❖ Attending a Walimah Invitation is Wājib (Obligatory)
Written by: ʿImrān Ayyūb Lāhorī
❖ Prophetic Command to Attend Walimah
It is narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
"إذا دعى أحدكم إلى الوليمة فلياتها"
“When one of you is invited to a Walimah, let him attend it.”
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5173 — Kitāb al-Nikāḥ, Bāb: The Right of Accepting a Walimah Invitation
This command indicates that attending a Walimah invitation is wājib (obligatory).❖ Eating is Not Compulsory
Although attendance is obligatory, eating the food is not. As the Prophet ﷺ said:
"فإن شاء طعم وإن شاء ترك"
“If he wishes, he may eat, and if he wishes, he may leave it.”
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1430 Abū Dāwūd: 3740 Ibn Mājah: 1751 Aḥmad: 3/392 Mushkil al-Āthār: 4/148 Ibn Ḥibbān: 5303❖ Exception: Invitations Involving Sinful Practices
However, if the invitation involves unlawful practices (munkarāt) such as:
- Music and singing,
- Immodesty and free mixing,
- Open violation of Sharīʿah,
and one does not have the ability to prevent or correct them, then abstaining is better.
The Prophet ﷺ forbade sitting at such gatherings, saying:
Prohibition applies to banquets where alcohol is served.
Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 7275 — Kitāb al-Adab, Bāb: Entering Bathhouses Aḥmad: 14124 Al-Dārimī: 2000❖ General Principle
All other sinful gatherings should be analogically included under this ruling.
Al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 2/33وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
And Allāh knows best what is correct.
