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HOSPITALITY & GUESTS
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PART 2
Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (as)
has said:
"One whom Allah
has bestowed wealth should cater for his relatives (Silatur-Rahim) with
it and use it to entertain the guests well".
(Nahjul-Balaghah)
In the
olden days people gave much importance to visitations and entertaining
guests.Today,things have changed. Typical capitalist mentality has
creeped even into our Muslim society wherein people have become
self-engrossed. As a result, even when people do have time, they
hesitate to visit each other and guests are usually considered as
burden. If only we understood the merits of visiting each other to
strengthen our relationship and extending of hospitality, we would have
certainly strived, come what may, to find time for the same.
Imam Abu
Abdillah al-Hussein (as) has reported from the Holy Prophet (saw) who
said:
{Jibrael
informed me that Allah (SWT) once sent an angel to this earth. The angel
was wondering on land when he saw a man standing at the door of a house,
seeking permission to enter. The angel asked the man,
"What work do you have with the owner of this house?"
He said,
"He is my Muslim brother. I have come to visit him for the sake of
Allah".
The angel asked,
"Is this what you have come here for?"
He said,
"Indeed, that is what I have come for".
Thereupon, the angel said:
"I am the messenger of Allah to you. He (SWT) conveys His greetings to
you and has said:
I have made paradise wajib for for".
Then the angel added:
"Verily Allah says:
Whenever any Muslim visits (another) Muslim, he has not visited him but
he has visited Me. And his reward is Jannah".}
(Bihar
al-Anwaar)
Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (as)
was once seen in state of sadness. Somebody asked,
"What has saddened you?"
Imam (as) replied:
"seven days have
passed and no guest has come to our house".
(Bihar al-Anwaar)
The Holy Prophet (saw) has
said:
"A house in which
a guest does not enter, even the angels do not enter".
(Bihar
al-Anwaar)
He (saw) has also said:
"A guest comes
with his own sustenance and departs with the sins of the inmates of the
house". (Bihar
al-Anwaar)
Imam Ja'ffar as-Sadiq (as)
has said:
"Noble traits
(excellent qualities) are ten. If you are capable of possessing them
all, then do so. One (such trait) is to offer hospitality to a guest"
(Bihar
al-Anwaar)
Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (as)
once told La'ala ibn Ziyad:
"What are you
going to do with the vastness of your house in this life when you need a
much bigger house in the hereafter? However, you can (still) fulfill
your wishes for the hereafter by (using your house for) offering
hospitality to guests, attending the needs of your relatives (Silatur-Rahim)
and delivering the obligatory rights of others. Then through it , you
will achieve your hereafer..."
(Nahjul-Balaghah)
To be
continued..................
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Mulla
Mujaheedali Sheriff
mulla@almahdi.org.uk |