Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: Generally, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would not take Aisha (radi Allahu anha) with him to invitations; rather, he would go with specific companions from among the men. As mentioned in the above hadith, the Ansari invited him in the company of five companions. However, this was a neighbor, so he should have invited Aisha (radi Allahu anha) along with the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), because good neighborly relations required this. It is also possible that Aisha (radi Allahu anha) was in need of food and there was no food at home, so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not consider it appropriate to eat alone. The Persian (host) may have thought that the food was only enough for one person, and if Aisha (radi Allahu anha) was also invited, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) might not be satisfied, and he wanted the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to eat to his fill. When the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) insisted—and such informality is possible with a neighbor—the host agreed, realizing that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was not willing to leave Aisha (radi Allahu anha) behind for some reason, so it would be better for both to manage together. Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) deduced from this that when inviting someone, one should also invite their close companions, as the Ansari did. However, the Persian (host) acted contrary to this, so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) refused to accept the invitation and did not prefer to eat this excellent stew alone.