Hospitality
22 sayings
No one should go to troubles that they cannot afford for a guest.
Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 25876; Mizan ul Hikmah page No. 414 link
Invite one whom you love in the way of Allah to partake of your food as a guest.
Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 25881; Mizan ul Hikmah page No. 413 link
Sustenance comes to those who feed others faster than a knife can cut though flesh.
al-Mahasin, v. 2, p. 147, no. 1388; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 412 link
Any house which is not visited by guests is not visited by angels either.
Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 412 link
He who has faith in Allah and the Last Day must honour his guest.
Jami`a al-Akhbar, p. 377, no. 1053; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 412 link
The guest arrives bringing his own sustenance and leaves taking away the sins of his hosts.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 75, p. 461, no. 14; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 412 link
Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali [a] said
He who has been granted wealth by Allah must use it to maintain relations with his kin and to entertain guests.
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 142; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 412 link
Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali [a] said
Imam Ali (AS) was once seen sad and asked the reason for it, so he replied, 'Because it has been seven days since we have had no guests.'
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 41, p. 28, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 412 link
It is an abominable act to accept the invitation of someone whose banquet is only attended by the rich and not the poor.
al-Da`awat, p. 141, no. 358; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 413 link
I advise both the present and the absent ones from my community to accept the invitation of a fellow Muslim, even if it be five miles away, for verily that is a part of religion.
al-Mahasin, v. 2, p. 180, no. 1510; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 413 link
It is loathsome that a man be invited to a meal and does not accept, or accepts but does not eat.
Qurb al-Isnad, p. 160, no. 583; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 413 link
Do not partake of the food of corrupt people.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 84, no. 3; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 413 link
It is enough of a sin for a man to deem that which brings him close to his fellow brothers as burdensome, and it is enough of a sin for a people to deem burdensome that which draws a fellow brother close to them.
al-Mahasin, v. 2, p. 186, no. 1533; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 414 link
If your brother comes to your house [uninvited] then offer him whatever you have in the house, and if you invite him, then make a special effort for him.
al-Mahasin, v. 2, p. 179, no. 1506; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 414 link
Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Rida [a] said
A man once invited the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS) for a meal, so Imam said to him, 'I will accept your invitation provided you fulfil three conditions.' The man asked, 'And what are they, O Commander of the Faithful?' to which he replied, 'Do not bring any special food from outside for me, do not preserve anything in the house especially for me, and do not impose any difficulty on your family.' The man replied, 'You shall have that O Commander of the Faithful' and Ali b. Abi Talib accepted his invitation.
Uyoun Akhbar al-Reza (AS), v. 2, p. 42, no. 138; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 414 link
Whoever wants to be loved by Allah and His Prophet should eat with his guest.
Tanbih al-Khawatir, v. 2, p. 116; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 414 link
When one of you is invited for a meal, he must not bring along his son with him too, for verily it is prohibited for him to do so and he enters the house unlawfully.
al-Mahasin, v. 2, p. 181, no. 1515; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 414 link
A guest may expect to be honoured for two nights, then from the third night onwards he is considered to be one of the family and must eat whatever he gets.
al-Kafi, v. 6, p. 183, no. 6; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 415 link
Hospitality towards a guest is incumbent for the first day, the second day and the third day. After that, anything you give him is considered as charity towards him on your behalf.
al-Kafi, v. 6, p. 183, no. 2; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 415 link
Hosting a banquet the first day is reasonable, the second day is an act of courtesy, and any more than that is showing-off and seeking repute.
al-Kafi, v. 5, p. 368, no. 4; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 415 link
When someone enters the house of his fellow brother, he must sit wherever the host tells him to sit for the owner of the house knows the flaws of his own house better than the guest.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 75, p. 451, no. 2; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 415 link
Ibn Abi Ya`afur narrated, 'I saw a guest once at Abi `Aabdillah's [i.e. Imam al-Sadiq (AS)] house, who stood up to get something he needed, so Imam refused for him to do so, and stood up to get it himself, saying, 'The Prophet of Allah (AS) prohibited that a guest be allowed to do work.'
al-Kafi, v. 6, p. 283, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 415 link
Shown with the book and page each saying is taken from. The collection carries no grading, and the English is the compiler’s. All subjects