Is There Any Religious Basis For The Customs Practiced In The Society Such As Seventh, Fortieth, And Fifty Second Night After The Death?

Is there any religious basis for the customs practiced in the society such as seventh, fortieth, and fifty second night after the death?

It is fardh to wash and enshroud a Muslim according to its procedure and bury it after establishing the funeral prayer (Kasani, Bada’i, I, 300, 306, 318). Except this, there is no duty to be performed in a specific form and time such as a ceremony or dua on the seventh, fortieth, and fifty second day. Such practices do not have any religious ground. In this respect, it is bid’ah to arrange ceremonies for a dead person in the mentioned days, and “Every bid’ah is an error.” (Muslim, Jumu’ah,43; Abu Dawud, Sunnah, 6). However, one may make duas with various occasions along with doing acts of charity in order to grant their rewards to the soul of a deceased person (See. Bukhari, Wasaya, 19; Muslim, Zakat, 51).

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWA