Fatwa ID: 03519

Answered by: Maulana Mustafa Umar

Question

What is the ruling for making collective dua before the walima meal?

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

The Prophet said, “Whoever innovates into this affair [i.e. religion] of ours what is not from it, it is rejected.”1 To make dua or dhikr of Allah is something which is encouraged in Islam as is attested to by the Qur’an and Sunnah. Since there is no specific manner in which one must make dua or perform dhikr, it has been left open. Additionally, seeing as there is no specific prohibition against doing this collectively as a group, by default it is allowed since there is already a basis for dua and dhikr in Islam. This is based on the principle that “the default in actions is permissibility.” So, if something is not specified as being prohibited, and it is not changing anything that was prescribed in Islam, then it is permissible.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Maulana Mustafa Umar

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1] Muslim #1718