CHAPTER TWO: GUESTS AND HOSTS – PART 3
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as a guest:
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was a humble guest and he would accept an invitation even if it was something small. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “If I was invited for a shoulder or shin [of an animal], I would have accepted.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari (2568).)
Ibn Hajar said: “He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, mentioned both the portions (the considerable choice and the lowly choice), since he especially liked the shoulder, whereas the shin is considered of no value.” (Fat-h Al-Baari (199/5).)
He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, accepted any invitation, even from a child:
Anas narrated: “I entered with the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, upon a slave boy of his who was a tailor, so he gave the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, a plate of Thareed (a meal of meat and bread), then the boy went back to work. I saw the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, choosing to eat the pumpkin in it, so I would gather the pumpkin pieces and place it in front of him. From that time on I loved pumpkin.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari (2092) and Muslim (2041).)
This narration shows the recommendation for a noble person to accept the invitation of and eat the food of one who belongs to a lower social status and eat with servants. It also shows the humbleness of the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his kind treatment of his Companions, and that he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would come to their homes to check on them. One of the benefits of the narration is that one
should accept an invitation even if it is humble.
He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, used to accept the invitation of a Jew to incline his heart to Islam:
Anas narrated that a Jew invited the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to some bread and oil or fat, the smell of which had changed, and he accepted the invitation. (Reported by Ahmad (13789).)
If he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was invited, and a person followed him who was not invited, he would ask permission from the host:
Abu Mas’ud Al-Ansaari (a Companion) said: “A man from the Ansaar called Abu Shu’ayb had a slave who was a butcher. He saw the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and knew from his face that he was hungry. He told the slave, ‘Woe to you, prepare some food for five people, for I want to invite the Messenger of Allah in a party of five.’ He invited the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in a group of five people, and a man followed them. When he reached the door, he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “This man has followed us. If you like, you can give him permission, and if you like, he will return.” He said: ‘Rather I give him permission, O Messenger of
Allah.’” (Reported by Al-Bukhari (2456) and Muslim (2036). The wording of the narration is for Muslim.)
Sometimes he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, went to some of his Companions so they could host him:
Abu Hurayrah narrated: “The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, went out one day and came across Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “What has brought you out of your houses at this hour?” They said: ‘hunger, O Messenger of Allah.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “And I also, By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, came out for the same reason, so get up.” They got up with him and went to visit a man of the Ansaar (His name is Abu Al-Haytham ibn At-Tayyihaan according to the narration of At-Tirmidhi (2369).), but he was not at home. When his wife saw him, she said: ‘Welcome!’ The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to her: “Where is so-and-so?” She said: ‘He has gone to get water for us.’ Then the man from the Ansaar came and saw the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his two companions and said: ‘All praise is due to Allah, today no one has more honorable guests than I.’ He went and brought them a branch with unripe and ripe dates on it and said: ‘Eat from this.’ He then took a knife, and the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to him: “Do not slaughter one which gives milk.” So he slaughtered for them and they ate from the sheep and from that branch and drank. When they were full and their thirst quenched, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar: “By The One Who has my soul in His Hand, you will be asked about this pleasure on the Day of Rising. Hunger brought you out of your houses and you did not return until you had received this pleasure.”” (Reported by Muslim (2038).)
Laqeet ibn Sabrah (a Companion) said: “We came to the Prophet’s home but we did not find him, but ‘Aa’ishah was home. She ordered for us to be given a meal of flour and meat, and a plate of dates. The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then came and said: “Have you eaten anything, or has anyone given you something?” We said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.’ So while we were sitting with the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the shepherd came to the pen, and there was a lamb with him making noise. The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, asked: “What did it give birth to?” He said: ‘A female.’ The Prophet of Allah,
sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Slaughter a sheep in its place.” He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said: “Do not think that we only slaughtered it because of you, rather we had one hundred sheep that we do not want to increase, so every time a female lamb is born, we slaughter a sheep in its place.” (Reported by Abu Dawood (142).)
The meaning of this narration is that the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not want to show that he was doing a favor to the guest and he was not showing off.
Al-’Ayni (a scholar) said: “From the benefits of the narration is that if a person comes as a guest to someone’s home before he arrives, the people of the household should give him something and not wait for the head of the house to arrive. It also shows that a host should serve the guest the best that is available.” (The explanation of Al-’Ayni in the book of Abu Dawood (335/1).)
Conclusion:
Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, constantly reminded his Companions of their obligations to Allah and to one another. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, reminded them that a believer does not allow his brother or sister to go hungry or live in unfortunate conditions.
When it comes to hospitality, there are countless opportunities a Muslim can find to engage in this most noble deed, with guests, neighbors and others.
Unfortunately, today many of us fall short when it comes to following in the footsteps of the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in practicing hospitality.
Some people do not even have a nodding acquaintance with their neighbors, and many of them may even die alone and not be discovered for days on end. This is completely against the teachings of Islam and the practice of the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and the righteous predecessors.
After family, neighbors are the people that we depend on the most in times of strife and calamity, and in times of need. Neighbors ought to be able to trust and rely on each other, regardless of their religion or ethnicity and must feel secure that both their honor and wealth are safe. Islam places great emphasis on the solidarity of families, neighborhoods and the wider community and on the qualities of respect, tolerance and forgiveness. Demonstrating these qualities in one’s dealings with neighbors and guests from the members of the Muslim community is a demonstration of the moral values and virtues fostered by the worship of the One True God.
By Muhammad Saalih Al-Munajjid
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