Foods (Kitab Al-At'imah)

كتاب الأطعمة

Chapter 1: What has been reported about accepting invitations

‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar reported the Prophet(ﷺ) as sayings

when one of you is invited for a wedding feast, he must attend it.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Ibn ‘Umar to the same effect through a different chain of narrators. This version has the additional words

If he is not fasting, he should eat, and if he is fasting, he should leave it.

Ibn ‘Umar reported the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) as saying

if one of you invites his brother, he should accept(the invitation), whether it is a wedding feast or something of that nature.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Nafi’ to the same effect through the chain of narrators as mentioned in Ayyub.

Jabir reported the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) as sayings

when one of you is invited to a meal, he must accept. If he wishes he may eat, but if he wishes(to leave), he may leave.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: He who does not accept an invitation which he receives has disobeyed Allah and His Apostle, and he who enters without invitation enters as a thief and goes out as a raider.

Abu Dawud said: Aban bin Tariq is unknown.

Abu Hurairah said

The worst kind of food is that at a wedding feast to which the rich are invited and from which the poor are left out. If anyone does not attend the feast to which he was invited, he has disobeyed Allah and His Apostle (may peace upon him).

Chapter 2: Regarding the recommendation for holding a wedding feast

Thabit said

The marriage of Zainab daughter of Jahsh was mentioned before Anas b. Malik. He said: I did not see that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) held such a wedding feast for any of his wives as he did for her. He held a wedding feast with a sheep.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik

The Prophet (ﷺ) held a wedding feast for Safiyyah with meal and dates.

Chapter 3: How long should the wedding feast last

Narrated Zubayr ibn Uthman

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The wedding feast on the first day is a duty, that on the second is a good practice, but that on the third day is to make men hear of it and show it to them. Qatadah said: A man told me that Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab was invited (to a wedding feast on the first day and he accepted it. He was again invited on the second day, and he accepted. When he was invited on the third day, he did not accept; he said: They are the people who make men hear of it and show it to them.

Qatadah reported this story from Sa’id b. al-Musayyab. This version adds

When he was invited on the third day, he did not accept but threw pebbles on the messenger.

Chapter 4: Offering food when someone arrives from a journey

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah

When the Prophet (ﷺ) returned to Medina, he would slaughter a camel or a cow.

Chapter 5: What has been reported about hospitality

Abu Shuraih al-Ka’bi reported the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) as sayings

Abu Dawud said: Malik was asked about the saying of the Prophet: "Provisions for the road what will serve for a day a night." He said: He should honor him, present him some gift, and protect him for a day and night, and hospitality for three days.

Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Hospitality extend for three days, and what goes beyond that is sadaqah (charity).

Narrated AbuKarimah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: It is a duty of every Muslim (to provide hospitality) to a guest for a night. If anyone comes in the morning to his house, it is a debt due to him. If he wishes, he may fulfil it, and if he wishes he may leave it.

Narrated Al-Miqdam AbuKarimah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If any Muslim is a guest of people and is given nothing, it is the duty of every Muslim to help him to the extent of taking for him from their crop and property for the entertainment of one night.

‘Uqbah b. ‘Amir said

Abu Dawud said: And this is an authority for a man to take a thing if it is due to him.

Chapter 6: Abrogation of the ruling that a guest may eat from the wealth of another

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas

When the verse: "O ye who believe! eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities, but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual good will" was revealed, a man thought it a sin to eat in the house of another man after the revelation of this verse.

Then this (injunction) was revealed by the verse in Surat an-Nur: "No blame on you whether you eat in company or separately."

When a rich man (after revelation) invited a man from his people to eat food in his house, he would say: I consider it a sin to eat from it, and he said: a poor man is more entitled to it than I. The Arabic word tajannah means sin or fault. It was then declared lawful to eat something on which the name of Allah was mentioned, and it was made lawful to eat the flesh of an animal slaughtered by the people of the Book.

Chapter 7: Regarding food of two who are competing

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade that the food of two people who were rivalling on another should be eaten

Abu Dawud said: Most of those who narrated it from Jarir did not mention the name of Ibn Abbas. Harun al-Nahwi mentioned Ibn 'Abbas in it, and Hammad bin Zaid did not mention Ibn 'Abbas.