Q 1: There is a tradition that has long been practiced by people, that is, when a person dies, the people visit the grieving family for condolences. They take with them cooked meat of whole slaughtered animals. Each group of people bring one cooked slaughtered animal; so sometimes the number of the slaughtered animals, which are brought is about six. Most of this food is thrown away as it is excess, because the people who eat from it are only those who bring it and the grieving family. What is your legal opinion on this act? May Allah reward you with the best. We would like you to give advice on this matter. May Allah benefit the Muslims with it. Would you please also explain for us the Hadith: Prepare some food for the family of Ja`far ... As some people explain it in their own way, making food in excess (Part No. 7; Page No. 414) as I clarified in the question?

A: It is desirable to send prepared food for the grieving family, as support and showing sympathy to them, as they may be preoccupied with their sorrow and the people visiting them for condolences, making no food for themselves. This is based on the Hadith related by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhy, and Ibn Majah through authentic Isnad (chain of narrators) on the authority of `Abdullah ibn Ja`far (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) who said: "When the death of Ja`far was known, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Prepare some food for the family of Ja`far, for what has befallen them is keeping them preoccupied. As for what you have mentioned in the question about each group of people bringing with them a cooked slaughtered animal to the extent that there may be an excess of several animals cooked at one day, this excess of food is an example of exceeding the proper limits of the desirable act which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) instructed by his saying: Prepare some food for the family of Ja`far... Such acts of making excess food is categorized under the forbidden extravagance, according to Shari`ah (Islamic law); Allah (Glorified be He) says: O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes), while praying and going round (the Tawaf of ) the Ka`bah, and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al-Musrifun (those who waste by extravagance). And: But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily, the spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayâtîn (devils), and the Shaitân (Devil-Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord. Ibn `Abbas said: "Eat, drink, and get dressed without wastefulness or showing off." (Related by Al-Bukhari (Part No. 7; Page No. 415) as Hadith Mu`allaq [a Hadith missing link in the chain of narration, reported directly from the Prophet]).This Hadith is also related by Imam Ahmad and Al-Nasa'y on the authority of `Amr ibn Shu`ayb who reported it on the authority of his grandfather as Hadith Marfu` (a Hadith narrated from the Prophet with a connected or disconnected chain of narration) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Eat, drink, get dressed and offer Sadaqah (voluntary charity) without wastefulness or showing off. Verily, Allah loves to see the sign of His Bounties on His Servants. The relatives, friends, and neighbors of the grieving family are to agree amongst themselves on preparing sufficient food so that they do not fall into what is forbidden in this regard. Also that what they do for the grieving family would have a good influence on the latter who will make use of the food without throwing it away. Besides, bringing food in excess to the grieving family changes the situation from being a sympathetic and helping one to being a situation of showing off. It also preoccupies the grieving family with the task of how to distribute this food and find people to eat the food. With regard to the grieving family preparing food for the people who pay condolence visits to them whether this food has been paid for from the money of the heirs or from the third willed by the deceased of their property or by persons visiting them, all of this is unlawful as it contradicts the Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet). Besides, it is an act similar to the acts of the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic time of ignorance), and it adds to the grief of the grieving family and further encumbers them unnecessarily. It is related by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Majah through good Isnad on the authority of Jarir ibn `Abdullah Al-Bajaly (Part No. 7; Page No. 416) (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "We used to count gathering with the family of the deceased and making food for them after the burial to be a kind of wailing."May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.