Ruling on offering condolences after three days

There is no set time limit for offering condolences, whether three days or more, because some of those who want to offer condolences may only find out about the death after four or five days. What we mean is that there is no set time limit for offering condolences to the bereaved family. If someone offers condolences to them after three days or four days or five days, whenever the news reaches him, there is nothing wrong with that. Rather three days is the limit for mourning, i.e., for the woman who is a relative of the deceased. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “A woman should not mourn for anyone who dies for more than three days, except for a husband.” So it is not permissible for female relatives of the deceased to mourn for more than three days. As for allowing extra time for offering condolences, that is not limited to three days, and there is no time limit for neighbours and relatives making food for the family of the deceased, so if some of their neighbours make food for them after three days, because they are still preoccupied with the calamity, there is nothing wrong with that, and there is no limit to that as far as we know in Islamic teachings."(Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him)

Fataawa Noor ‘ala ad-Darb (2/1127)