Tradition

اِذا اَرادَ اللّهُ بِقَوْم خَيْراً أَهْدَى اِلَيْهِمْ هَدِيَّةً. قالُوا وَ ما تِلْكَ الْهَدِيَّة؟ قالَ: اَلضَّيْفُ

The Prophet (S) is narrated to have said: “Whenever God wishes goodness and felicity for someone, he gives them a gift.” He was asked: “What gift does he give?” He replied: “Guests!”1

Brief Commentary

Without any doubt, guests are a great gift from the divine who possess value and honor. Unfortunately, in today’s materialistically oriented world, the custom of serving guests has seemingly lost its value. When we look at many countries, we find that the idea of having guests come over is not like what it used to be in time’s past. In some cases, they are even seen as an annoyance and bother, and it is becoming rare for people to invite others to their home or to accept invitations unless there is a type of economic or political (materialistically oriented) motivation involved.

Yet, if we look at much of the Muslim world or within specific religious families, we will see that guests are greatly honored even if they are not well-known to the host family. We should always keep in mind that guests are a gift from God and we should treat and honor them accordingly.

• 1. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 15, p. 241, Jami' Al-Akhbar, p. 136.