According to a Hadīth, the best Walīmah is that in which the poor are fed. Considering this, does a Walīmah mean giving food to the poor on this happy occasion?
If we collect and analyze all the Ahādīth on this subject, the picture which emerges is:
1. In Arabic, the word Walīmah means a feast or a banquet. Using it specifically for a post-wedding banquet is a later practice. It is not by any means part of the Islamic Sharī‘ah. It is basically a cultural function that depends on the customs and traditions of a society.
2. The Ahādīth which urge Muslims to call the poor to such banquets consequently do not just pertain to the post-wedding functions of today, but to all banquets.
3. The words poor and the needy in these Ahādīth particularly refer to the poor who are known to the bridegroom – eg if there are some among his relatives or friends; similarly his servants at his house or office. Of course, these Ahādīth do not mean that it is required to go out and hunt for them.