32. Guests and Spending

32. Guests and Spending

chapter 309. Intimate relations of Muslims with one another

739. 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.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: This level of mutual trust and love among the early Muslims, the like of which humanity had not seen, can only be attained when people, despite having only little, seek the greater and longer-lasting rewards of the hereafter with the things of worldly pleasure. After describing these early Muslims, Allah said: “And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful.” (Q 59:9)

chapter 310. Serving the guest oneself

740. 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 [them] 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)
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Imam an-Nawawee (الله رحمه (said, “It contains the excellence of preferring others and an exhortation towards it. The scholars are agreed concerning the virtuousness of giving preference to others with relation to food and things like that, from the worldly matters and things that the heart desires. As for matters of nearness to Allah; the best is not giving preference to others in them because the rights involved in them are of Allah the Exalted.” See also, hadeeth no. 102

chapter 311. Sumptuous meal for the guest

741. 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.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The narration shows some difference between Jaaizah: what we give the guest on his arrival, of warm reception including food, drink and other things he may need to settle down from the difficulties of journeying, and Diyaafah: general hospitality shown a guest. While the first is for a day and night, the later lasts for only three days after which the rights of the guests ceases such that whatever the host offers is only supererogatory charity. The author, Imam al-Bukhaaree (الله رحمه ,(due to the difference between Jaaizah and Diyaafah has mentioned them in separate chapters..

chapter 312. Hospitality is for three days

742. 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.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

chapter 313. Should not stay so long that the host gets tired

743. 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). Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The stage that follows the periods of Jaaizah, Diyaafah and Sadaqah is when the guest becomes a burden to his host! This is prohibited. It is evidence for the weak faith in whoever does that. However, this does not include when the host himself requests the stay or when it is most preponderant to the guest that he is not of any sort of burden to the host. Yet, it is from strong faith to avoid whatever may lead to a sin.

chapter 314. If the guest stays on till morning

744. 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.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary:That is; if the guest likes he should demand for his right of Diyaafah from the host, and if he likes too, he may leave it. The hadeeth is from the clearest evidences for the obligation of Diyaafah for the guest over the host. In another authentic version in Sunan Ibn Maajah, it says, “Entertaining the guest for the first night is an obligation…”

chapter 315. If he receives no hospitality

745. 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”.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: In the wording collected by Imam at-Tirmidhee (الله رحمه (in his Sunan with an authentic chain, it says, “…if they refuse, such that you have to take it forcibly, then do take it.” That the guest is allowed to take his need for the first night from his guest despite the fact that the property of the Muslim is inviolable emphasizes the fact that it is obligatory upon the host to entertain the guest for the first night.

chapter 316. A man serving his guest himself

746. 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.”
746. 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.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Considering the hadeeth in relation to the chapter heading, Imam Al-Albaanee (الله رحمه (said, “This is what is contained in the book basically but it does not conform with the hadeeth because the one who served in it was the (man’s) wife as is clear. So, the correct thing is the title he gave it ‘the Book of Marriage’ in the Saheeh (i.e. Saheeh al-Bukhaaree): Chapter on The Wife’s Serving the Men During the Wedding Feast Herself.” This is more so since the author already gave a title about the man serving the guest in Chapter 310, he may not have repeated the title again here. Allah knows best. That the wife serves the guest during the marriage ceremony is, however, based on the conditions that she is appropriately dressed according to the Sharee’ah and no temptation is feared therefrom.

