Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: Salam,
What is the ruling on the time to wait between the marriage and the Walimah?
Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.
In general, it would be from the sunna to consummate the marriage before the wedding feast (walima).
However, there are differing positions regarding the time of the walima, and hence there is some leeway in the matter. For instance, some scholars held that the walima should take place after contracting the marriage, and others, that it should be held after both the contract and consummation. [Khadimi, al-Bariqa; Tahtawi, Hashiyat al-Durr]
The jurists tend to limit the time period of the sunna walima to three days. Thereafter, feeding people would be permitted, and rewarding with a righteous intention, yet not a fulfilment of the specific post-wedding sunna meal.
See also: The Fiqh of the Marriage Feast (Walima) and: Questions Related to Having the Walima After Consumating Marriage
And Allah alone gives success.
Wassalam,
Tabraze Azam
Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani