Guests and Spending

Muhammad bin Ziyad said that he found that the predecessors (that is, the companions and their successors) lived together with their families. When a guest of one of them arrived and he found the cooking pot of another on the stove, he would take it serve his guest from it. When the owner of the cooking pot found it missing, he would enquire and the man who had taken it would tell him that he took it for his guest. There upon the owner would exclaim." May Allah bless it for you," or he would make a similar exclamation. And Muhammad said, when bread was baked (the one with the guest would take all of it). Their homes were separated by walls made of canes". A narration of the Hadith, Baqiyyah, said," I too found (my teacher) Muhammad bin Ziyad and his colleagues observe this practice.

Abu Hurayrah (ra) said that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He sent message to his homes that they should send him if they had anything (to entertain his guest). They all sent back a reply that they had nothing but water. The messenger of Allah ^ asked (his companions)," Who will entertain this guest?" One of the Ansar volunteered to serve the guest. This companion took him and said to his wife," Honour the guest of the Messenger of Allah." She responded that they only had the food of their children and nothing more. He said to her," Prepare to serve and set the lantern and send the children to sleep". When they decided to have their meal, she laid the food on the cloth and set the lantern after putting her children to sleep. She then stood pretending to set right the lantern but, in the process, she extinguished it. Both husband and wife sat down leaving an impression on their guest that they were partaking the meal with him. Both of them passed the night in hunger. In the morning, that companion went to the Prophet (ﷺ) who said to him," Allah is pleased with your deed and revealed to me this verse::

" ... but give preference over themselves, even though they are in privation. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful." (al-Hashr,59:9)

Abu Shurayh at Adawi (ra) said that his ears heard eyes observed that The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was saying," he who believes in Allah and the last day should honour his neighbor. He who believes in Allah and the Last Day should take great care of the Jaizah his guest." (Jaizah is a provision for a guest that is superior to one’s everyday meal.) The narrator asked," what is his Jaizah, O messenger of Allah?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said," his Jaizah, extends over one day and one night while (general) hospitality extends over three days. And beyond that t(that is after three days) is counted as Sadaqah (meaning, whatever the host spends after three days on his guest will be under the head of Sadaqah because hospitality ends at three days). And he who believes in Allah and the last day should speak a good word or keep silent."

Abu Hurayrah (ra) has reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,"Hospitality extends over three days and what is beyond that (more than three days) is Sadaqah.

Abu Shurayh al-Kabi al-Adawi (ra) has reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who believes in Allah and the last day should speak a good, decent conversation otherwise remain silent. And he who believes in Allah and the last day should honour his guest whose Jaizah (a provision for the guest better than one’s own meals) is the length of a day and a night. And hospitality extends for three days and whatever is beyond that (more than three days) is Sadaqah. it is not proper for a guest to tax his host by overstaying (so that he is tired of him).

Al-Miqdam Abu karimah al-Shamee (ra) has reported the prophet j|| as saying," If a guest arrives then it is Wajib on every Muslim to serve him the night’s meal. And, if a guest stays at his house until morning then the morning meal is a debt on him which the guest may receive or forsake."

Uqbah bin Aamir (ra) said that he said to the Prophet (ﷺ)," O Messenger of Allah, what do you say about a situation when you send us to a people who do not give us hospitality." He said," If you go to a people and they present you what a guest needs then accept it. But if they do not serve you then take from them the right of a guest that they ought to have given".

Abu Usayd as-Sa'idi invited the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to his wedding. His wife, who was the bride, served them that day. She said, "Do you know what I served the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace? I served him some dates which had been infused in a pot overnight."

Nu'aym ibn Qa'nab said, "I went to Abu Dharr and did not find him at home. I asked his wife, 'Where is Abu Dharr?' 'Fetching some things for the house. He will be back presently.' I sat down to wait for him and he came with two camels. One of them was lined up behind the other and each of the camels had a waterskin on its neck. Abu Dharr took them off. Then he came and I said, 'Abu Dharr! There was no man who I desired to meet more than you and there was none that I hated to meet more than you!' He said, 'Your father is for Allah! How can these two be joined together?' I replied, 'In the Jahiliyya, a buried a daughter alive and I feared that I would meet you and you would say, "There is no way for you to repent. There is no way out." On the other hand, I used to hope that you would say, "There is a way for you to repent. There is a way out."' He asked," Did you do that in the Jahiliyah?" And Nuaym said "Yes.". Abu Dharr (ra) said," Allah has forgiven the sins committed earlier (before the Islamic times)". He then said to his wife," Bring us the meal." But she refused to do so. He then commanded her but she again refused to bring it and their voices were soon raised. Abu Dharr (ra) said," You will not go beyond what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has said". Nuaym asked," What has the Messenger of Allah said about them?" Abu Dharr (ra) said," The Messenger of Allah has said that a woman is created from a crooked rib and if you attempt to straighten it you will break it but if you leave her alone you will enjoy her while the crookedness remains in her". His wife then turned her back to them and went away and brought thareed as though she matched the bird Qatah (in swiftness). He then said," you go ahead, eat the food. And do not worry (about eating alone). For I am fasting," he stood up to offer prayers and hurried to the bowing posture. After he had finished his prayer, he began to eat. Nuaym exclaimed, "We belong to Allah! I had given no thought to it that you would lie to me. You said just now that you were fasting and you have come to eat". He said,"Your father is for Allah! Ever since I have met you, I have not spoken a lie." Nuaym said, "Did you not tell me that you were fasting?" He said,"Yes. I have kept three fasts in this month so that the reward for it is written down for me while it is lawful for me to eat too.

Thawban reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The best dinar a man spends is the dinar which he spends on his family, the dinar which he spends on his companions in the Way of Allah, and the dinar which he spends on his riding animal in the Way of Allah."