Understanding the Permissibility of Consuming Wedding Dates and Sweets
Question: After a wedding, is it permissible to eat the dates or other sweets that are distributed?
Answer: There is no harm in eating the dates; they can be eaten. A wedding is a joyous occasion, and if sweets or dates are distributed, there is no issue in distributing or consuming them. The problem only arises if people begin to consider the distribution of dates as a Sunnah, or if those eating the dates think of it as a Sunnah. This is incorrect. There is a hadith in this regard:
“When the Prophet ﷺ would marry or get someone married, he would distribute dates.” (Silsilat al-Da’if: 4198)
Shaykh Al-Albani has declared this hadith to be fabricated, meaning it cannot be used as a basis. Therefore, distributing dates after a wedding is not a Sunnah. If someone distributes dates or sweets without the belief that it is Sunnah, there is no harm in doing so, nor is there any harm in eating them.
Respondent: Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi Hafizahullah
Jeddah Dawah Center, Saudi Arabia
Interpreter: Hasan Fuzail