Walima: why the groom’s family hosts the wedding feast
What is a walima, and why does the groom’s family host it? The feast after the nikah, the hadith behind it, the warning about who is invited, and how to invite guests.
After the qubool hai, the duas and the rukhsati, there is one more invitation in a Muslim wedding, and this time it comes from the groom’s family. The walima is the feast that celebrates the marriage, and it is not just a custom. Behind it is a short instruction and a sharp warning, both from the Prophet.
What is a walima?
The walima is the wedding feast hosted by the groom after the nikah. In South Asian families it is usually held by the groom’s family, the same day as the rukhsati or a day or two later, and it is often the largest gathering of the whole wedding.
It is not only a rasm, a custom. Most scholars hold that the walima is Sunnah, a practice of the Prophet, and some hold it to be obligatory.
Even with one sheep
When one of his companions, Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf, told the Prophet that he had married, the Prophet told him to give a walima, even if only with one sheep (Sahih al-Bukhari 5167). The point was not the size of the feast. A marriage is meant to be shared and announced, with food and with the people around you.
Give a walima, even with just one sheep. A marriage is meant to be shared.
The warning about who is invited
There is a warning too. The Prophet called the worst food the food of a walima to which the rich are invited and the poor are left out (Sahih al-Bukhari 5177, Sahih Muslim 1432). A walima that only feeds the well-off misses its purpose, however lavish it is.
In that spirit, think beyond the usual guest list when you plan a walima: neighbours, the people who help run your household, and those in need.
Walima ka asli matlab? Sabko bulao. Khushi baanto. Invite everyone. Share the joy.
The walima on your invitation
Traditionally the bride’s parents invite guests to the nikah and the groom’s parents invite them to the walima. If both are on one invitation, say who is hosting the walima in its description, so guests know whose invitation they are accepting. Give it its own date, time, venue and map link, and ask guests to reply for it separately, since the walima is often a larger dinner than the nikah.
Nikah invitation wording and templates
Qubool hai: why it is said three times at a nikah
Everyone you love, on one calm list
Quick answers
- Who hosts the walima? The groom, and in South Asian families usually the groom’s family.
- When is the walima held? After the nikah, often the same day as the rukhsati or a day or two later.
- Is the walima compulsory? Most scholars hold it is Sunnah; some hold it obligatory.
- How big should a walima be? There is no set size. The Prophet said to give one even with a single sheep, and warned against a walima where the poor are left out.
Written by Inviteeq Editorial, with care for every celebration.
