Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 3 – Issues Related to Funeral Prayer, p. 127Question
For how many days is it permissible to prepare and send food to the family of the deceased? Commonly, three days is practiced. Please give a detailed answer in the light of the Qurʾān, Sunnah, and the reports from the pious predecessors.
(Muhammad Ramaḍān Salafī, ʿĀrif Wala)
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd:
Prophetic Hadith
ʿAbdullāh ibn Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنهما narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
"اصْنَعُوا لِآلِ جَعْفَرٍ طَعَامًا فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ أَتَاهُمْ أَمْرٌ شَغَلَهُمْ"
“Prepare food for the family of Jaʿfar, for something has happened to them which has preoccupied them.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 3132 – Ḥasan chain; also authenticated by al-Tirmidhī: 998, al-Ḥākim 1/372, and al-Dhahabī)
From this Hadith, it is understood that relatives, friends, and well-wishers should prepare and send food to the bereaved family during their time of grief. It is best for this food to be simple and of ordinary standard, without extravagance or show.
Duration of Mourning and Grief
The period of mourning for a deceased is generally three days, as proven by the following:
In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (1279) and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (938, after 1491):
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ gave the family of Jaʿfar three days and nights of respite. After that, he came to them and said:
"لاَ تَبْكُوا عَلَى أَخِي بَعْدَ اليَوْمِ"
“Do not weep over my brother after today, i.e., do not observe mourning for him.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 192 – Ṣaḥīḥ chain; authenticated by al-Nawawī according to the conditions of al-Bukhārī and Muslim; Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn: 1642)
Permissible Duration
From the two Aḥādīth above, it becomes clear that preparing and sending food to the family of the deceased is permissible and correct for up to three days and nights.
Important Note
Among later Ḥanafī scholars, Ṭaḥāwī issued a fatwa allowing only one day and night of sending food, but his reasoning is not clearly established.
For further research, see:
Shaykh Faḍl al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammadī, "Janāzah ke Masāʾil", p. 183
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
