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Hospitality (Arabic: الضيافة) is an Islamic etiquette and a tradition among Muslims. Muslims host gatherings on various occasions, including Eid al-Ghadir, Eid al-Fitr, weddings, the birth of a child, and housewarming celebrations. The Prophet (s) described a guest as a gift from God, bringing sustenance with their arrival and forgiveness of sins upon their departure.

Hospitality in Islam encompasses courteous treatment of guests, maintaining a cheerful demeanor, and avoiding inappropriate interactions between mahram and non-mahram individuals during gatherings. It is considered commendable for a guest to accept the host's invitation, refrain from bringing uninvited persons, and avoid staying at the host's home for more than three days.

Shia jurists consider it obligatory for the host to pay the Zakat al-Fitr for a guest staying on the eve of Eid al-Fitr, provided the guest is dependent on the host for sustenance and arrives before sunset. Another jurisprudential ruling related to guests is that it is forbidden to partake in a meal where wine or beer is served.

Significance, Virtue, and Place

Imam Ali (a):

Whoever honors a guest has undoubtedly honored seventy prophets, and whoever spends a dirham on a guest, it is as if they have given a thousand thousand dinars in the way of God.[1]

Muslim scholars regard hospitality as an emulation of the Prophet's tradition[2] and, based on transmitted hadiths, consider neglecting it to be makruh (disliked).[3] The Prophet (s) described a guest as a gift from God, bringing sustenance upon arrival and forgiveness of sins upon departure.[4] al-'Allama al-Majlisi recounts that 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) expressed displeasure when no guest had visited his home for seven days.[5]

Muslims host gatherings on various occasions, such as Eid al-Ghadir,[6] Eid al-Fitr,[7] weddings, the birth of a child, and housewarming celebrations.[8] In Iran, the tradition of hospitality is particularly emphasized during Nowruz,[9] while in Iraq, it holds significant importance during the Arba'in pilgrimage.[10]

Manners

In hadiths within the Islamic tradition, ethical texts, and certain Quranic exegeses, specific etiquette for hosting gatherings has been outlined, emphasizing the intention of seeking closeness to God [11] and avoiding ostentation or hypocrisy.[12] These guidelines include responsibilities for both the host and the guest, as follows:

For the Host

Imam al-Sadiq (a):

Whoever feeds a believer until their hunger is satisfied, none of God's creations, neither a close archangel nor a sent prophet, knows the heavenly reward of this act, except the Lord of the Worlds.[13]

  • It is preferable to invite pious and God-fearing individuals rather than those inclined toward wrongdoing.[14]
  • Inviting family members and relatives to help strengthen familial bonds and maintain kinship ties (silat al-rahim).[15]
  • Refraining from excessive effort or ostentation[16]
  • Displaying kindness, cheerfulness, and good manners toward guests[17]
  • Avoiding inappropriate mingling between guests and family members (if the guest is non-mahram)[18]
  • Not asking guests whether they have eaten[19]
  • Preparing adequate food (there should not be a shortage of food)[20]
  • The host should be the first to begin eating and the last to stop[21]
  • Not asking guests to perform chores[22]
  • Accompanying guests to the door when they depart[25]

For the Guest

  • Accepting the host's invitation[26]
  • Not accepting the invitation just to eat or satisfy hunger[27]
  • Seeking the host's permission before entering,[28] and offering greetings[29]
  • Sitting where the host directs them[30]
  • Not sitting toward the areas where non-mahram women are present[31]
  • It is improper to attend gatherings involving sinful activities[32]
  • Keeping their visit brief and not staying at the host's home for more than three days[33]
  • Partaking in the food provided without hesitation[34]
  • Not observing recommended (mustahabb) fasting without the host's consent or if the host disapproves[35]
  • Refrain from questioning whether the food served is halal (legitimately obtained) or not[36]
  • Not taking leftover food unless the host explicitly permits it[37]
  • Encouraging the host to avoid excessive effort or elaborate formalities[38]
  • Not bringing uninvited individuals to the gathering[39]
  • Leaving the gathering only after seeking the host's permission[40]
  • Leaving with kindness and good manners, even if they feel the host has been lacking in hospitality[41]

Jurisprudential Rulings

Encyclopedia of Hospitality written by Muhammadi Reyshahri (in Persian)

Shia jurists have outlined specific religious rulings regarding hospitality, some of which are as follows:

  • According to the fatwas of some jurisprudential authorities, if a guest knows that what the host has prepared is from wealth on which khums has not been paid, they are not permitted to partake in it.[42]
  • Zakat al-Fitr for a guest who arrives at the host's home before sunset on the eve of Eid al-Fitr and is considered dependent on the host for sustenance is the responsibility of the host.[43]
  • According to some Shia jurists, if a part of the host's home or its furnishings becomes najis (ritually impure) and this impurity transfers to the guest's body or clothing, the host is obligated to inform the guest.[44]

