HOSPITALITY & GUESTS - PART 3

Islam, as a perfect code of life, does not only encourage us to extend hospitality to others but, it has also laid down some ethical rules which are to be observed by both, the host as well as the guest. Let us explore some of these rules.

ETHICAL RULES FOR GUESTS:

Some of the important ethical rules are as follows:

1. Do not enter the house without seeking permission and saluting its inmates.

This is infact a Quranic instruction. The Almighty Allah says:

"O you who believe! Do not enter houses other than your own, until you have asked permission and saluted their inmates; this is better for you that you may remember". (24:27)

Just observe how Islam is practically protecting the privacy of individuals. Even the guest should not enter the house of his host without permission and salutation. Why?? Because the host and the inmates of the house may not be in situation to receive the guest and may not be wanting the guest to see their situation. The guest should therefore be patient and allow the host to prepare himself first. Moreover, the salutation to the inmates is meant to show that the guest has come with message of peace, love & harmony and not to quarrel or disrupt anything.

2. The guest should only sit where the host wants him to sit.

After entering the house, the guest should only where his host has directed him to sit unless ofcourse, the host himself gives him the freedom of choice. Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (as) has said:

"If any one of you enters the house of his brother then he should only sit where the owner of the house has directed him to sit".

And then, giving a logical reason for this, the Imam (as) said:

"This is because the owner of the house knows best the defects of his house than the one who has just entered it".    (Bihar al-Anwaar)

Allah (SWT) has given every individual the right to conceal his or her defects from the others. It is common to see some people roving their eyes inside other people's houses to find faults and defects. Sometimes, when they don't find any apparent fault, they do not hesitate to shamelessly pass their finger on the furniture to check for dust, in order to form an opinion and have something to talk about the person who has extended his generosity to them. Such people are those who have been cursed by Allah (SWT).

3. The guest should be pleased and satisfied with what has been offered by the host.

In life, our expectations of people are usually based upon their status. Therefore, when it comes to hospitality, the richer the host is, the higher the expectation of his generosity becomes. Many at times, things happen which are contrary to our expectations and we end up with severe criticism of the concerned party. It is usually common to hear people complaining, "We visited such and such person and despite being wealthy, we were offered only a glass of water". According to Islam, such criticisms are cheap and uncalled for. It reveals the selfish reason of one's visit to his brother's house.

The Holy Prophet (saw) has said: "It suffices as a sin for a person to consider less what has been offered to him by his brother".    (Bihar al-Anwaar)

Imam Ja'ffar ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) has said: "Doomed is he who underestimates what has been offered to him by his brother".   (Wasael al-Shia'h/Bihar al-Anwaar)

To be continued.................

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Mulla Mujaheedali Sheriff

mulla@almahdi.org.uk