (Sunan Ibn Majah 1612; scholars differ over its chain, but all four Sunni schools treat such gatherings as disliked). Offering condolences, making du'a and giving charity for the deceased are good at any time and without limit, but fixing the third, seventh, or fortieth day — or a yearly anniversary meal — as a rite has no basis in the Book or the Sunnah, and the scholars treated it as a blameworthy innovation.

Informational, not a personal fatwa. Consult a qualified scholar for rulings on your situation.

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