Monographs

Regarding hospitality and its related etiquette, several books have been authored, including the Encyclopedia of Hospitality (Farhangnama-yi mihmani) by Muhammadi Rayshahri, published by Dar al-Hadith Academic and Cultural Institute.[47]

Notes

  1. ↑ Daylamī, Irshād al-qulūb, vol. 1, p. 138.
  2. ↑ Narāqī, Miʿrāj al-saʿāda, p. 345.
  3. ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Tafṣīl wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 24, p. 316.
  4. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 72, p. 461.
  5. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 41, p. 28.
  6. ↑ Bāqīzāda, Buzurgdāsht-i ʿIyd-i Ghadīr dar partow-i ādāb-i ān, p. 35.
  7. ↑ Hāshimī, Murūrī bar ādāb-i ʿIyd-i Fiṭr dar miīyān-i musalmānān, p. 137.
  8. ↑ Muʾassisa Dāʾirat al-maʿārif al-fiqh al-Islāmiya. al-Muʿjam al-fiqhī li-kutub al-Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, vol. 6, p. 559.
  9. ↑ Pāknīyā Tabrīzī, Nigāhī nuw bi jāygāh-i ʿIyd-i Nuwrūz, p. 13.
  10. ↑ Sharāhī, Wākāwī-yi idrāk-i zāʾirān az rafṭār-i khādimān dar Arbaʿīn, p. 115.
  11. ↑ Narāqī, Miʿrāj al-saʿāda, p. 345.
  12. ↑ Narāqī, Miʿrāj al-saʿāda, p. 345.
  13. ↑ Daylamī, Irshād al-qulūb, vol. 1, p. 147.
  14. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, al-Maḥajjat al-bayḍāʾ, vol. 3, p. 33.
  15. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, al-Maḥajjat al-bayḍāʾ, vol. 3, p. 33-34.
  16. ↑ Ḥimyarī, Qurb al-isnād, p. 75.
  17. ↑ Qummī, Safīnat al-biḥār, vol. 5, p. 270.
  18. ↑ Sayyid Murtaḍā, Amālī al-Murtaḍā, vol. 1, p. 208.
  19. ↑ Qirāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 9, p. 253.
  20. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, al-Maḥajjat al-bayḍāʾ, vol. 3, p. 42.
  21. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 6, p. 285.
  22. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 6, p. 283.
  23. ↑ Warrām, Majmūʿat Warrām, vol. 1, p. 48.
  24. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, al-Maḥajjat al-bayḍāʾ, vol. 3, p. 38.
  25. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 72, p. 451.
  26. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, al-Maḥajjat al-bayḍāʾ, vol. 3, p. 34.
  27. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, al-Maḥajjat al-bayḍāʾ, vol. 3, p. 37.
  28. ↑ Muḥammadī Rayshahrī, Farhang-nāma-yi mihmānī, p. 113.
  29. ↑ Qirāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 9, p. 253.
  30. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 72, p. 451.
  31. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, al-Maḥajjat al-bayḍāʾ, vol. 3, p. 38.
  32. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, al-Maḥajjat al-bayḍāʾ, vol. 3, p. 36.
  33. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 6, p. 283.
  34. ↑ Qirāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 9, p. 253.
  35. ↑ Ḥillī, Sharāʾiʿ al-Islām, vol. 1, p. 189; Khomeinī, Taḥrīr al-wasīla, vol. 1, p. 286.
  36. ↑ Muḥammadī Rayshahrī, Farhang-nāma-yi mihmānī, p. 153.
  37. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, al-Maḥajjat al-bayḍāʾ, vol. 3, p. 44.
  38. ↑ Muḥammadī Rayshahrī, Farhang-nāma-yi mihmānī, p. 111.
  39. ↑ Muḥammadī Rayshahrī, Farhang-nāma-yi mihmānī, p. 147.
  40. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, al-Maḥajjat al-bayḍāʾ, vol. 3, p. 45.
  41. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, al-Maḥajjat al-bayḍāʾ, vol. 3, p. 44.
  42. ↑ The distribution of khums and those entitled to receive it; The ruling on using or handling the property of those who do not pay khums (Persian)
  43. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī Yazdī, al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, vol. 4, p. 207-208.
  44. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī Yazdī, al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, vol. 1, p. 194.
  45. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī Yazdī, al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, vol. 1, p. 194-195.
  46. ↑ Ḥillī, Sharāʾiʿ al-Islām, vol. 3, p. 183; The ruling on sitting and eating food at a table where wine is served (Persian)
  47. ↑ Muḥammadī Rayshahrī, Farhang-nāma-yi mihmānī, p. 7.

References

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