The Right of the Guest and the Host’s Shar’i Responsibility
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
A person who has the means to host guests is obligated to serve them. The limit for hospitality is three days, and anything beyond that is considered charity. It is not permissible for the guest to stay so long with the host that it causes him hardship. If the host has the means yet fails to fulfill his duty, it is permissible for the guest to take from the host’s wealth (by force) according to the level of hospitality due to him.
The term Ḍiyāfah refers to the food served in hospitality. In Arabic:
- باب ضَافَ يَضِيفُ (ضرب) means “to be a guest.”
- باب ضَيْف يُضَيِّفُ (تفعيل) means “to host, to present food in hospitality.”
- باب اِستَضَافَ يَسْتَضِيفُ (استفعال) means “to request hospitality.”
[Lisān al-‘Arab: 8/107–108, Al-Munjid: p. 505]
① Hadith of Abu Shurayh al-Khuza‘i رضي الله عنه
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليكرم ضيفه جائزته قالوا: وما جائزته يا رسول الله؟ قال: يوم وليلة ، والضيافة ثلاثة أيام فما كان وراء ذلك فهو صدقة ولا يحل له أن يثوى عنده حتى يحرجه
“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should honor his guest with his special gift.”
The Companions رضي الله عنهم asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is meant by ‘special gift’?”
He ﷺ replied, “One day and one night, and hospitality is for three days. Whatever is beyond that is charity. And it is not permissible for the guest to stay so long as to cause him hardship.”
[Bukhari: 6135, Book of Manners, Chapter on Honoring the Guest and Serving Him Personally; Muslim: 48; Muwatta: 2/929; Abu Dawud: 3748; Tirmidhi: 1967; Ibn Majah: 3675; Bayhaqi: 9/197; Ahmad: 4/31]
② Hadith of ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir رضي الله عنه
He said, “O Messenger of Allah, you send us (for propagation and other duties), and on the way we stay in the villages of some tribes, but they do not host us. What do you command in this regard?”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إن نزلتـم بـقـوم فـأمـرو الـكـم بما ينبغى للضيف فاقبلوا فإن لم يفعلوا فخذوا منهم حق الضيف الذى ينبغي لهم
“When you stay with a people and they offer you what is customary for a guest, accept it. If they do not, then take from them the right of the guest that is due to you.”
[Bukhari: 6137; Muslim: 1727; Abu Dawud: 3752; Tirmidhi: 1589; Ibn Majah: 3676; Ahmad: 4/149; Bayhaqi: 9/197]
③ Another Hadith Regarding the Guest’s Right
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
ليلة الضيف واجبة عـلـى كـل مـسـلـم فـإن أصبح بفنائه محروما كان دينا له عليه ، إن شاء اقتضاه وإن شاء تركه
“Hosting a guest for one night is obligatory upon every Muslim. If the guest wakes up in the courtyard of the host deprived, it will be a debt upon the host; if he wishes, he may demand it, and if he wishes, he may forgo it.”
[Sahih: Sahih Ibn Majah: 2966, Book of Manners, Chapter on the Right of the Guest; Ibn Majah: 3677; Ahmad: 4/130; Al-Adab al-Mufrad: 744; Abu Dawud: 3750]