chapter 317. Someone who brings his guest food and then stands up to pray

747. 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 belongs to 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.”‘ “Abu Dharr asked, ‘Was it during the time of the Jahiliyya that you did it?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied. He said, ‘Allah has pardoned what was already done.’ Then he told his wife, ‘Bring us some food.’ She refused. Then he ordered again and she refused. This continued until their voices were raised in argument. Abu Dharr said, ‘All right then! They (women) do not consider what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said!’ ‘What did the Messenger of Allah say about women?’ I asked. He replied, ‘Woman is a crooked rib. If you try to straighten her out, you will break her. If you coax her gently, there will be love and a sufficient means (of obtaining what you want).’ She went and brought a stew, behaving like a dove. “Abu Dharr said, ‘Eat. Don’t let me alarm you. I am fasting.’ Then he got up to pray. He began to perform rak’ats in quick succession. Then he turned and ate. I exclaimed, ‘We belong to Allah! I never thought that you would lie to me!’ He replied, ‘Your father belongs to Allah! I have never lied since the moment I met you!’ I said, ‘Did you not tell me that you were fasting?’ ‘Yes, he replied, ‘I have fasted three days of this month and so the reward for an entire month has been written for me and it is therefore lawful for me to eat.'”
Grade: Hasan (Sound)
Commentary: It highlights: 1. The companion’s concern for the upkeep of their household. See narration no. 234 and Chapter 247. 2. Allah’s mercy over His creatures. He has made turning to Him in repentance a means of cleansing a person’s past sins, no matter how grievous or enormous they may be. 3. Spouses should be patient with each other and show kindness when they correct themselves. The husband, however, requires more patience in dealing with his wives so that he does not ‘break her’. 4. Good deeds are rewarded in manifolds. 5. The point of reference here is Abu Dharr’s getting up to pray after serving the guest.

chapter 318. A man spending on his family

748. 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.” One of the transmitters, Abu Qilaba, said, He began with the family, Who has a greater reward that the man who spends on small children until such time that Allah Almighty makes them able to support themselves.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Good deeds are of categories as mentioned earlier. As regards charity, from the best of expenses is what one spends on his household. Then, spending on the little children in one’s household until they become autonomous is, certainly, very rewarding and full of blessings. The Prophetﷺ had said, “It is sufficient sin for a man that he abandons his dependents.” (Muslim and others)

749. Abu Mas’ud al-Badri reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When someone spends something on his family and reckons its reward to be with Allah, then it is sadaqa for him.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: It evinces the excellence of spending on one’s family and the need to do so for the sake of Allah, Alone, seeking to be rewarded by Him. Thus, if a man does such a virtuous deed but for the sake of other than Allah, seeking fame or show-off thereby, he loses the reward for the deed. See hadeeth no. 716.

750. Jabir said, “A man said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I have a dinar.’ He said, ‘Spend it on yourself.’ The man said, ‘I have another.’ He said, ‘Spend it on your servant (or he said, ‘on your child’).’ The man said, ‘I have another.’ He said, ‘Use it in the Way of Allah, but that is the least form of sadaqa.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

751. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “There are four dinars: a dinar which you give to a poor person, a dinar you give to free a slave, a dinar you spend in the Way of Allah, and a dinar which you spend on your family. The best of them is the dinar which you spend on your family.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

chapter 319. There is a reward for everything, even the morsel given to a wife

752. Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas transmitted that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, “You do not spend anything by which you desire the face of Allah Almighty but that you art rewarded for it, even what you place in your wife’s mouth.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

chapter 320. Supplication in the last third of the night

753. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Our Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, descends to the lowest heaven every night when a third of the night remains. He says, ‘Who is calling on Me so that I can answer him? Who is asking Me for something so that I can give to him? “Who is asking Me for forgiveness so that I can forgive him?'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Imam al-Albaanee (الله رحمه (explained that, “This wording of this hadeeth is an authentic Mutawaatir report (i.e. collected by large number of people in every generation) as is affirmed by the great scholars of hadeeth such as Ibn Abdil-Barr in at-Tamheed (7/128) who then said, ‘It contains evidence that Allah the Mighty and Sublime is above the heavens on the ‘Arsh above the seven heavens as the community (of the scholars of the Ummah) have said. It is from their proofs against the Mu’tazilites and the Jahmites in their opinion that: Allah the Mighty and Sublime is everywhere!’” The Imam – may Allah shower blessings on him – continued that the like of the position of the Jahmites and Mu’tazilites is that of the one that says, “Allah is neither within the universe nor outside of it”! From the points of benefit in the hadeeth is the virtue of waking up for prayer and supplication during the last third part of the night although it is the time that many of the people ‘enjoy’ sleep heedlessly and more so, during the winter.