The Manner of Entertaining Guests

Entertaining a guest is something known and good in Islam, which regards entertaining guests as one of the good habits. It is reported in a hadith that: "Whoever believes in Allah and the Day of Judgement should entertain his guests."

Thus, the manners of entertaining a guest at a feast, or on the occasion of marriage, buying a house or breaking the fast in the month of Ramadhan are:

A- Show a warm welcome to the guest and let him sit down in a suitable place, or leave the choice up to him.

B- Give the guest the freedom of choosing what to say while in his company.

C- While waiting for the meal of the occasion, let him choose what is suitable for himself, from books, newspapers or watching television or talking to other people, lest he feels loneliness.

D- Do not be slow in bringing the food, and if it is possible you should choose a nice food for the guest, one that will be the best and most complete entertainment for the guest.

E- If your guest decides to sleep in your house, you should prepare a nice place for him to sleep; show him the Qibla (the prayer-direction) and where the toilet is; prepare a nice handkerchief for him, and seek his permission whenever you want to enter the room in the morning. In short, try to show your guest that he is the owner of the house, as one poet says:

"Oh! My guest, if you visit us you will find that We are guests and you are the owner of the house."

Adapted from the book: "The Art of Social Relations" by: "Al-Balagh Foundation"