Gathering on the Fortieth Day After Death Permissible

Question

Is it permissible to hold gatherings on the 7th or 40th day after someone’s death (Chaliswa)? And how is it to attend such gatherings?

Bottom Line

It is a Hindu tradition, not an Islamic one. Not allowed for Muslims to follow it.

Quick Answer

These gatherings have no basis in Islam. Fixing the 7th or 40th day for mourning or for Esal-e-Thawaab is a bid‘ah ( religious innovation) taken from non-Islamic customs. Attending such gatherings is not permissible. Islam allows charity at any time, without fixing a specific day. The Sunnah does not set the 7th or 40th day, and holding or attending such ceremonies is considered innovation. True ways of benefiting the deceased are through du‘a, charity, Hajj, and fasting if they owed obligatory fasts.

Key Points

• Mourning in Islam is limited to three days (except for a widow’s ‘iddah).
• Customs like 7th or 40th day gatherings come from Hindu culture, not Islam.
• Fixing specific days for acts of worship is bid‘ah.
• Attending such gatherings promotes false practices.

Detailed Answer

Islam is complete and perfect, and nothing can be added to it. Any practice not established by the Qur’an, Sunnah, or the way of the Companions is an innovation, even if done with good intentions.

Ruling on the 7th-Day and 40th-Day Gatherings

Practices such as holding gatherings on the 7th or 40th day after death (Chaliswa) are not part of Islam. They are customs borrowed from Hindu traditions and later adopted by some Muslims. In Islam, mourning has clear limits. The Prophet ﷺ said:

“It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for more than three days, except for her husband (in which case she mourns) four months and ten days.” (al-Bukhari 1282; Muslim 927)

This proves that Islam restricts mourning to three days and does not allow extended or repeated ceremonies. Fixing a day like the 7th or 40th for remembrance or Esal-e-Thawaab has no basis in the Sunnah and is considered bid‘ah.

What Actually Benefits the Deceased

Esal-e-Thawaab (sending reward to the deceased) is valid, but it is not tied to any specific date. The Prophet ﷺ said:

“When the son of Adam dies, all his deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who will pray for him.” (Muslim 1631)

This shows that the ongoing benefit for the deceased comes through charity, knowledge, and du‘a, not through ceremonies on fixed days.

Scholarly Rulings on Innovation

Shah ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Dehlawi (rahimahullah) stated that visiting the graveyard is Sunnah, but appointing a specific day and treating it as compulsory is bid‘ah (Ikhtilaaf-e-Ummat aur Siraat-e-Mustaqeem, Vol. 1, p. 96). Ibn Taymiyyah likewise said in Majmoo‘ al-Fatawa (24/293) that there is no evidence for fixing post-death gatherings and such practices are innovations.

Gatherings on the 7th or 40th day after death have no basis in the Qur’an or Sunnah and are innovations. Attending them is not permissible, as it promotes and imitates non-Islamic traditions. The correct way to benefit the deceased is through Sunnah-approved acts: making du‘a, giving charity on their behalf, performing Hajj or ‘Umrah for them, and making up any obligatory fasts they owed.

What Benefits vs. What Does Not

What That Means for You

And Allah knows best

References

Primary Sources:

• Qur’an 5:3
• Sahih al-Bukhari 1282; Sahih Muslim 927
• Sahih Muslim 1631

Secondary Sources:

• Shah ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Dehlawi, Ikhtilaaf-e-Ummat aur Siraat-e-Mustaqeem, Vol. 1, p. 96 – condemning the fixing of days as bid‘ah.
• Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmoo‘ al-Fatawa, vol. 24, p. 293 – no basis for specific post-death gatherings.
• Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Fath al-Bari, commentary on the hadith of mourning, limiting it to three days.